The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1893-12-02
WE'RE THEY POIsONERS?
NOTED CASES WHICH LEFT
DOUBTS TO MANY.
Did Captain Donellan Murd er His Broth
" er-in-Law7 - Tho Noted Tragedy Of
Eliza Fenning, Judicially Murdered by
tho Recorder Of London. 4

Eliza Fenning, Judlcially Murdered by
tho Recorder of London.
One of the most famous poisoning
cases in England was that of Captain
Donellan, who was hanged a century
ago for the murder of his brother-in-
law. It was a family tragedy in high
lite. Sir Theodosius. Boughton was
. young man possessed of large
landed estate. Captain Donellanf
was his brother-in-law and heir-ap-:
parent to the large estate. At the
time Sir Theodosius died Captain
Donellan was living with him in his
country house and occupied adjoin-
ing apartments. The young man,
who was in delicate health, had sent
to an .apothecary shop for a draught
Of medicine, which was sent back to
him in an ordinary vial. This draught
was presumed to be q composition of
rhubarb, jalap and lavender water.
At the time he took the draught
other Walls of q similar size appeared
to have been in his chamber. He
had only swallowed the draught a
few minutes when he was seized
with violent pains in the stomach.
and WAS soon in convulsions and
foam1ng at the mouth. He expired
shortly afterwards without making
any statement Suspicion of poison
ing was Immediately awakened in
the mind of the young mans mother,
who was present at the death scene,
and she Immediately ordered every
thing in the room, including the
medicine Walls, to b. left untouched.
Captain Donellan~ persisted, how
ever, in going into the death cham
ber, and, against the express wishes
and strong protests of the mother,
rinsed out the vial from which Sir
Theodosius had taken his last drink.
Lady Boughton Immediately took up
the rinsed vial and held it to her
nose. At the trial she testified that
the odor was like that of bitter al
monds. Several physicians had testi-
fed that a glass which had contained
laurel water, which is a deadly poi
son, would, after rinsing, give an
odor like that of bitter almonds.
This was the nearest approach to
evidence that was offered to the Jury
to show that Sir Theodosius had, in,
fact, taken q drink Of the deadly
laurel water. Sir John Hunter was
the most eminent English physician
OF the time and he was witness at
the trial. He swore mosc positively
that there was nothing in the c1rcum-
stances attending the death of Sir
Iheodosius, as described by the ply
sicians who were called in at the
time, to warrant the assertion that
his death was caused by poisoning.
All the symptoms described were,
DIR: Hunter said, entirely consistent
with the belief that the young man
died of apoplexy. Nevertheless, be-
cause Captain Donellan was the next
heir aud "had a motive" he was
promptly executed.
Eliza Fenning was executed in
1915. She was a domestic in a fam
lily in ChanceW lane. The family
had undoubtedly been poisoned by
eating dumplings made by this hap
less girl, but she had herself eaten
OF the same dish ana suffered in the
same degree as the other members of
the household. She had not made
the slightest attempt to remove the
evidence of her guilt, if guilty she
was. She had left the poison bear
ing dish mnwashed. It is hardly con-
ceivable that, such being the evil
dence, she should have been con-
victed. But the recorder of London,
who presided at the trial, seemed to
be very pneludiced against her and
charged the jury strongly for convic-
tion. The only motive ascribed her
was that:she had had slight quarrel
with her mistress and had deter
mined to poison the entire family by
way Of newenge. After conviction
petitions signed by thousands prayed
the mercy of the king, but the re-
corder 6eneely fought the movement
for pardon. The girls master
relented and would have signed the
petition for = pardon. but the record
'er persuaded him not to do so. A
tremendous dem monstration was made
at cer 1uneraL Six young girls, clad
IN white. led the way, and 10000
people followed her body in mourn
tul silence through the streets to the
cemetery of St George the martyr,
the windows being weiled and draped
in mourning and every housetop
thronged with weeping people.
Dr. Pritchard was scotch physi-
cian who slowly poisoned his wife and
her smother by antimony. He was
convicted on circumstanti1l evidence
and executed at Glasgow in 1865,
after fully confessfng his crimes.
Seven years later, in 1872, came the
famous case Of Mary Anne Cotton,
the child poisoner, believed to have
poisoned at least sixteen children,
and hanged at Dur ham.
In the case Of DIR. George Henry
Lsmson, there is still some reason to
f:<.bt the jhstice Of the verdict In
1882 he was convicted OF poisoning
his trother-ip law. Percy Malcolm
John, to gain for his wife an inherf-
tance OF several thousand pounds. It
appeared in evidence that John vas
An invalid nd n.