Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-10-25
WHOLESALE POISONING.
An EngiishWOman Who Put Her Mother.
Three Husbands, Fifteen Children
and a LOdger Out Of the Way.
The Bodies Of the Victims Being Disin-
terred-A Thorough InEestiga-
tiOn 10 be Had.

Edinburgh Scotsman, October 5th.l
A poisoning case at West Auckland
promises, if the allegations made prove
well founded, to afford the clue TO most
extraordinary series of similar crimes.
The accused is a middle-aged woman
named Mary Ann Cotton, about five feet
six inches in hight, and OF rather
swarthy complexion, who now lies IN
Durham jail awaiting her trial on the
charge of willful murder Of her step-sOn,
Charles Edward Cotton, at West Auck-
land. Her career since she left her
mothers roof, when eighteen or nine
teen years of age, seems 10 have been a
strange one. She has been no less than
four times married, in two cases to wild
overs having families No fewer than
i-venty deaths are said to have occurred
st Der hands, namely: Those Of her
moth or. three husbands, fifteen children,
and a l,>dger. For some time prior TO
her last marriage she appears to have
been Fsadinl a loose life in several towns
in he north Of England. In July Of
1870 she obtained a situation as house
keeper to Fred. Cotton, pitman living
al WallbOttle, near Newcastle-on-Iyn yne,
and in the October following be married
her. the marriage taking place in st.
Andrews church, Newcastle, where she
NIowbray. G;Iaving quarreled with some
of her neiqbbors, who accused her Of
poisoning a number Of fat pigs, the fam
ilv in the following April removed 10
West Auckland, where the husband OBJ
famed employment AZ the c0lliery close
by. They lived a quiet aud apparently
peaceful life for some four OF five months,
when
THE HUSBAND DIED SOMEWHAT SUD-
DENLY,
his death being followed 10y those Of his /
eldest and youngest sOns, a IodgeT
named Nat.rass. and lastly, on the
twelfth of july. 1872, his only remain /
ing child. Charles Edward Cotton, into 4
whose death, owing 10 the suspicious I
..iraunstances attending il, an inquiry 4
z-as ordered 10 be instituted by the cor
ope-. The result Of the inquest was a I
verdict to the effect that the boy died I
rr1 ~ natural causes. DR.. kilbuTn, who /
attended him during his illness, and .
made a zJ0sf-HIOTtCIl examination Of The 4
body. stated that he found no traoes OF I
poison. and a verdict was returned IN .
accordance with MS evidence. The de-
eiSion- however. gave great dissatisfac-
sisD I'm the village. A few days after
Dr. Eilburn was induced TO make .
another examination, and on submitting
d portion of the stomach, which he had
buried I'm his garden, 10 further analysis
he discovered indications OF the pres
euee Of arsenic. He accordingly IN
formed the police. The prisoner was
anuraheuded, and an order having been
0bTa-ued from the Home Secretary for
tha .yhUmati0n Of the body, portions OF
she stomach and intestines were sent for
sra.y-is-t0 DR.. Scattergood, Leeds, who
discovered a complete satUration OF the
system with white arsenic. The prison.
r was shortly afterward examined at
The Bishop Auckland Police Court on
d D - charge OF
GA. Using THE DEATH OF HER STEP
son,
1v -.fimfuist ering, or causing TO be Rd-
min t,tered to him, a quantity Of arsenic,
TH4 Evidence which was adduced on tie
occasion showed that the prisoner had
Haar 7n the habit OF treating the little
sT1R- I'm the most heartless manner
Tine --.7f erleut of Mr.. Thomas Riley, as
-f-r4rt pverSeer for the township, vas ,
rarbsaS ule most important. He stated I
tHs- On the sixteenth Of July last he ,
went 10 engage the prisoner 10 attend ,
smallpox patient, but she was unable 20 |
20. a- the deceased, she said, tied her at
nome. She complained OF him being !
great Inconvenience. She had appned I
To the bows uncle, who lived at Wis- ,
ba4cn. tn take him, and she would sup I
.I- Eim with part Of his clothing; but :
a-. refined. and she then tried TO get him Z
into the v0rkhouse. but was unable to {
do 50. She though that if witness Alr. Z
EH-vI took some steps in the matter she {
.-rII ret biuf admitted. Witness re- ,
..fa4 that he cUIil6 not get him admitted I
lnI--z she the prisoner went with him. I
Tra prisoner said. " That is a place l ,
viii never 20 TO-" She added that she ?
.Fsught If was hard that she should !
nave 10 keep a boy that was not her !
own. and who prevented her taking (
respectable lOdger Witness asked IN a 3
ie-l. If it was Mr.. Main. There was Y
mmor in the village that Mr. Main was :
going 20 marry her, and he asked If II !
Nas true. She smiled, and said it might I
he 80, but This boy pointing 70 the de- !
.arsaB1 was in the way. She immedi- !
lte.y afterward remarked, "Of course, '
he y-ill 20 like the rest Of the Cotton r
rauiV.- Witness replied, "Oh, nom Y
-sn-ey" on the following Friday morn n
inc. .rs the witness was walking up the n
village. prisoner appeared at her own v
io0r. apparently III great trouble, and Y
called upon him to 90 in. BE asked &
what WIS the matter, aud she said II
NY BOY Is JUST DEAD. u
Witness was ast0nished, and at once a
walked OF and informed the police, "
Her err0uveT-atiOn on the previous Sat z
lrlay, and the healthy appearance oi :
tie child, made him suspect that there
was something wrong. RumOr soon al
Ter became rife a to what was cOnsld- 9
Pred the suspicious death Of the lodger, l.
Nattrlss. and the sudden and mysterl- n
ru- a-av lu which her husband, Freder- a
k Cotton. and two other children had q
lied. Sarlrass lay III for about fort Il
liga- and during that time is said to o
have been attended by the prisoner, "
.gha administered to him his medicine. 3
The Door fellow seems to have suspected .
.uat aIl was not right, and on being Wis L
tied tv one Of his friends, he remarked: y
1T ] was only better, l viii be out OF
his" -Four days before his death the a
youngest child died. On being ques- 4
foueG hy q neighbOr why she was put Il
-rr rff the iuterment Of the child, the 2
r-f-lugr j. reported to have replied: 81
l-g -lf1r 20 nut il of till Joe dies. He v
sa- zone uD stairs now, and, poor fellow, y
le VIII never come down until they car Z
-- him ont feet firstn The day before Il
if- death he told his medical man, DIR. v
Richardson. except for the grinding y
.aln Ia his stomach there was nothing 4
.le matter with him, and that he would L
!. l-- no more Of his medicines. He died o
? a couvulsiye fit, and prisoners hus- v
- a and the eldest aud youngest child II
1. said % have died in a somewhat h
similar manner. As already mentioned, [
.H. e9r8ners inquiry concerning the 81
Ieath Of the child, Charles Edward Cot a
.an. gave general dissatisfaction, and, u
sn The matter being taken up by the pO- q
ice. an investigation was made which a
-e-uTted I'D the prisoner being commit .
ed bv the magistrates on charge OF d
yilful murder. As TO the career Of the a
,ri-ouer between her first and last mar Z
y ra a report has been drawn up and a
i1rvarded TO the Home Office, IN order ;
hat a searching inquiry may be made, i
and permission granted fl the eXhuma- q
fau Of more bodies.
HER RECORD.
She was married TO her first husband, :
William Mowbray. q labOreT at MurtOn Z v
TaTfarv. at st. Andrews Church, New 3
1.at .e-0n-Tyne, and lefs the neighbOr- 7
hood and went To reside at Plymouth, =
lnd arterward at various other places 4
n the south Of England, then returned D
90 south HettOn, after an absence OF five Il
-ear- from that part Of the country On
heir return the prisoner stated that she
Il. IN. = NHHHH NNHaaHH