The Sun.
London, England, 1845-01-08 00:00:00

..1010

..1010

1848.

THE ALLEGED MURDER,

AT SALT-HI LL.

ADJOURNED INQUEST.

•
told his friend, Mr. Williams, that they should have
an opportunity of addre,sing the jury.
The CORONER had never intended to have said sot
and he had no recollection of having so done.
Mr. Williams—You never did say so.
The CORONER, in a rather excited manner, accused
Mr. Williams of having addressed the jury on Satur'
day during his absence, which, he added, was eves'
sively irregular; and said if I had known you had
done so in any way, I would have excluded you from
the room.
Mr. Williams denied that he had addressed the
jury during the absence of the Coroner. After the
inquest was over, he had made observations on the
circumstances to some of his neighbours, which be
had a perfect right to do, and if any of those persoeg
happened to have been jurymen, he could not help it.
He did not in fact know who were jurymen.
Mr. Chambers had read an account of the pro.
ceedings, by which he had been misled. If the
Coroner told him that he was not to address the jury,
he should at once bow to his decision, as he was Sure
that he was safe in leaving the evidence in the band§
of a gentleman like the Coroner, who would properif
deal with it, without attempting in the slightest de'
gree, to influence the jury. Nothing could be were
improper than for an advocate to abuse the limited
privilege which was permitted to him, and he wa' glad
that he had been interrupted. If the Coroner told him/
he would at once sit down, but it seemed to him that
time case was one involved in great mystery and doubt.
The CORONER—Are there any witnesses for the de.
fendant
Mr. Chambers—l tender no evidence. There is
in fact, no one who can be strictly called the de'
fendant.
The CORONER then proceeded to read his summing
up from a paper which he held in his hand. He rise
sorry that the inquiry had been so long protracted, and
he was also sorry that there had been any publication
of the evidence. He begged the jury to attend
solely to the evidence, and to be misled bf
no vague newspapers reports, but to give the
verdict in accordance with the depositions, and with
the depositions only. There were many declaration'
which were not evidence ; but Starkie laid it downs
that a declaration accompanying an act might be taken
as part of the act itself. (The Learned Gentleao
then proceeded to read the evidence, and in relatie¢
to the evidence of the witness Moss, he said that be
had it on the deposition that she lived at 93, Crawford:
street, and that the report that she had lived
at 45, Crawford. street, which had been contradicted°,
the Times, and on the subject of which he had receive'
a letter from a person residing at 45, Crawford-streets
was not correct, and had originated in the error
the reporter, for she herself had stated that 5136
lived at No. 93.) There was no direct evidence
as to the administration of any poison to the de'
ceased, but there was indirect evidence sufficient t:
enable them to form an opinion. There were the
means found in the late deceased's house by which
poison might have been administered to her without bet
knowledge, and that she had swallowed poison was Or
dent. Although it was possible that she might 1161 s
swallowed the poison knowingly herself, still it was veils
improbable. She was seen by White and Marlosv
half-past six in the evening well, and in good
.spite't
The next account they had of her was from 0:4
Ashlee, who, between six and seven o'clock, beil
deceased's stifled screams, and on running out and
John Tawell coming from deceased's cottage sr)
asked what was the matter with her neighbour, t°
could get no reply. Now, it was a most imports!t
fact that a man should have left her in the agono:t
of death without giving any alarm. It was evidetwg
that the poison had been administered after
stout had been fetched, and that the poison was
and most deadly in its effects. If a man wail'
laid poison in the way of a person and it was take!'
that was murder, but if it were taken set'
dentally there was no murder. Now, with Po
gard to the evidence affecting the prisoner, Mrs AshL
saw the Quaker-looking person coming from 14r
door while the deceased was in the agonies of Jell
and she recognised John Tawell as that person. 0
was also an important fact, that on the Monday vibeoj
the prisoner was with deceased, Keziah Harding I'
heard him ask her if she should be alone t"-
m
next time he called on the Wednesday or Tburs;
day. They should also recollect that a deseripri°4
of the Quaker had been forwarded by the teleoo
to London, and that by the description he had bee
°d
and arrested, and that when arrested, he°
he had not been at Slough the day befell;
There was no direct evidence to she:
who had administered the poison to tPoej
deceased; but circumstantial evidence in many CeJ,„ •
was of much greater cogency. If they had ta.
doubt as to the guilt of John Tawell, they would e
him the benefit of that doubt ; but if they had Po
moral doubt as to his guilt, it is ould be their duty
say so by their verdict, without regard to his 80160
in society.
The room was then cleared, and the jury, after re'
maining in deliberation for three-quarters of an boll
returned a verdict of WILFUL MURDER against
JOHN TAWELL for poisoning Sarah Hart
prussic acid.
The counsel and solicitor for the prisoner were
called in before the public were admitted. As so°9
as the doors were opened the rush was terrific. Wheii
silence had been restored,
Mr. Chambers applied that the property foIIOCI
upon the person of the prisoner should be given OP
now that the inquiry was over, and the Coo
ner's duty, to all intents and purposes, ended,'
especially as he (Mr. Chambers) could now poi;
tively assert, and not assume, that that property
nothing to do with the offence imputed to the unfortly
nate man.

The CORONER, in answer to the application, said t;
could not say that the money had nothing to do 01
the case. The amount was very important, and .1
would be more advisable for a court to see the moue
He could not give up the money, but he would takeel
that the officers should not dissipate it; they weul
detain as trustees for the purposes of this
The prisoner would not be damnified, for he wider
stood he was a man of property.
Mr. Chambers—The watch.
The CORONER—I cannot let the watch be given 4
either.
Mr. Chambers—You stated that, at the last e-
mination, there might be something material ell
nected with the money, inasmuch as you had receil"
other information of considerable importance. 14°
that could not be the case, because, if it had bee°.
the information ought to be produced. #
The CORONER would not say that it was not hie
tant now, from information he had received.
Mr. Chambers protested against any informal
being kept back.
The CORONER had kept back no information. lig
had heard no evidence except in Court. He had e..dl/3#
ployed an officer to investigate the 07:1
What that officer had reported to him elle
not be evidence, because he had not to
witnesses here, and if it could be received it yid
merely corroborative of evidence already received, an
would not enlighten the minds of the jury.
The prisoner was then committed to Aylesbuff
goal.
si
The prisoner, who wore the garb of a Quaker, o•
called in to hear t:4,-; verdict delivered. He it/
respectable-looking elderly man, with sLlverf
hair, and with rather a mild expression i o
countenance. He listened to the yere'llo
without manifesting any emotion, and a person 11 _
OOP
acquainted with the circumstances would have t

him for a casual spectator. # pet
The body of the unfortunate deceased has
been inteired, but it is stated that her funeral '
take place to-morrow.

DEATH or DEAF BuRKR.—The death of 17.
Burke took place at his residence, No. 5, Foal-Ili.
street, Waterloo-road, at half-past one o'clock
day, after a short illness.