The Sun.
London, England, 1845-01-06 00:00:00

MURDER AT LEEDS.

An investigation before Mr. Blackburn, coroner for
the borough of Leeds, relative to the death of Elizabeth
Illingworth, the wife of William Illingworth, clock-
maker, Wortley, Leeds, was brought to a close, so far
as concerned the coroner's inquest, on Friday evening
last, by the jury, who had been sworn to inquire into
the circumstances of the case, returning a verdict of
" Wilful murder against Ann Simpson," a woman with
whom the husband of the deceased had long carried on
an illicit intercourse, The facts of the case will be best
gathered from the following abstract of the evidence:—
Mr. M. Hall, surgeon, and Mr. West, analytical che-
mist, were examined ; and from the evidence of the
former, who had made a postmortem examination of the
body of the deceased, there appeared to be no doubt that
she had died from some irritant poison. Mr. West said
he had found arsenic in the contents both of the stomach
and of the intestines of the deceased, and he had no
doubt that she had died from the effects of arsenic.

Isabella Harrison, the wife of James Harrison, dyer,
deposed that she lived near to Wm.ling worth's house,
and knew both him and his wife very well. She had also
known Ann Simpson for fourteen years, who was a married
woman, but witness did not know where her husband was.
Ann Simpson had lived at Illingwerth for two years,
but now had a house a short distance from Illingworth's.
Sho slept in that house at night, but lived at Illing-
worth's in the daytime. She hada child by Illiingworth
about a year and eight mouths since. It was born in 11-
lingworth's house, and the deceased, Illingworth's wife,
waited upon her (Ann Simpson) during her confinement.
Up to that tirae, and three months after, Ann Simpson
lived at Illingworth's house. The deceased had been
ill for some time, but at noon on Wednesday, the 11th
of December, the day preceding her death, when witness
saw her in her own house, she appeared better than she
had appeared for many a month, was in good spirits, and
complained of no pain anywhere. Witness went again
to Illingworth's, about half-past three o'clock in the
afternoon, and the deceased was then in bed. Ann
Simpson had gone to hers. Witness went upstairs to
see the deceased, and she complained of being starved
and pain in her head, but refused to have a surgeon.
Witness never saw deceased again till after her death,
when she saw her laid on a board at Illingworth's house,
about eight o'clock on Thursday morning, the 12th of
December. Witness went again the same afternoon to
Illingworth's house, where she saw Ann Simpson, who
told her that on the previous evening the deceased,
after being in bed a short time, complained that she was
ill, and she asked her (Ann Simpson) to get her some-
thing to eat, for she was nearly " pined" to
death. She got her a quarter of a pound of sausages,
about half of which deceased ate ; and also gave
her some gruel with gin it, which she drank at the same
time that she ate the sausages. About two hours after
she had had the gruel and sausages the deceased began
to be purged and to vomit. She then began to complain
of pain iu her bowels, and they bathed her with warm
water and flannel. omplaining of being cold, her
thus-
band and she lay down beside her, and she moaned and
then settled a bit. her husband then got up 2 and went
to the fire, and they found she was dead. V
wasiess
present when she died, which was abouttwtoheceasd
n
o'clock
deoe
Thursday morning. Witness hadl
led up
have pains in her bowels before, and known
had
been called
at night to bathe her.
Ann Simpson was as much mis-
tress of the house as the deceased. Illingworth treated
them both alike in point of kindness, but witness did not
think they all three slept together. About a fortnight
before her death, deceased and her husband were quar-
relling, and she said she would eut her throat and then
she would be out of the way. She had heard her be-
fore threaten to destroy herself, and she believes that
the woman Ann Simpson was the cause of her unhappi-
ness.
Mr. llall, surgeon, in his second examination, said
that he did not find any sausage in the stomach or bowels
of the deceased.

William Guy, cloth-dresser, Wortley-lane, stated that
his house was back to back with Illingworth's. In the
dead of the night, when all was still, he could hear what
was said in Illingworth's house. About one o'clock in
the morning, when the deceased died, while he was in
bed, he heard the deceased cry out, " Oh, my belly, I
can't bide ; lam killed with pain." He heard her cry
out twice. Then she was still for about a quarter of an
hour. He then heard her cry out again, but in a lower
tone, and as if she were weaker. On her crying out, he
heard Illingworth, the husband, swearing at her. De-
ceased said, " Bill, I have such a pain in my inside, I
cannot bide." Illingworth replied, " What the hell is
thou making this d—d noise about ?" and that "he
could not help her," or something of that sort. In