Star.
London, England, 1824-08-18 00:00:00

ANTRIM ASSIZES, AUGUST 18.

Re!her Lour;bridge and MIA Lomghtlidge (a blind
man) were inducted for administeting poison to Helen
:LOugliridge, the wife of Hugh.
' . Sarah Evans (a girl about 141 —Lived as servant in
Augint, 1823, with Hugh Loughridge; he was mar-
ried; his wife is now dead; her maiden name was
Hannah Houston; she died in August; witness's mas-
ter, on Friday morning, was not at home ; he came
home on Friday evening ; his wife and lie were not on
good terms•; she died on the Monday after ; deceased
hid been out that day with the witness at the bog, foot-
ing turf; when witness and deceased came home, wit-
ness went out to gather a basket of potatoes ; when w it-
ite?Ss returned, deceased was eating oaten brea.l and
!itter; after she took two or three bites, the said it had
a bad taste, and she would eat no mote of it. Hugh
(the prisoner) said she need not complain, as they had
all eaten of it before she came out of the bog ; she said
none had eaten of the same bread as she; the old wo-
dian (the prisoner) went out; the deceased asked for
drink, and got it; she went to spin, but soon turned to
the fire, saying she wished she had not eaten of the
bread, for her heal t was burning ; llugh went out, and
afterwards the old w worn in came in ; Hugh said to his
mother, upon her coming in, " Hannah blames the
bread you gave her for making her bad ;" prisoner said
that was the thanks people got for giving their kind•
ness ; Hannah said if it had been for her good she would
not have got it, adding, they had often sttiven fOr her
life, and they had gotten it at last ; she then lay down
in bed, and said repeatedly lunar that till she died, they
had poisoned her ; the deceased was in her proper health
before eating the bread ; she died at twilight.
Margaret M'Lister.—Knew the deceased; saw her
shortly before she died. She was in bed, very ill, and
moaning ; beard from witness's father-in-law that she
was ill, and therefore went to see her. Witness spoke to
her, and said, " Hannah, you are very bad r She said
she was. Her eyes were shut. Witness asked her if
she knew who was speaking to her? and she said that
she did, and mentioned witness's name. She said, " I
will not be long with you now." She asked for drink,
and got it from witness. Deceased said, when witness
gave her the drink, that " her heart was burning."
Witness went to milk her three cows, and, before she
could get back, beard that she was dead, and found her
dead when witness went back—could not get her
mouth shut; and when she went again, about three in
the morning, was greatly surprised to find froth at the
mouth, and water running from the mouth and nose;
she was buried on Wednesday ; deceased's sister at.sisted
to dress her.

Jane Houston, sister to the deceased.—Did not see
her before she died ; saw her six or seven hours after.
Loughridge's brother came for her; the corpse was dark,
and had four black spots on the side of the neck ; froth
was at her mouth, and water proceeded from her nose
and mouth in great quantities.
Mrs. Jane Johnson.—Lives in Ballymoney ; her hus-
band is a surgeon ; recollects seeing prisoner, Hugh
Loughridge, at their shop, on Friday, the 2d of August,
between 11 and 12 o'clock ; a little boy was with him,
of the name of Irwin; prisoner asked for some poison
for the purpose of killing rats ; had known him before ;
gave him three quartets of an ounce of white arsenic;
put it in double paper, marked poison; took a memo-
randum in a book of having sold the poison; witness
recognized the boy who came with prisoner to the shop.
Robert Irwin (about 12 years of age).—Knows Hugh
Lougfiridge; witness led him to Ballymoney from
Folintammy, about four miles ; it was a little after
breakfast; his (prisoner's) cousin, Samuel Pinkerton,
brought prisoner to witness's father's, and because they
were good neighbours, witness took him to Ballymoney,
to Doctor Johnson's; Hugh Loughridge desired him to
take him there; he read the name over the shop-door;
went into the shop; prisoner got threepence worth of
poison, which he put in his pocket, and witness led him
home to witness's father's. The poison, prisoner said,
was to kill rats, who were destroying his butter. Pri-
soner stayed about two hours at witness's father's, who
led him to prisoner's cousin's.
John Irwin corroborated his son, as to his leading the
prisoner away, and bringing him back. Prisimer stayed
about an hour; he said he had got threepence worth-of
poison for Mr. Brice, of the Knockagh ; witness asked
if it was to kill vermin? and prisoner said Mr. Brice said
so. Prisoner said his wife was donsy, or a little tender;
witness asked if she was confined ? prisoner replied she
was in the turf bog. Prisoner said it run in his mind
she would not be long to the fore, and that when she
died he would send for her r elations to give her a decent
funeral. He had a piece of cloth for a gown, which he
said was for his servant girl, but desired witness to keep
it secret, as between the. servant and his wife there was
a little jealousy. A few days after, heard Hannah
Loughridge was dead. Witness is a relation of deceased.
John M•Gowan, surgeon and physician to the jail.—
Has heard the evidence; the symptoms were the same
as produced by acrid poison or arsenic, but the same
symptoms might arise from other causes.
The Jury, after due deliberation, and without leav-
ing the box, returned their verdict, finding both the
prisoners Guilty.
The prisoners were then placed at the front of the
bar; the Clerk of the Crown in the usual terms an•
flounced their conviction, and demanded if they had
anything to say why sentence of death should not be
awarded against them according to law ?
Hugh Loughridge, the prisoner, in a firm tone of
7oice addressed his Lordship:—" I have to say, my
Lord, I am not guilty ; by the reason that when I went
to Ballymoney for the arsenic, it was for Mr. Bike, and
on my return I gave it to his servant, as I considered.
When I was charged with the murder of my wife, I
went to Mr. Brice,. but he denied having received the
poison, desiring me to point out the person 1 had given
it to, but I told him I could not, because 1 was blind.
The girl makes evidence that she returned from the bog
with the deceased ; this is wrong, for if she had been
present, she would have seen that I ate as much of the
bread as the deceased. We, the prisoners, shall submit
to any judgment passed on us, but we are wrong :IC-
cused.by these people, and are not guilty."
The female prisoner, a hoary old woman, upwards of
60 years old, did not evince much feeling on the awful
occasion, but asserted her innucence, saying she knew
nothing of the poison.
His Lordship then addressed the prisoners, and during
the delivering of it, was so deeply affected as to be al-
most overpowered by his feelings. Them did not ap-
pear to be any individual in the crowded Court sslio
'was not deeply moved on the awful occasion. They
were. sentenced to die on Monday.

A house is engaged at Brighto►► for Mrs. Courrs,
who purposes making a sojourn there of several mouths.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.
YORK AUGUST MEETING.
AUGIAT 16.
The Knavesmire Handicap PLite of 30 sons. 10 gs. ft. for four Mean
old. The List mile and a half. (Seven Subscribers).
'Mr. 'Russell's b. c. !thrall 1
Mr. Lambton's b. f.
Mr. Johnson's b. C.