The Statesman.
London, England, 1820-10-19 00:00:00

~A`TF.~

[AN.

FRATRICIDS.

{Varner)** OCT: 14.—0 s Monday week, and the
two following days, an Inquest was held by &Behar!
Evelyn, Esq., Coroner for this City, on the body of ,
Richard Darcy, steward and gardener to the lion. and I
Right Rev. Dr. Bourke, Bishop of Waterford and Lis-
more, who died un the preceding day. During the
lingering illness of deceased circumstances arose which, ,
after his death, excited a strong suspleion that he was
poisoned.
The deceased had a brother, Jame% Darcy, who lived
nith him while out ofeniployment, and to whom the
greatest affection was evinced by the deceased.—The
I deceased had saved nearly 400,'. out of his wages, half
of %%bids be willed to his brother and the other half
to his, deceased's wife, and after her death his brother I
was to have all. About the end of August, Richard
• Dire), and his wife began to complain and were con- ,
' fined to their beds; Mrs. Rickards, house-keeper to the !
Bishop, went to see the licensed ; she noticed that the
jur, in which she had the night before put wine-whey,
had heen emptied, and water put in its place. Mrs.
Rickards asked the deceased where was the whey he
• replied, that it had diagreed with him—and his bro-
ther threw what remained into the grate, and that he
gave him a drink of very bad water. Mrs. Rickards
Hook the jug to her own room, drained off the water,
and perceived sonic white powder at the bottom uf it :
she took the powder out of the jug, put it into a glass,
and pla:aNl the glass in her press. She went to the
deceased's room again that day to give some tuediciur
that was ordered for him ; after giving him the quan-
tity prescribed there remained two table-spoons full
in the bottle; she then accompanied Dr. Mackerv,
the medical attendant, to the garden-house. where
Mrs. Darcy was labouring under similar symptoms of
cholera owriwa on 3lrs. Rickard's return to de-
ceased's room she saw the tv inilow, OD which the bottle
was left cuntnining the vusilicine above mentioned,
was wet, and that the medicine waseincreas.ai awl at
a whitetail elkur, it original!} being brown; that (.4
etinritanee she mentioned to the brother, James Dare% .
who said the white powder was in the (torte below.
he at the same time made an attempt to snatch th,
bottle, and appeared much aeitatrd. firs. Richard.
went to her rOt.til awl emptied the contents I th.
bottle into a tumbler; she then put the pow tier n Lira
had been in the jug into the tuaibler als,, as tits}
appeared to her to be precisely the same. The fo
lowing slay she gave them to Dr. Mackesy, who
lyseil the substance, and found, from several experi
meats, that it contained a portion of oxide of whit,
arsenic. To be fully satisfied in his opinion, Dr
Mackesy gent part of the powder to Dr. Francis Bar-
ker, Professor of Chemistry, in Dublin, who informed
Dr. Markesy, by letter, that he found it to Cailtlin Ox-
ide of white arsenic. After the death of R. Darcy. under
these circumstances, it was deemed necessary to have the
body opened and examined; this operation was per-
formed by Dr. Mackesy in the presence uf two other
medical gentlemen. Upon inspection of the stomach
there were some appearances of extravasated blood
upon the inner coat of the stomach and smaller in-
testines—no avpcorsice of disease fay of the other
' but' thS -ff‘ry was extremely emaciated.
11,e-:e particulars bring fully proved, the Jury re-
ttnn...l a verdict pf F. ate iride against James Harry.
Lausealiately after the verdict was returned, Mr. El-
wyn transmitted a warrant to the Head Police Other,
Dublin, for the apprehension of James Darcy, accom-
panied with adi scription of his person ; as soon as
the warrant readied the Head Vallee °dice it was in-
stantly hacked by the Sitting .lagistratc, and that
active and zealous officer, Mr. Farrell. apprehended
Darcy and lodge,' him in Kilmainliam Gaol. Ile is to
be removed to this city to abide his trial at the next
• A.Sir'S.

The uife of the deceased had died about the 4th or
a•h of September, under symptows very siusilar to
those which affected her husband.