The Sun.
London, England, 1844-10-05 00:00:00

THAMES POLICE.

CHARGE or MURDER.—Mrs. Elizabeth Southerland,
a pretty, mild looking woman, slightly made, with
light brown hair, blue eyes, and very expressive fea-
tures, was put to the bar, charged on suspicion of
having caused the death of Samuel Cornish, late ship-
keeper or steward of the Dee Royal Mail steam-
packet.
Owing to the interest created by the publication of
the proceedings at the inquest held at the Alfred
Head, Stepney, on the preceding day, the court was
crowded at an early hour by persons anxions to wit-
ness the appearance and demeanour of the prisoner.
On her entering the dock all present were struck
with her youthful and interesting appearance. She
is about twenty-three years of age, and wore neither
cap nor bonnet, but was tastefully dressed in black,
with a satin scarf of the same colour thrown over her
shoulders.

Dr. Henry Letheby, professor of chemistry, was
the first witness called. He proceeded to detail with
great clearness the various interesting processes by
which he analysed the contents of the stomach, and
tested the intestines, so as to lead to the conclusion
that arsenic had been taken into deceased's system.
The evidence, which it is unnecessary to repeat, was
verbatim the same as that given at the inquest, the
substance of which appeared in The Sun of yesterday.
In answer to Mr. Pelham, who appeared for the
defence, Dr. Letheby gave it as his decided opinion,
that an over-dose of salts would not produce the in-
flammation which the intestinal canal of the deceased
exhibited. He could not tell what quantity of arsenic
his tests discovered, nor was it possible to say whether
it amounted to 140th part of a million part of a grain.
The whole of the intestinal canal had been completely
cleared out.
Mr. Pelham—Does it not sometimes occur that
there is arsenic in the human system ? Dr. Letheby
—ln my opinion, it never occurs except from acci-
dental causes.
Mr. Pelham—Then that theory is exploded ? Dr.
Letheby—Yes, by all who take the trouble to in-
quire into and satisfy themselves of the matter.
Messrs. Rose and Tatham, the surgeons who at-
tended deceased during his last illness, repeated the
evidence which they gave on the preceding day.
In answer to Mr. Pelham, the latter gentleman
stated that the conduct of the prisoner and deceased
was that of mutual friendship and affection towards
each other. Deceased did not at all appear as if he
he entertained suspicions that he had been unfairly
dealt by.

Mrs. Blackmore was then called, and repeated her
testimony of the previous day, the gravamen of which
was that the deceased told her two years ago, that
Mrs. Southerland had sent him a cup of coffee which
smelt so strong of laudanum that he could not drink
it, and that she was in the habit of administering
drugs to him.
In answer to Mr. Pelham, the witness said the de-
ceased promised not to forget her daughter Anne in
his will; but she (witness) was not so much con-
cerned about the money as the person of the deceased,
who was an old acquaintance, and friend of herself
and her husband. _ _

Mr. BALLANTINE here interposed, and said, that
after the evidence of Mr. Tatham, who spoke as to
the kind and affectionate bearing between the pri-
soner and the deceased, coupled with all absence of
suspicion on the part of the latter, such a line of ex-
amination was unnecessary.
Two or three other witnesses were then. examined,
but nothing material was elicited. Almost all of
them spoke to the kind feeling which appeared to sub-
sist between the prisoner and the deceased.
Mr. Pelham then put in a letter from Cornish to
Mrs. Southerland, dated the 7th of N0v.,1843, whilst
he was on board the Trent. Its expressions were
quite of a parental character. It alluded to and
commended her improvement in writing ; referred to
a new dress with which he had presented her, and
promised her another should she continue to improve.
It concluded by recalling to her memory the happy
times they had passed together, and expressing a hope
that they should soon be renewed.
The prisoner, who up to this time watched the
proceedings with a collected air, and gave instruc-
tions to her solicitor with great promptness, when she
wished to have any errors of date or circumstance in
the testimony corrected, burst into tears, and dropped
into her chair on hearing the letter read.
Mr. Pelham observed that it waa very improbable
that a man who suspected a woman of drugging him
should write such an affectionate letter so soon after-
wards.
Mr. BALLANTINE, finding that Sergeant Shaw had
no further evidence to produce, immediately dismissed
the case.
The prisoner, who, except her emotion when the
letter was read, and a slight spasmodic emotion of the
throat whenever she was alluded to as " the priOner
at the bar," bore herself calmly throughout the in-
quiry, fell backwards in a fainting fit on hearing that
she was discharged, but fortunately Roche, the
gaoler, caught her in his arms, and prevented any
accident ; she was then conveyed out of court by her
friends, who appeared to be very respectable.