The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-03-09 00:00:00

When v

s took the protest to the office to obtain the

amount of the policy, the cone.
they had never seen such a protest before, and they wishec

y objected to pay, and saw

to sec the captain's letter containingi

and he told the

soner this, and he said the:
should not show it to them

By witness

.dvice he pro:

cured the letter, and said it had cost him two sovereigns, and
he explained that he gave that sum to Mr. Howden's clerk, to
give him the letter privately, in order that his brother might

the prisoner told him that his brother wished to have £715
insured upon his goods by the Dryad, in the Alliance Com-
pany. He, at the same time, gave him a specification and
valuation of the goods that were so insured, and witness ef-
fected a policy to the proposed amount, and he subsequently
clainrd a total loss, and the amount was paid. Both the
bills of ladinc, referring to these transactions were in the pri-
soner's handwriting. The prisoner wrote a letter of indemnity
to the company, in the event of any of the property being
Witness handed over the amount of the policy to
s bankers were the London and
y. Upon a subsequent oc-

the prisoner

The priso

. .
casion witness asked the prisoner whether he had received
any further information respecting the wreck, and he said
his brother had received a letter, and witness said that was

,mpany

he Maritime
He wished
how it them,

foithey-had got the protest and the policy, and that was all
they were entitled to, and if they did not pay before the
twelvemonth was up he would make them. Witness ad-
vised him to settle the matter amicably, and he then said

that some pans had been saved, but no po-rk or beef, and when
he said this he laughed, and added that Loose had done the job
very well. Witness asked him what job, and he laughed
again, and said he (witness) was not half awake. Witness
subsequently, at the request of the prisoner, addressed a let-
ter to the consul at Cuba, requesting him to obtain informa-
tion for the owners as to what goods were saved from the
wreck, as the insurance companies refused to pay a total loss.
The prisoner directed him to state at the bottom of the letter
that the communication must be considered as a confidential
one, and he explained that the ship had been chartered by
Messrs. Zuluetta and Co., and as the merchants did not fill
the ship they had occupied the room themselves, and they
did not wish theta to know that they had shipped goods, or
else they would charge freight ; and he also said that he did not
wish Capt. Loose to know he was making inquiries. About
this time the prisoner told him that Capt. Loose was coming
to England with the papers, and shortly afterwards he said
that neither Loose nor papers ever would arrive in England.
Witness asked him his reason, and he said that Loose was a
big rogue, and he had no doubt he picked up all he could
from the wreck, and had gone to the United States. He
made this observation jokingly. Some time after this, the
prisoner told him that he believed Capt. Loose was dead,
and that he had died on board the Premier coming home.
Witness asked if he bad got the papers, and the prisoner
told him the captain's trunks had been opened, and that no
papers were to be found. He made some further inquiries
of the prisoner subsequently, and he then told him that
Loose was alive in London, and witness remarked that he
had better go to the insurance office ; and he replied that he
wished they might get Loose there, for he knew he would
not go. Three or four days after the prisoner told him
that Loose was not in London, and he wished be was, for
he would give him a ship directly, and he added that he
was a very clever fellow, and deserved all he got, and had
done the Dryad job very clean. Witness remarked, if he
had done so, he must have been well paid, and the prisoner
replied, laughingly, " Oh, a thousand or two." On the
27th November in last year, he saw the prisoner at the

Mansion House, and asked him the meaning of it, and he
said it was the Dryad job, and witness told him that he
found his suspicions were correct. The prisoner then told
witness that he need not fear, for he was only the agent, but
be was afraid he should himself be transported. • Witness
asked him whg he should be afraid of that, and he said be-
cause some of the goods that were specified were not on
board, and there were papers in his house that would prove
his guilt. Witness was taken into custody upon this charge,
and was examined at the Mansion House. Witness after-
wards beard the prisoner say to the officer that he should
look after his brother, for he was the rogue, and that all he
had done was for his benefit. In witness's opinion the pri-
soner would never have done what he had but for his brother.

The secretary of the Neptune Assurance produced three
policies effected upon the ship for £7OO, £7OO, and £687,
all of which sums were paid.
Another insurance for £6OO was effected with the Indem-
nity Mutual Assurance.

Mr. Lodge, secretary to the Marine Assurance, effected
an insurance for £2,000 upon the ship, which was paid.
Mr. C. L. Bahr deposed that their firm paid £5OO upon
a policy effected by Michael Wallace on the Dryad.
A clerk in the employ of Messrs. Zuluetta proved that no
goods were
_put oa board the Dryad but what belonged to

IVlessrs. Zuluetta.
The documents from the Custom-house were read. No
other goods but those referred to in these entries were put
on board, or at least ought to have been on board the vessel.
There was no access from the river to the docks, except at
high water, when the gates of the docks were opened, and
these gates were always watched by the dock officers.

Mr. John Tait deposed that in the month of September
he was master of a vessel called the Bencoolen, and was on
a voyage from La Guayra to the Havannah. In the month
of October his vessel was off the harbour of Cape Hayti, and
three pilots came on board his vessel. There is a reef of
rocks in that neighbourhood, from which he was distant
about three miles when the pilots boarded him. He ob-
served the Dryad at some distance from him going right stem
on to the reefs. These reefs are lid down upon the charts
and are well known to the mariners. There is a bank in the

same neighbourhood called the Silver Bank, and the reef
is called the Silver Keys, and it forms the outside part of
the harbour of Hayti, and extends about 15 miles to the
eastward. He watched the Dryad to see if she would alter
her course, but she did not, and the pilot made a remark in
consequence. Finding the brig did not alter her course, he
fired a signal gun, but no attention. was paid to it, and she
proceeded in the direction of the reef, and witness ordered
the pilot to go immediately on board of the vessel and warn
the master of his danger, and the pilot did so and boarded
her, and it was not until he had done so that the course of
the vessel was altered. There was a very light sea breeze at
the time, and the Dryad could easily have avoided the reef.
After the pilot got on board, the direction of the vessel was
altered, and she was taken into the harbour. Other wit-
nesses were called, and the case was adjourned.
The case was proceeded with on the following day, and
after the examination of several witnesses, the jury returned
a verdict of guilty, but sentence was deferred.
The trial of Michael Shaw Stewart Wallace was then
taken, and after similar evidence had been produced, a like
verdict of guilty was pronounced. His lordship then sen-
tenced both the prisoners to transportation for the term of
their natural lives.

DEATH OF A LADY BY POISON TAKEN
MEDICINALLY.

Thursday afternoon a very lengthened investigation took
place before Mr. Wakley, M.P., and a jury, at the Old
Parr's Head, Upper-street, Islington, touching the death of
Miss Mary Joyce Sherer, aged 60, a maiden lady, of inde-
pendent fortune.
Mrs. Sarah Parsons, dressmaker, of No. 12, Cross-street,
Islington, deposed that the deceased lady occupied apart-
ments in her house. Deceased was greatly afflicted with
asthma, On Friday night last deceased, who had not been
able to obtain any sleep for nine or ten previous days and
nights, asked witness what she should do, and witness ad-
vised her to take a composing draught, to which she con-
sented, desiring her to procure it. She accordingly pro-
ceeded to the shop of Mr. Hallows, chemist, in the High-
street, to whom she stated what she wanted, and the age of
the lady whom it was for. Mr. II allows then gave some di-
rections to his assistant, who, having put the draught into a
phial, witness requested to know of what it consisted, as,
without, the lady, who was very particular, would perhaps
object to take it. Mr. Hallows replied, that the lady need
not be at all alarmed, as it was only a slight dose of opium,
and a little syrup of camphor, and he had given a similar dose
repeatedly to an aged grandmother. Witness then returned
home, and told deceased of what the dose consisted, and of
whom she had purchased it, when deceased said she was very
glad witness had gone to Mr. Hallows, as she considered linn
the most respectable chemist in Islington. Deceased then

drank the draught ; having done which, she said,
-rued her inside, and made her feel comfortable."
Llortly after left her, no one remaining with her, as sin.
A not allow it. At a little after eight o'clock the follow •
morning witness went into deceased's bed-room to in-
quire how she was, and found her in a state of insensibility
and black in the face, and moaning. She immediately sent
for Mr. Clifton, a surgeon, who promptly attended ; but de-
ceased never recovered her senses, and died at 10 o'clock the
same morning. Deceased, to witness's knowledge, never
had a fit, neither was she in the habit of taking landanum.
Mr. Clifton stated that he had no doubt from the unequi-
vocal character of the symptoms which presented themselves,
that death was caused by narcotic poison.
After a long discussion among the jury, which they pre-
faced by testifying to the respectability of Mr. Hallows,
whom they considered acquitted uf all blame, they returned
the following special verdict :—" That the deceased, from
the mortal effect of a certain dose called Batley's sedative
solution, administered at her own desire, as a medicine,
remedially, then and there died."
day Only
afternoon t h irt y - s
ae
tv efno
umr e
o'clock,brs as swe
hmi
lbel etdhiinr
ttyh-ee
ihgouht s em,
eTmh
bu
er s-
r s
waited in the library to abide the event of a house or no house.
What excellent jockeyship ! How worthy of liberal men, who
would be honest but for their necessities. Enough for the
day is the evil thereof, but trickery will not avail in the long
run; and the Danish claims will continue to haunt the Ex-
chequer until justice, too long deferred, be done at last.
Yonr "thordugh liberal" makes an excellent mock-reformer,
but a very sorry legislate—Evenino Paper.

" it had
Wit-