The Sun.
London, England, 1845-03-14 00:00:00

MURDER AT SALT-HILL

TRIAL OF JOHN TAWELL.
AYLESBURY, THURSDAY.

(Before Mr. Baron PARBE.)

The Court resumed this morning at a few minutes before
nine o'clock. The entrance to the Court-house was crowded
to a dense degree, and it was with considerable difficulty
an entrance could be effected.
The prisoner when placed in the dock seemed particularly
nervous. He paid maiked attention to the evidence, and
particularly to the cross-examination of the witnesses by
Mr. Fitzroy Kelly.
Mr. Cooper, the chemist of London, was the first witness
called, and he was examined at considerable length by Mr.
Sergeant Byles, with reference to his experiments on the
contents of the deceased's stomach, which had been sub-
mited to him in order tO test the existence of poison.
He found in the stomach of deceased the pips of some
apples. He discovered in the seeds of those apples a
quantity of prussic acid. He did not think that any balance
could measure the quantity of the poison. There was just
as much as would colour the bottom of the phial. To the
best -of his ability the bottle originally contained
more than a grain of prussic acid (the bottle con-
tained the contents of the stomach). The quantity
was a grain at the time of the second examination
of the bottle—there might have been more at first. The pro-
bability was, that it would be so. The bottle was tested for
the second time on the Bth of February, about four weeks
after the first. He was not enabled to say how much
prussic acid bad been originally introduced into thsatoinacik,
before the contents were removed. A variety of circum-
stances might tend to decrease this quantity, as absorption
by the system, Scc.
Cross-examined by Mr. KELLY—He had never before that
time examined the contents of the human stomach where a
person had been killed, or where prussic acid had been taken.
Ile had had a good deal of experience of the chemical proper-
ties of prussic acid. -It had a peculiar smell, whether in its
strongest state as concentrated acid, or in its weakest form.
It affected the back of the throat in a peculiar manner. He
had met it more frequently in a diluted form, when combined
with water, than in its concentrated state. He had no per-
sonal experience of the quantity that would kill. His know-
ledge was drawn from books.
Baron PARKE—The least quantity that would kill was
that he thought mentioned yesterday in the case in the
French hospital.
By Mr. KELLY—He began his investigation with the
view of ascertaining the presence of oxalic acid. When he
tested the contents of the stomach he took various portions
for the purpose of discovering the presence of various poisons.
(The witness then detailed his mode of testing it.) He did not
discover the smell of prussic acid en first testing the con-
tents of the stomach. The smell of beer was the most pre-
dominant. When his experiments had failed to discover the
other forms of poison, he directed all his skill to discover the
existence of prussic acid. On the second examination, on
the Bth of February, he took a great deal more care than on
the previous examination. This was a test of quantity, not
of quality. The quantity actually obtained was one grain
and forty-three hundredths of a grain of prussic acid. One
hundred and thirty-six grains of cvanite of silver was
equivalent to twenty-seven grains of hydrocyanic acid. The
stomach of deceased contained some undigested flesh, the
apples he had already mentioned, and a pulpy mass, of which
he could make nothing. He did not see the apple pips, but
knowing that that tribe would yield prussic acid, he after-
wards tested them. He was not aware that sweet almonds
would yield prussic acid ; the bitter almond certainly
would. He made an experiment, on two separate
occasions, on different kinds of apples, and ex-
tracted a little prussic acid from both. The test was
simply placing the pips in a retort with water, and
distilling it. He then added to the distilled liquor a little
sulphate of iron, and the contents of the other phial on the
table was the result. He did not think it necessary to crush
the pips ; the distillation was the only test. He thought that
no substance contained pure prussic add.
Mr. KELLY—How do you reconcile that with your
former statement respecting bitter almonds? Witness—
His opinion was that prussic acid was so extremely
volatile, that if it existed in a free state it most be centi-
rually evaporating, and it could not therefore exist unless
combined with some other substances. Animal substances
contained prussic acid. He would not sayjhat it was likely
to be produced by a change in organic matter. As far as he
was aware of, he was himself the first discoverer of prussic
acid in apple-pips. He was not aware that if apple-pips were
macerated, that they would yield more hydrocyanic acid.
Mr. KELLY quoted from "Taylor on Poisons," to the effect
that the odour of prussic acid was present when the poison
itself was not existent. Did Mr. Cooper agree in that opiniOn ?
Witness—l do not.
By. Mr. BYLns—Before the trial he communicated to the
prisoner's solicitor what his evidence would be.

By Mr. Baron PARE.—After all the experiments he
had made, he had no doubt of the presence of prussic
acid in the stomach., The absence of smell might be
accounted for by its dilution, or by its odour being
covered by that of other substances. It did nut
follow that the prussic acid should be in the form of salt. He
had never stated that it was in the form of salt. In his
opinion it could not exist in the stomach as a cyanite of
potassium, where another and more powerful acid, as muri-
atic acid, was present in the stomach in considerable quan-
tities. He was not of opinion that prussic acid could be
formed in the contents of the stomach by putrefaction.
Joseph Cooper, jun., was son of last witness, and had been
his assistant for four years. He smelt the prussic acid in
the course of these experiments at the time his father did.
Charlotte Howard—Was servant with Mrs. Gilbert at
Streatham. She was at Salt-hill on the 26th December,
1843, and became acquainted with deceased. Witness was in
the family-way, and had a child at her house. Daring the
time she remained there (four months) Tawell came there
twice. At the end of September in the following year she
was there to see herchild, and Mr. Tawell came there. Mrs.
Hart let him in. She did not see him. She know his voice. He
remained about ten minutes. She was told by Mrs. Hart to
go and get a bottle of stout. She brought it and Mrs. Hart
afterwards came out of the room and told her to go for a
sheet of paper. She went and returned with the sheet of
paper. Mrs. Hart was then in the back room and Mr.
Tawell was in the front room. She went then into the room
where ho was. He went away in about a quarter of an hour
afterwards. She saw Mrs. Hart again soon afterwards. She
was very ill, and said, " Oh, I'm so iIL I was obliged
to tell my- master to go, for I can scarce stand." She looked
very pale and sick. She looked dreadfully ill. She was
very well all day before witness went for the paper. She
retched very much, and went up stairs to bed. She retched
there very much. She said "she had drank only a little glass
of porter and it made her very sick." Witness then went to
the room below and found 13 sovereigns, which she took
care of. She saw on the table some of the porter she
had fetched ;it was not quite gone. She and the children
drank the porter that was left in the bottle, and it did not
injure them is the least. She (Mrs. Mart) remained in bed
and complained of her head.
By Mr. KELLY—There were three children in the house,
two of Mrs. Hart's and witness's child. Mrs. Hart was not
receiving medical advice at the time.
Edward Weston Norblad, surgeon at Stroud.—He had
practised for ten years... • On Thursday, ~the ,2d of Janiarv,
he went with 'Mr. Clitimpneys to Mrs. Hart's house. lie
saw the body of the deceased there'- He had heard the evi-
dence of Mr. Champneys, and he would infer the existence cf
poison if death had suddenly followed the matter taken into
the stomach. He would attribute the very sudden death of
this person to one of two poisons—either prussic acid or oxalic
acid. Ile was present at the two first examinations of the
contents of the stomach. Mr. Cooper had correctly
stated the tests he had applied, and he (witness)
agreed with him in the inference he drew there-
from. Oxalic acid must have been detected if it contained that
acid. He had no doubt that prussic acid was in the stomach,
and he attributed the death of deceased to that cause. Ile
had heard the account of the last witness of what took place
in October, and the symptoms were such as would be
on the whole of the animal creation. It destroys life in
the same manner in all. He had himself tried experiments
upon animals. He had seen goats, cats, and dogs poisoned.
He had especially tried experiments upon clop. He had
administered to two dogs, some hours after feeding them—to
one of them beer containing half an ounce of Scheele's, and
to the other one drachm of prussic acid. He gave it them at
seven in the evening, and the effect was, that in 50 seconds
the dog which had received the smaller dose fell, and
in ten minutes he died. The second died in half the time.
He opened the bodies of the dogs eighteen hours after
death, the same period at which the deceased was opened,
and he could ascertain no smell of prussic acid. On opening
the stomachs of the dogs the prevalent smell was that of
some beer. The food was but half-digested. Ile should have
expected a smell of prussic acid in the case of a person who
had died in a quarter of an hour afterits being administered.
He attributed the absence of smell to the admixture with the
stout. He had examined the body of Mrs. Hart, and he would
on opening the body have expected to find the cause
of death, and if prussic acid had not existed in the stomach
he had no doubt he could have traced some other cause. The
body was perfectly healthy. He was much in the habit of
opening bodies, and he was satisfied that less than ooe grain
would cause death.

Cross-examined by Mr. KELLY—He had never attended
any one who had taken prussic acid. When taken as
a medicine, the ordinary quantity was, of Scheele's,
five minims, or drops. Prussic acid, he thought, might
with advantage be used in varicose affections. lie
agreed with Dr. Thomson, of London, that., ex-
ternally applied,
prusSic acid might be found useful in cance-
rous diseases. He had the sense of smell very acutely, and he
could not detectthe smell of the acid in the stomachs of the dogs.
Tho dogs were kept in an outhouse after they were dead, and
before they were opened. He tried these experiments on the
dogs on tie 18th Feb. succeeding the death of the deceased.
Headache and vomiting frequently followed a disorder of the
stomach occasioned by something being taken into it. The
quantity vomited bore no proportion to the quantity taken
into the stomach. He had given medicinal doses of prussic
acid to allay irritation of the stomach.
Mr. KELLY—In the whole course of your experience
did you ever find vomiting produced by prussic acid ?—I
have seen dogs affected to vomiting.
Mr. KELLY—I speak of the human being.
Witness (emphatically)—The stomach of the dog is ex-
actly similar to that of the human being.
Mr. KELLY—You speak very dogmatically, but I would
wish a plain answer to a direct question. Have you, Sir,
in the course of your experience, seen vomiting from the
stomach of a human being induced by prussic acid 2—No ; I
have not.

Two witnesses were then examined, but they established,
no important fact, and added nothing new to the evidence
already c dduced.
llenry Thomas, chemist, Bishopsgate-street—He remem-
bered Wednesday, the Ist of January, perfectly well. Ile
saw the prisoner on that day between twelve and two, at his
shop. He asked for two 'drachms of Scheele's prussic acid.
He brought a half-ounce phial, labelled " Scheele's prussic
acid." He gave that bottle to put the prussic acid in. The
phial had a glass stopper. Witness could not get the stopper
out, and was in consequence obliged to give him ri stopper of
his own. He thought the prisoner said, " Ycit- need 'not
put. a label on;" but the circumstance was so common
that he did not pay any attention to it. He said he wanted
to apply the acid externally to a varicose vein. (The book
in which the entry was marked was produced.) Witness