The Sun.
London, England, 1818-03-09 00:00:00

POISONUSG FIVE YOUNG WOMEN:

HATTON-GARDEN.—Sotwday Thomas Dawson,
Charles Goodivill, Sainuel Renton, and Thomas.
Boutler, four young men, bet vre.&tt twenty and
twenty-two years of age, were brought up ill the
custody of William Read, jun. and William ISTain—
wright, officers, and put to the bar, charged by-
Mr. Michael' landlord of the Greyhound,
Henrietta-street, Brunswiek7square, with intus-
:ing and mixing some deadly- poison in some per.
ter, and giving it. to drink to Sarah Morgan, Sa-
, rah Woudham, Betsy Fox, Jane Griffiths, and
Jane Tucker, five young women, with intent to
deprive them .of life. The 'comphililant deposed,
that he is. landlord 61' the Greyhound public-
house, Henrietta-street, Brunswick-square, and
is likewise a brush-manufaCturer ; that, the above
five named young women worked for him in a
workshop in the tipper part of a house situated in
an adjoining Mews ; that the two firstnamed pri-
soners are gentlemen's servants, and the other two
journeymen brush-makers,
,who worked for ano-
ther
person in the same mews ; that about twelve
o'clock that forenoon,- one of the two first-
tromed prisoners eam,e, to his house for a pot of
porter, , which complainant drew into a clean
Rot-; that after taking, the chill off he carried'
away , the beer, and Meeting the other three
prisoners,, they drank better than half of it;• after
which the prisoner, Samuel Renton, ton!, the
'remainder to the above five young women,
,and which they drank between them. -The
prisoners returned to the complainant's house,
where they sat down and had some refreshment,
They had not been long there, when a messenger
came and informed themt that the 5 young women
were stretched on the•floor in the room in which
they worked, lying in the agonies of death,
Witness hastened Lo them immediately, and found
them as described ; one -was in strong convul-
sions, black in the' face, and foaming at, the.
month ; a second speechless; and apparently in a
dying state ; and the other three stretched by
them or. the floor, suffering excruciating
Witness sent immediately for Dr. Darling-, 'of'`A),
Brunswick-square, who came and administered
the necessary medicines; but finding their case
very dangerous, he deemed it proper to have fur-
ther advice, and three other Medical Gentlemen
were caned in, all of whom agreed in opinion that

I their lives were in imminent danger,'and that they
could not give the smallest hopes tif the recovery
of either, and that their opinion was, that they
laboured under the effects of som7 deadly poison,
,and nor from julep, oil • or, Spanish flies, or.alq
similar things that might be adMinistered to them,
for any base purpose. COmplainatit, tinder all
thes'e circumstances, caused the prisoners, to he
taken into custody, and brought to trial.
The prisoners were asked by the Magistrate,
Mr. SeLLotv, if they wished to say airy thing'in
their defence; on which a controversy took place
between two of the prisoners:. One, a Gentle-
Inan's servant, said that he seas sent by, the two
brush-makers to the complainant's house lor a pot
of beer; when he got it,. he took the chill off,
arid returned with the beer to the two brush-
makers ; they made him arid his companion, the
other servant, drink ;• they swallowed about a
pint of it ; and the prisoner,: Samuel Renton, a
brosh,maker, carried the remainder to the young
women. This prisoner declared that there could
he no poisonous ingredients in the beer when Ike
arid his companion drank, as, if there harfbeen,
they would have been, as much affected as the
women. The prisoner, Samuel Renton, said
that there must have been something in the .beer
which was improper when it waS giver, to him by
the person who 'brought it, for that he drank of
the beer before Ire gave it to theyoung women,
and that he foUnd himself very much affecteAl,
and not able to go to work. i Gentleman, who
happened to be present in the tap-room when the
two brush-Makers were apprehended, stated, that
he heard the prisoner Renton say to 'lris comna-
nion, the other brush-maker,,''''"Push—no't a
word—keep close, and -they can do nothing."
At seven o'clock on Saturday' evening;, Mr.
Riley, the complainant, accompanied by Mr.
Boughtou, surgeon, of 46; Hunter-street, Bruns-
wick-s4riare, arid some other.G.entlemen, attend-
ed, when the Alagistrate put the following ques-
tions to Mr. 'Riley :

Magistrate.—Mr. Riley, how long after the ?ot
of beer was taken from your hou,e was it before
the girls complained I—About a quarter of an
hour.

Nl4gistrate.—Did you examine the pot to see if
it contained any sediment ?—The pot was taken'
back to my house,. and left on the bar, before 1'
heard of their being rtwell ; and I then loAed
fur the pot, and found it had' been just filled up.
for another person : lest there should be any left,
Ltook the beer and spilled it in the street.
Mr. 'Edward Brong h ton, the surgeon, was call-.
ed forward and asked—ls it your opinion'that it,
was arsenic or any other deadly poison that was
infused in the beer ?—lt .is not ; +tie symptoms
were not alike,,but it
.mustbave,been some vio;
lent stimulus, such as cantharides, tartar emetic,
or sulphar de lingua, &c.

Nagiitrate—For what purpose could canths-
rides be given ?--It would prodnce an excitement
of the system.

Magistrate.—What is. your opinion of their
present state ; are they out of danger ?—Doctor
Darling-and I visited them not long since, and we
are both of opinion that three of them will re-
cover; but as f6r Betty Fox and Jane•Griflith,
they are still in such a dangerous state, .that it an
inflammation of the stomach was to follow, death
must ensue ; consequently, we are both of opinion,
that they are not out of danger.
The offenders, who were already in prison; and
not present at this period, were ordered to stand
committed for further examination, when the tate
of the'unforttmate girls is decided either one way
or the other.