Evening journal., 1892-08-08
THE NELL CREAM CASE.
Testimony Taken to Learn the
Cause of a Mysterious Death.
THE COUNTESS RUSSELL TEsTFIEs

she Acknowledge Receiving "A letter
Accusing Her Husband Of the Matilda
clover Murder An Expert Eniightcns
the Court About strschnine.
lBy Telegraph 90 the Evening Jouruall
LONDON, Aug S-Thc Countess Rus.
sell was a witness to-day in the examina
iion of Thomas Ncill Cream alias Thomas
Bell, accused Of the murder of Matilda
Glover by poisoning with strychnine.
The Countess Russell was examined by
Mr.. Gill.
"At the end of last year were you
stopping at the Savoy Hotel?'
"Yos | was there in September
remember letter coming TO me by post
which opened and rend don't know
whether it was addressed 90 the Savoy
Hotel. but 10 reached sc there. ! showed
the letter TO George Lewis and sent IL
TO Scotland Yards
I'm that letter was your husband ac-
cuscd Of the murder of woman named
Cloverg'
"Yes. An address i'm lambeth Road
was mentioned ] can't say that the ac-
cusation was that my husband had pois
oned the woman hy stychnine but by
some kind of poison. The woman's name
was Matilda The writer of the letter
offered 90 assist me in obtaining a divorce
and said he would have my husband
hanged for the murder of Matildn
/ Glover
Thomas Stevenson, NJ. d.. lecturer on
jurisprudence at Guys Hospital and one
of the analysts TO the Home Office, teati-
fled that he conducted an analysis on the
body of the Clover woman on the order
of the Treasury and had drawn mp Il re.
port.
The document was read After emu
meratng the steps TO identify the body
on exhumation it declared that strych
nine was found in the stomach, liver
chest and brains and In the fluid and
that q frog was killed with the poison SO
obtained, exhibiting all the symptoms o
strychnine poisoning. "The amount OF
strychnine which obtained the doctor
concluded points TO the administration
of a fatal dose
DR. Stevenson added that any portion
of the strychnne unabsorbod would rc
main I'm the stomach.
Mr. Gin then read over the evidence
which described the condition 'in whic
the woman was found on the morning %
her death and the symptoms she dis
played and asked witness whether thes
were consistent with strychnine poison
ing
Witness Mot only are these consist
ent with, but they point TO strychnin
poisoning The symptoms were no
those of delirium tremens, but of tetaf
p tic commissions following on strycbnin
p poisoning. In poisoning by stryrhniu
these convulsive attacks usunliy continu
D up 20 the time of death During th
p interval the person might be consciou
5 and capable Of conveying any statemer
she desired 90 make. Persons in thi
state are generally apprehonsive of deaf
and think they are going TO die befoi
the first convulsion.
[ "And the fact that Glover asked 10
her child as she thought she was goin
to die is consistent with the idea,
quite so.
"What quantity is sufficient 90 caus
e deathg' "The smallest is about half
e grain. One grain is usually fatal dose.
Does the length of time before deaf
e ensues differ in certain casesY Yes;
+ depends upon how the poison Is tnkeI
d In pills or capsules the action would &
course be retarded but / should eXpe,
G symptoms in an hour, assuming that Oh
e poison was taken i'm a fatal quantity
, Exceptionally longer time h'
r elapsed Ii would also be regulated b
z the condition of the stomach. The tint
s. ture of nux vomica contains less tina
n half a grain Co the liquid ounce. Thoi
u would be sufficient strychnine in tw
g ounces of the.tncture Of nux vomica
II make fatal dose.
c Nqfli tvne amin rpnQulnl