The Sun.
London, England, 1844-04-10 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.
WESTERN ClRCUlT.—Taunton, April 8.
Faith Sealey, aged 20 years, was charged with ad-
ministering white arsenic to her father, William Sealey,
of Kingston, on the 20th of April, 1843, by which means
he became sick, distempered, and died ; and in another
count she was charged with aiding and abetting in the
same.

Mr. Carey and Mr. Mereweather appeared fur the
Crown, and Mr. Kinglake and Mr. Edwards for the
prisoner.

William Westcambe proved that he made the coffin
for the deceased. There was a plate on it bearing his
name. He was present at Kingston church on the 18th
of January, when the coffin was exhumed.
Andrew Fudge, grave-digger, exhumed the corpse,
and placed it in the belfry at Kingston.
Police-constable Burford was present when an opera-
tion was performed by Mr. Welch, surgeon, of Taunton.
This was at the belfry at Kingston church. The two
last witnesses were present.
Mr. F. Welch, surgeon, proved that he took out the
stomach and intestines of the deceased, and conveyed
them in an earthen jar, sealed, to Mr. Herapath, an
eminent analytical chemist at Bristol.
Mr. Herapath produced the stomach, and showed that,
by a variety of scientific tests, he discovered the pre-
sence of arsenic in the stomach of the deceased.

The following witnesses, the brothers and sister of
prisoner, were then called :
Thomas Seeley, aged twelve years, said he could not
remember what his father had for dinner on the Thurs-
day when he was taken ill, but that he had some po-
tatoes and salt. His father was sick after he had his
dinner, and threw up some blood. When witness re-
turned home in the evening his father was very ill in
bed. He recollects when a ball took place at the Pru-
dent Widow, his sisters (the prisoners) were there, and
when, his father went for them they would not return
with him, and did not come home till after he was gone
to bed.

John Sealey, fourteen years old, said on this day he
had meat and potatoes for dinner. In other respects he
corroborated his brother Thomas.

William Sealey, sixteen years of age, came home after
the rest of the family had been to dinner, and then one
of his sisters told him that his father had salt fish for
dinner that day.
In cross-examination he said they had lived on fish and
potatoes a fortnight previously and a month afterwards.
Sarah Sealey, ten years of age, said, before my father
died I heard my sister Faith (the prisoner) say to my
sister Mary, " We should do better without father than
with him," and Mary replied, "Yes, we should." She
said this several times. Witness said she would tell her
father alit, and they then threatened to beat her.
Sophia Fudge proved that she went to Mr. Mortimer's,
a surgeon, at Bishop's Lydiard, for medicine for the de-
ceased, William Sealey, and that she gave it, on her
return, to Mary Sealey (the other prisoner).
Mary Tucker, of Yartbrd, said that the evening pre-
vious to the deceased's death, and during the night, he
was very sick, and vomited something of a yellow colour.
Thomas White proved that he leidged at the deceased's
house ; that he went for the doctor the night previously
to the deceased's death, and said there were no rats in
his (deceased's) house.

James Sealey, a livery servant, in the employ of Mr,
Esdale, of Cocklestone, proved that the prisoners kept
house for his father.

Mary Tucker proved that she was present at the ball
at the Prudent Widow, and that deceased came for the
prisoners, but they would not go with him.
James Bond corroborated the last witness, and said,
when the deceased came he shook a stick at them, and
that he had subsequently kept company with Mary
Sealey, the elder prisoner.
Harriet Moreman, a servant at the Half-moon, Taun-
ton, prOved that the prisoner, Faith Sealey, came to her
to go with her to purchase some arsenic to (as she
said) destroy rats. That she went with her to Mr.
Beadon's, chemist, at Taunton, for it ; but that he
would not let her have it unless she brought a note from
the person at Kingston, whom, she said it was for. That
then she and the prisoner returned to the Half-moon,
and that then prisoner said she would go and try some-
where else to get it, and that she afterwards returned,
and, showing her a small paper parcel, said I have got
it, I bought it at Mr. Joyce's (another chemist at Taun-
ton), and that the lad who served said it was enough to
poison a thousand men.
Ann Richards, another servant at the Half-moon, cor-
roborated last witness.

Mr. Beadon, chemist, could not remember any applica-
tion having been made at his shop for arsenic.
Mr. John Joyce, chemist, had not sold the prisoner
any arsenic himself, but had a lad seventeen years old
in his shop that had access to a quantity of arsenic
which was loose in the bulk, to serve customers with,
and at all times a wrapper labelled "poison" was given.
Aaron Bamfield, last witness's assistant, had no recol-
lection of selling the prisoner any arsenic.
Ann Fudge proved that the day on which the de •
ceased was taken ill she was doing needlework at
William Sealey (the deceased's) house. That the pri-
soner Mary Sealey asked him to have some tea. He
consented, and also to have smie sugar with it. There
were two sorts of "sugar on the table at the time, but
that the prisoner Mary Sealey went to the dresser and
took up a whity-brown paper, which contained some-
thing, but witness never saw her put anything into the
tea. That the deceased took it, and then was obliged to
go .to bed.

Police-constable Burford said, after Mary Sealey's
apprehension, went to prisoner, who was then living at
Mr. Clarice's, in Fore-street, Taunton, to ask her ques-
tions relative to the transaction, when he said to her,
" You may choose whether you answer it or not, as it
may make for or against you."
Mr. KINGLA RE here objected to the conversation being
deposed to, on the authorities of Mr. Justices Coleridge
and Manic.

His LORDSHIP—Was the prisoner then in custody?
Police-constable Burford—No, my Lord.
His LORDSHIP-1 hen, as Mr. Carey presses the evi-
dence, and I think it admissible, let it proceed.
Witness then inquired if she had purchased arsenic,
under the circumstances related by the witnesses Harriet
Moreman and Ann R:chards, anal that to each question
he put, she said it was not true.
The following confession of the prisoner, admitted at
the coroner's inquest, was then read:---" My sister asked
me, the same week my father was taken ill, if I had
made up my mind about going to Taunton on Tuesday.
I told her I had. She said she wanted me to buy some-
thing for her. I asked her what it was. She never told
me till I was going away. When I was going away I
asked her what it was I was going to bring for her. She
asked me if I would bring her a pennyworth of arsenic.
I asked her where I could get it. She answered at Mr.
Joyce's, where she had got it several times before. She
said, You mind, you must have some one to go with
you.' I asked her, Who can I get, except Mr. Green's
servant.' She asked me who she was. I said Ann
Richards, that lived at Mr. Woolcott's, at Bishop's
Lydian]. I said ' I don't know if I shall buy it or not.'
She asked Why can't you get it as well as I can?' I
said If it is a strong poison, they won't let me have it
e About I carry an order. She said, If they ask what
it is for, it is to poison rats.' I said, don't hear any
rats here about the house.' She said, 'No, if a waggon
and horses were to, go through the bed-room you would
not hear the-m.' I then said no more, but came away to
Taunton. I went to the Half-moon, and saw Ann
Richards. I asked her if she would go to the shop with
me. She said she could rot, and her fellow-servant went.
When I asked Mr. Beadon for it, he said he would not
let me have it without a note, or a proper witness from
the house, a person whom he kxew. He then asked
what it was for; I said it was not for myself, but for
some person that I knew. He said he.would not let me
have it, and I then went to Mr. Joyce's. His little boy
was in the shop alone. I wanted some other things, and
after I had them I asked for the arsenic, to poison rats,
as my sister told me. I said I could say no further
than that it was not fur myself. He did it, up in three
papers. He told me to be very careful what I did
with it, because ever so little would poison a
man. He added, I can plainly say, and not
tell a word of a story, that there's enough to poison
a thousand men.' I said I should not have any hand
with it, and that I would tell the person what he
did say. I paid him for it, and came away. We stopped
there about ten minutes. When I came home I gave it
to my sister; she put it in her pocket. I did not see any
thing more of it till Thursday at dinner-time. My father
was fond of salt fish, andgenerally had one for his break-
fast and dinner, with a roe, if he could get it. My sister
dressed it. I was up stairs cleaning the room. When
I came down I saw my sister with the roe out on the
plate. She had got the same parcel as I brought from
Taunton, shaking some of it on the middle of the milt of
the fish. I went out of doors, and said nothing to her.
My father came in to dinner in a few minutes after, and
she put it up for him. He took up the milt and ate it.
had before. After he had been to dinner, he sat down
He said it did not taste so good as many which he had
and had a pipe of tobacco ; then he went out to work,
He did not complain till he came home in the evening.
When he came home I was out in the garden. He came
in and sat down, and rested his elbow on the table. He
then asked Mary foe a cup of tea. She gave gave it to
him. I went up stairs. He took his tea, and then went
to bed. We stopped up with him till between 11 and 12
o'clock. My sister asked him if he would take anything
before we went to bed. He asked her what she had got,
whether any groats or arrow root. She said she had
some of each. He said he would have a little. My sister
got him some, and he was worse that night. Next day
he sent for Mr. Mortimer, of Bi ;hop's Lysliard, who sent
him some powders, and that day I took off my shoes,
and came down stairs and caught my sister mixing one
~f the powders ; one was larger than the others."
Mr. ICI.NoLmia: then made a very impressive address
to the jury, and his Lordship having summed up,
The jury consulted twenty minutes, and then returned
a verdict of Not Guilty.
The case lasted till late this night.

NORTHERN ClRCUlT—Liverpool, April 8.
(Before Mr. Baron ROLFE and a Special Jury.)

GOSLIN V. BIDDEN.

This was an action for money lent and money due for
rent of certain rooms in the house of the plaintiff, occu-
pied by the defendant.
Mr. Watson and Mr. Hogging for the plaintiff ; Mr.
Knowles and Mr. Segar for the defendant.
This case was commenced on Saturday evening at a
late hour, but, after the examination of one or two wit-
nesses for the plaintiff, was adjourned until this morning.
It appeared that the plaintiff was a contractor far some
of the works lately executed at Fleetwood-on-Wire, and
the defendant was the engineer under whose superin-
tendence they were carried on. The defendant, on first
going down to Fleetwood, lodged in the same house with
the plaintiff, and they were, it appeared, on terms of
great intimacy and friend-ship. Fleetwood was, at that
time, insufficiently supplied with lodging room, and many
of the parties whom employment on the works, or other
objects, attracted to the spot, were obliged to put up
with very inconvenient accommodation. The plainti ff