The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-09-05
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MONDAY MORNING SEPT ,sso
The Great Poisoning Case In Ensland..
Senteaee of the Prisoner,


The Great Poisoning Case In Ensland..
Senteaee Of the Prisoner.
The conviction Of Thomas Smethnrss A sur-
geori Of Richmond, Eag, of the murder OF Miss
Isabella Banks, by poison, has been stated
The trial lasted Ave days, and resulted in tho
conviction and sentence to death OF the prison.
er. The story is one OF the most remarkable
on record and is told as follows In the London
News Of Goth uit
The story Is full Of mystery. This man
was not only man Of education, but he had
retired from his profession, and was living with
his wife in furnished lodgings. His wife
was certainly an old woman, above -, he hay-
ing married her some thirty years ago. but ~
he himself told the jury after the udge had as
sumed the black cap, "he had taken her on an
excursion to Paris and Heidelberg last year,
had behaved 10 her with the utmost kindness,
and had brought her back safe TO England.'
And 1t must be admitted that no single word
or act of unkindness appears to have escaped
from him. No account was given OF his pre-
yions life, except that he had kept water-cure
establishment in the eneighborheod of Farnham.
1t in singular that a man ofindependent means
and respectable connexions should have been
left alone in his difficulties. Nota single friend
came TO support him in the dock, or even to
vouch for his former respectability.
Sometimes the appearance and manner Of
man furnish indications of his character. The
murderer shows it in his face The innocent
inspires respect. Smethurst displayed neither
of these charac teristics. A short, rather thick
set man, with brown hair, and somewhat
bald, his expression betrayed none of those re-
pulsive features which sometimes mark great
criminals. In fact, even the sister OF the poor
murdered woman described him as q "kind
and tender nurse, and with countenance
showing amiablity." It is true, that in ad-
dressing the court his voice somewhat trem-
bled, but at the awful moment after the ver-
dict of guilty" had been pronounced. and the
Judge had assumed the black cap, the man
spoke with an audacious self-possesslon anu
a deliberate nuency of falsehood which con-
founded those who heard him.
Towards the close of last year, Mr.. and Mrs.
Smethurst went to reside at the house OF a
Miss Smith, at Bayswater. AT this same house
lived two ladies, Miss Louisa and Miss lsa-
bella Bankes. Their connexions were respect
able, and their peeuniary means, amounting
10 something above f2UU a year each. rendered
them independent. Neither of the sisters was
young. Miss Isabella had reached the age of
i3. and did not enjoy the best health. Although
she was somewhat beyond the age OF passion,
Smethurst and, in fact their conduct SO scan-
dalized Miss Smith that she insisted upon their
leaving the house.
1t is not quite clear whether Miss Bankes
knew that Smethurst was a married man, tho
having lived in the same house with him and
his wife, il is difficult to understand her lgno-
rance of the fact. The probability is that
Smethurst had persuaded Miss Bankes that
the old lady, above seventy, was not his real
wife, and thus conjecture is confirmed by the
fact that the ceremony of marriage between
Smethurst and Miss Bankes was performed at
Battersea church, at the beginning of last De-
cember
However that might be, they left Miss
Smiths, and, after staying a short time at q
Mrs. Grabowskis, they finally took up their
abode at the house of Mrs. Wheatley, at Alma
yuiits Richmond. for which they PAID i3s u
week. According to Smethurst, he nae settleo
the whole matter with his legitimate wiie, and
she had agreed to accept certain sum LOT ner
lodgings and to ask no questions as 10 WheTe
or how he lived Smethurst and Miss Bankes
lived on at Mrs. Wheatley's until the end of
last March, when the lady became very III
For sometime previously she hao sunereo
from sickness and diarrhpa, but the disease
was now serious: moreover. itappeared that the
lady had been pregnant.
IN tact IL was necessary to call in doctor,
and after some deliberation 1t was decioed 10
summon Dr. Julius the leading practitioner
in Richmond. Ill as the poor woman was,
Smethurst himself was the only attendant
A nurse had been suggested by the lanolady,
but Smethurst objected, saying that ne was
100 DOOR, though at the very time ne mad
balance of some f2u0 at the Bank. On this al
fectionate quasi husband, therefore, devolVed
all the disagreeable duties of the sick-room.
The food was mixed and administered by his
own hand the chamber utensils were paced
outside the bedroom door by his own hanu.
During the day no human being entered tha'
room but Smethurst; during the night no hu-
The complaint under which the poor woman
suffered required above all things, cleanliness
and pure air, and this Smethurst as q medlcai
man must have well known, and yet during
the many weeks of illness "the bedroom was
never thoroughly cleaned out" though, In
deed the bed was made by the landlady every
day. IL was surely strange fancy for man
with more than f2O0 at his bankers TO lnslst
upon acting the nurse to a sick woman, and
performing all the most tender and disgusting
offices.
In was perhaps stranger still that, of all the
varieties of rice, beef tea, anc-mange, meal
coffee and Jelly, that entered that bedroom
not one scrap-except some sour rlce-ever
came out again If anything was mixed with
the poor woman's food, no human being ever
had an opportunity OF tasting II. ACCORDING
TO Smethurst. indeed, his tender regard for
Miss Banks and his parsimony made MIN con-
snme all the remnants. Nor IS II surprising
TO find that living upon this diet, tlth such
fatigue and such anxiety, the afllcteo nus
band, rs he told the jury in his parting ad-
dress should have lost in weight some sixteen
pounds.
On the 5th Of April. three distinguished sur
geons were called in-Drs. Julius, Bird and
Todd-but their efforts TO stay the apparent
disease were unavailing, and on the 3rd OF
May the helpless victim died; not, however,
before she had made WILL leaving Smethurst
all her property-about S20,0o0-for which
purpose an attorney was admitted to her
cham Der. though her sister was refused the
same permission. The News continues:
In the meantime arsenic had been found in
! such a way Us TO prove that 1T had been de-
| posted in the woman's body, and Smethurst
| was apprehended. At first he was released
| on his own recogniZances, and strangely
enough, when his nursing care was with
drawn from the patient, the distressing symp-
| toms eeaeed-her exhausted strength, now
ever was not to be revived.
But the body was opened and In 1t was
discovered a certain quantity OF antlmony.-
Was it, then, mixture OF arsenic ana antl,
mony which this afiec husband had
been administering in that lonely bedroom
in Richmond Ii it was, it is difficult TO
conceive anything more cruelty heartiess.
Here was a married man inyelgiing away
weak woman from her sister and her friends.
going through the mockery OF marriage IL
Quiet her scruples, analysing the weaknesses
of her constitution until he discovers the Des
means of putting her out OF the way, aha
then in that solitary bedroom at Richmond,
ad dministering day by day the poisonous drugs
in ouch proportions rs should ensure death
whilst he escaped detection.
Upon sentence being passed on the prisoner,
he exclaimed, ~ declare that Dr. Jnllus - my
murderer. declare before God that am in
nocent"
PoLrTICAL.-It has been stated that the
Whig General Committee Of New York wait
ed on Hen. John M. Bolts, in that city, Fri
day, with an address Of welcome. In reply,
Mr.. b. stated his plan for the union OF the
Opposition, in the next campaign, thus:
There were various ways, the most accepta-
able one being, in his opinion, to get the Wing,
Republican and American members OF the
next House of Representatives to unite In
call for a convention OF all opposed to Demo
cratic misrule, to meet at such a place as
should be designated, for the purpoeeo OF nomi-
mating candidates TO be supported by the peo.
nle against those to be supported by the De-