The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1888-01-15
EXTRAORDINARY IRISH POISON
ING CASE.

~ la AH1CA xOxoVN.
ING CASE
a British Army Surgeon Adninisters
Arsenic to his Wife.
From the Lancet
The trial Of Surgeon-Major Cross for tho
wilful murder Of his wife, by. poison com
whole Of three days and the greater part Of a
fourth. resulted in u verdict Of guilty. the pris-
0n T6e ee ansu ssntep PbiIib to H be h"1EE Ssts Sn 's Cross 10.
tsined the L. 4. q. s. /. n is4s. and being now SSs
deceased1ady Whose maiden name was Laura
Mary Mnrriott in 1868. she being q ut the time Of
her deeease AZ years OF age. Soon after their
live at Shandy Hall. near Cork. being in COM
Portable circumstances, having a family Of five
happily together until the close of 1856.
At that time the prisoner began to treat his
H wIlS wish in inti%seS w SnS. h MIss i sEInn.r an n
lady who had been governess in his family for
three months, he began to treat his wife with
stayed at a hotel in Dublin with Miss skinner,
1nsn " OF Ss as . msn r Up til Mils the an end s Of Ap sspn last
the deceased. though somewhat delicate. had
fairly good health. and was seen by, a gentle7
walking about q, field. looking we'll. and
sMK aS herself r as sb feeling " well T.. on or
words Of a lady friend. Miss Jefferson, who was
ing, and diarrhga.", On the following. day she
renamed in bed. whore she continued several
the 18th She was better. and had a walk with
Miss ~efferson :the next day she went to church,
It being Ascension Day. but drove back. On
suffering. from the same symptoms as before.
medical man other than her husband, this be;
ing DR.. Thomas Godfrey. 2 near neighbor, and
an H uncle Sas by G. mi1 "a bsa: 9Th q the bP sis 9 orsssrt hi.
been told bv Cross that his wife was suffering
ferine from a bilious attack. He suggested
that she ,a should an have three or four A., grains OF
event. and cases Of criminal poisoning sener-
s sls' m nU so insld O anna 3 MANNER % as to. e staS,e.i no.
tice. Had DR.. Godfrey pushed, his inquiries
further tq5a pat tha9 h hi bspp p e to t have hs aSae se Its
poor lady,s life. She had q wet cloth
reason why she made no reply. The intermit-
tent character Of the symptoms and, Cross's
were much, better that day were suspicious.
DR.. Godfrey's, evidence would appear to have
surprised both the learned Judge and counsel
did not reGxamine him. He was never asked
to see her again, but, living so near, it is re-
Nc other medical practitioner saw her, no
nurse was procured. and all the evidence as to
symptoms came from non-protessional wit
Of the preceding facts have been given, and on
and 18th she noticed that the deceased''s eyes
seemed irritated and .iniamed; the latter also
complained that she could not see dis
and ssa,t,s Was 6$ q S.,ns ~ VS. psn soPsts Nj!
jefferson saw her alive for the last time: she
was quite Intelligent. able to express her
Tba esq. give ti1 orders nf ajs ana t to dese .sSer her Sa a state.
according to his statement made to the sor-
june 2. The deceased was not dressed in tho
usual grave clothes. and the prisoner assisted
t cjs2r Of shs r serE Saa yis II ida Ksr WAS nsr not cut ailo Tes
to. see her when he called q SECOND time. and
other friends were kept away from her from
on June 8 the prisoner registered the death
as due to typhoid feyer."h he being, both the in
NsRtman apd ah tso is s' stiii more @e fa%ar fs'sRaeFt;
body Of tho unfortunate deceased was buried
on the Saturday after. at 7 O'Clock in the morn
the burial an hour earlier. He now stated to a
p4eighbor thH E she had had dis Mii fro e heart disease d. :
d 3n 1s ans, Il the ne pd mser hsvin miss eb salnnsr in ~ h0a-
ton justifyine an inquest. the body Of the de-
ceased =, Vas exhnmed , on ; Jsniy r.; n, n ii the PRES s
cal Jurisprudence in Queens College. Corkl
eti mes rsfglt di 81 ras R0s shas fyehoi sAs fsSer Was
the cause OF death. The body was remarkably
well preserved, considering the time OF year
fnt with death from i%rritapt poisoning; Pr:
contents OF the stomach, and obtained lii
grains of arsenic from this organ alone; He OBJ
tanned 1.2S grains Of arsenic from the liver.
the small intestines he found strychnine, the
quantity Of which he estimated at less than
Saaeau to q Very p severe Ge G crc ossle; MI Sas su By
the prisoners counsel, and was, recalled to
i be ape sbsip te By the MY INF, Jus, gasti Ssf0s Tut thsy
r aas snH Ssly Il &ixh nc som 'Shs Ra'q which, ii
first occasion on which DR.. Pearson has been
required to make a ~post;mortem inspection,
and to chemically examine the y hfs In q
leaves nothing to be desired, 1t would have
been more comfortable for him. and would
there been a second analyst with previous ex-
p~erience Of such work. either working Jointly
w VIZ hin, hi% or al iadsp9 stlsna Case Il s SniE rsT iba psI to
chased a large quantity, Of arsenic for the
The case affords another melancholy illus
tration Of what has been seen before-that
be found criminals OF the deepest dye. 1t Is
some consolation to reflect that In this case. as
in those of Palmer. Lamson, and Pritchard. the
prisoner was not In actual practice, having. re,
tired from the r m and never having practised
that there has been no delay n bringing him
toward him by his professional brethren. His
crime resembles that OF Pritchard In its mo-
tive, each having been led to commit 1t
in order that he might emoyeo out Of the way
with a female with whom an adulterous inter;
course had already existed. il, also resembled
that of Lamson In its utter audaeity and reck-
~lessness Of consequences there being less Gun,
ping and more elnmsiness than are displayed
previous eases in its wanton cruelty, its cold
FLOODED elaboration, its disregard. OF all tho
d~ecencies OF social life. The marriage OF the
second wife almost before the Grst could have
been cold In her grave was aggravated by the
fact that II, took place in the very same church
In which, eighteen years ago. he had married
her whom he had treated SO cruelty and 80
foully murdered. 30 aggravated was the case
In all Its SURROUNDINGS that his counsel were
almost unable TO make q dsfencss