Star.
London, England, 1829-05-14 00:00:00

SUPPOSED MURDER, AT WHIPTON.
, ~..rearr •
,! FROM 71111. WRSTRAIL LUMINARY. •
Fridiky last a..cOrppir'Ajnquest: was held st the MI:
Moodlnd,Wltipilitrcon the WY of Samuel Westconsh
supposed to have been poisoned.
The examination of witnesses commenced at two
o'clock in the afternoon, and did not terminate untie
duce o'clock on the following morning, when the hp.
Cher investigation was adjourned toWednesday, in order
to afford Mr. Pridham, the surgeon, an opportunity lot
a chymical analysis of the contents of the romach of
the deceased. In theineantime Kezia Westcomb, the
widow of the deceased, .and Richard Witatnaoce, were
committed to the'county gaol, to abide the result of the
inquest. The following will be found a cortect repot
of the evidence of the principal witnesses:
Mary Richards sworn—l am the wife of Johnßichards,
of the Quary, Heavitree; I have known the decease:
four or five ears; I heard his wife say they were mar.
ried at St. Sidwell's Church; about a year ago Beal-
Westcomb was at my house, assisting to nurse the
children, who were ill of the hopping cough and urea
sles; she then stared to me, in the presence of another
witness, that she kept a pat tiCUI it bet b iss the house—
(witness stated the use Westcomb made of it; we omi.
_ that part of the evidence). She said her h au d h
threatened to throw the herb away, and Via: he had sate
.he should not keep it in the house; IC•zia Westcnml
said that she would " crack the crown of him' tf hr
threw t'-e veil) away. She also said that she wished he,
husband dead, and hoped die should fi.id him dead ins
her rerun borne. I have since end th t she was on fat
too intimate terms with R chard Cl•santance.

Eliza Davy sworn—l am the daughter of George
Davy. of Heavitree. I lived under the same roo
with the deceased, who rented the chambers of my
fitt,er's house; I nave known the deceased five or six
years; he has enjoyed perfect health f r many yea's;
he appeared quite well mi Sunday and Monday last; I
saw the deceased aftsi he came home from his wcok on
M mday ; he was then quite well ; on Wednesday fore
noon KeziaWestcomb was washing; I went into her
room; she said to use, " Sam (her husband) is very
bad," I asked what was the matter ? site ieplied, slit
did not know; I told her that Mi. Pi idtiam, the parish
surgeon, generally came to Whipton on Wednesday,
and advised her to ask Mr. Pridham to call and see
her husband; sloe replied, " He (Sam) won't see
him r I then said, " I would. if I were in you.
place, ask Mr. Pridham to come and see him. and
not say any thing about it to him." Westcomb thin
agreed that in case Mr. Pridham came to Whipton,
.he would desire hum to call on her husband. I afters% ards
asked Westcomb what was the matter with the d. ceased?
she said he complained of a pain in his stomach. In
the afternoon of Wednesday, at about tour o'clock, Kes'a
Westcomb came ioto my mother's bed room. My
soother asked het how Sam was? She sail he was very
bad ; mother said " what have you given him ?" West.
comb replied that she had given him nothing but tea ;
Westcomb then said," All his cry is for cider; I am Win
to pick a bundle of sticks; Sam wants to come down
stairs and go out in the sun. he is so cold;" she then went
out to pick the stick.; on Wednesday morning, in the
presence of my mother and sister, Kezia Weitcomh
gave an account of her husband's illness. She said that
when Sam came home last night (Tuesday). she told
him there were no potatoes in the house fur his :sipper,
and asked him if he would have a basin of burr b She
said he told her he did not ca. e—any thing would dn.
She then took a bit of fat mutton, pot it inn the clock.
made it bail. and then thickened it with II 'or, List-
ing a little bread. She said she d;pp., dup a tea
cup full of the broth and had drank t. Ido Out
recollect if she said she hid i.alc.n up the broils lot
Sams or had lett it for his supper. She fa d she ail.:
my sister Manila went for a walk round fleavosee,
and that she had left Sam at home to get his supper...-
0d her return she said that Sam was titian; down by
the 6ie side, letting his head rin hi. r and ; he s•ed tie
was very bad; he had eaten part of hi. broth; she told
us he had had a violent pain in hi. st mach al d had
vomited very much ; site also said that he complained
very much of thirst, and that he d d not have Iris clothes
off all night; she said he wanted some cider ; that she
gut him two eggs, and had dressed nue r f them int
him ; nn Wednesday evening I saw ItichAtd Quantance
with K. Westcomb; they weie thinking tea together;
Westcomb said s' e was going to make tome rose-
mary tea For her husband. On Thursday evening,
K. Westcomb. in the presence of Mary Westcomb.4aid
that her husband's body should not be opened by a
laurgeoo ; Richard Broom (a fellow labourer of the de.
ceased) told me that deceased had been poisoned; I
repeated what he had said to K. Westcomb, who said
she " would rather suffer a sword to he thrust in her
heart thin that the body should be ol erred;" Mary
Westcomb said, " Don't say so; if thew want the body
opened, in Goo', name let it be done ;" I did not bee
Quantance at our house yesterday (Thursday), but my
mother said he was there; Quantance a as a lod),,er in our
home until M nday last ;on that day I saw him sitting
in K. Westcomb's mem. On Thursday K. Westcomb
sent me and her sister to draw. the club money for the
funeral. We were at first refused. K. Westcomb
wrote on a piece of paper —" This is to can Lily that Sa-
muel Westcomb is tio mute." I afterwards got Peter
Wilms and Richard Fenn to sign the paper, and the
money was then paid to me. The deceased came to
this house (Half Moon Inn) on Wednesday, and drank
some beer.

•E. P. Pridham, Esq. surgeon, sno►n—K. Westcomb
objected to my opening the body of the deceased; I
have done so; I am clearly of opinion th.st the deceased
has died from the effect of cm tain deleteri .us substances

found in the stomach, the precise nature of which 1
have not yet been able to examine; but from the inso
!Lability of the substance, its close adherence to the
surface of the stomach, added to the symptoms detailed
by the wife, I have every reason to believe the substance
found to be white arsenic, and sufficient in quantity to
produce death.
James M. Madden, Esq. surgeon, of Heavitree, con•
firmed the truth of the medical opinion expressed by
Mr. Pi idham.

Eleanor Jarman was examined—Witness lodged in
Mr. Davy's house ; she knew the deceased, but did not
know be was ill until Wednesday. At about twelve o'clock on
that night witness beard K. Westeomb call to Davy. Mrs. Trost
afterwards called witness, and on going into 'bifocal occupied by
the deceased, witness found that be was dead. He was quite stiff
and cold; she thought be artist have been dead for two hours.—
Witness did not see any marks or bruises about the deceased. K.
Westcomb used to call Quantance to breakfast in the muruing as if
be was one of the family.
We stop the press to announce a most important fact relating to
the supposed murder at Whiptoo, which bas just been comnsuni•
rated to us. About a fortnight ago, a rims answering the description
of Richard Quantance, purchased sixpenny-worth of white. armpit
at the shop of Mr. Salter, chymist, Fore-street bill. He was as
by James Potter and Geo. Perry, two porters, working
at •
the Quay. Mr. Salter, although be did not suspect that the
poison was required for an improper purpose. very daftly goes-
timid the mans and asked what use be intended to make of it ?
The Man replied that his house was beset with rats and that the
amide was to destroy them. Mr. Salter then observed,' " I sop-
pose you are going to destroy yourself, or you would not have

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