Lent Assizes.
The Times, 1824-03-16T00:00:00

,doftn nmith, aged 27,late of Alford, in the county of UlIcoln- farner's servant, stood iiadicted fir hbiving feloniou4Iy admninisterea a quantityofarsenic along.with spme flour.to Sarah Artowsmifth on the 8tn of Decemlbet last, she b.eing quick with ch2i'd. ' 4-stood' further chritrec'?by the coroner?s inquest with wilful murdor. : . Win. Robinson examined.-Is a druggist at Alford ',tle prisoncr came tohis sbop in Decembei la,st, and purchased a poutid-of witite arshenic ThrprisonerrVasnfiinner's'servant,, nd fairnmrs:are in the habite'ousing arsenic' for' sheeli-wash. Wrote upon the paper Tyson Wrest examnined.-Is a surgeon and apothecary ; *-attended Sarah Arrowstnith, at Altbord. She is since dead. He found'iter.very sick,from eating a canke; she was vomiting violentlvd She9bowed him thecakeantd the remnains of the flour ofwhich-shchadtnadeii.. She vomited very violently, and complained of great pain in herthlroat and stomaMhR Thc svymptoms w'eresuchl as-arsenic vbuldcc&ion, Took the flour home ; fdundit'ithe'ttnefutWofashining sort Of substmnce, which he afterward& found was' white arsenic. GaVe the womar vomits which brougfit up some of the powder. -iXr. Pell; the other .surgeon, took the powder home withbhimn. Gave the- bag and flour 'to ttlecord.table.1I Found her worse the nextdavi; *he wam in violent pain a Tiiinittingexcetsively; she was withchild-atthetime amia was afterwards detivered of an eight iflonthbs dead child. After her delivery she fancied that she felt at little easier ; but she died in halfan hour afterwards. Tue arsenic caused bet dcath^, aid not the liringi for*h thm child. Thc poigen iobcasioned theirreiniture birth gf't chiild; Oni theWednesaay night, her evtreniitiea'wetevery cold, nio pn7sadton, ane'ierylittle Ufe exeelit about the reg;on of the heart. She said~ if s'he died' fh'eped tbe'manWodiU-not.be pumstied . John Pell e eianinnnd;- a aurge6ri at AlfbItl. When he went to . e'deceased. hc found 'her andthe others in the heue'sick 'Should sather yay that the symptons vere not at Arst charactesti?tc of ar- senic havng been taken, but rather of the ehokrd morbin.' After- Wards fonun that t7tey had taken anenic. Applied ywo tests to the substance, birt did not'think either ofthemn conclusive. 'He then conivrted--sdone iofthc -'wite p6wddr :vbihc he foundiD theYiotur into a metallic -substan&,' vhich substance was metallic: asenic- 'Ettertfinj r.o'ndoubt but her death wp''occasioned bv:4tOddntrterdc. Mr. Harftk Wilswrexamrne .-Acts a5 clerk t6 tile tnawgtrates in se' ne lEbbdiioo 6d"i 'Alford; . TMh xahAbation of the deceased: was taken by the.aistta*s, and the prisonrt irag present. during the whole fine.'' Prisoner stood "at the foot. of the bed; took' d6wn- irr' *ritin- "whitbsshe said whicb was-tread in the heannig of the prisoner. ' Asked As ptisone if he had any- questions to put to her; but he only ssked her how she did. (THee -the exaInmation of the deceased was tead. It stated. that en the Sth of Decemnber lat' the prisoner called her up, and gave her on-a fork a bar containing someflbodk; that she put itinto hier box, an tookitout on'the toowimtg day, Taesday, and pro- ceeded to make it into cakes; when feelig it eranch in her hands, sbe tasted it, and fouiud it hot'in the. throat; that she afterwardr baked the cakes over the fire, ate some, herself, And gave sonme to her child (the son'offthe poisoner); 'that she was pregnant by tl* prnoner a second time, and wasabout being married to himi- the bai had been published twice in Alford church; and that Aeverfl dthers in the house partooklof the cakes.) Air. 'Wilsoni's examination con.. tniued.-Aas afterwards sent for by 'the Vrisoner to the lodk-up 'house.' Prisoner wished to makC a declaration ; cautioned him not, but he persisted'; took down what he said. Hlere the prisoner's dcdaratiot) was read. It merely stated that -he put some vhbeat flour i'n a bag, which he put into his master's stable; that he let a pound or' white arsenic to poisonrats;on the' shelf, and that 'his fellow servant, John Olden, asked hin: what it was. After the examination of several other witnesses, the flour and cakc were Irotduced: - Two farniers, with whom the prisoner had lived, were examined relative to his character. They both said that the) had always be- lieved 'him a ver,v humane, mild-tempered, industrious, sober mnan, and a most excellent ervant. *AIr. Baton HUTLLOCK summed up the evidence. The jury con.. suited for a few ininstes, and retulrned a verdict of Guilty. 'Te learnecd Judge than passed ulpon him the sentence of death in the usual form', and directed that his execution should 'take place onR ;*Monday next, and his bedtb isetd -- V R., JZ S. _ J1 COLbKFRIYAY.-AlAne4 19