Antrim Assizes, August 13...
The Times, 1824-08-18T00:00:00

$stler Loqg4rX-dge andg Hegk Lb iWr (a blidIm nu> were Indicted for administering poison to Meleynlsough4idge, the wte of Hugh. Sarah Evans (a girl about 14),_V..ed as servant itn August, 1823, with Hugh Loughridge, he was married 4 his wife is now dead ; her maiden nawme Wass HanDah HoUston I she died in AUigust witness's master, on riday orning, was not thome he camie hurtte.on Frida evesini; his wife ant hle were not on good terms; he died an th4e 1 onday a tee; deceased had been out thatday wlth tie witnessaS theTig, footing turf; when witness and deceasedl came horne, witness went oat to gather a basket of potatoes * when witness returned. de- ceased was eating Oaten bread and butter; after she took two or tilreebites,,she said it had abad taste,and she would eat no moreofI it. IIugh (the prlsoner)aid sAle need not complain aS they had all eaten of it before she cane out of the beg, she saia none had eaten or the same bread as shie; the old woman (the prisoner) went ottt; the deceased asked for a drink, and got it; she went to spin, but soon turned to the fire, saying she wished she had not eaten of the bread, for her heart wag burning; Hngh went otitand afterwards the old wo- muan came in; H-ugh said to his mother, upon her coming in," Elan. nah blnmes the bead.i,yzd gave her for rZaking her badl;" prisoner skid that was the thlinki people got fclr giving their kindness; Han. nab said if it had been for her goodi she *ruld ndt have got it, sdd. ing, they had often striven for her life, and they had gotten it at last; she then lay down in bed, and said repeatedly from that till she dIeM, they had poisoned her; the decesed was in her proper health before eating the bread; she died at twilight. iUarga3et M'Lister.-Rnevw the deceased; aaw her thortly hefore she died. She was in bed, very IU, and moaning; heard from witness's father-in-law that she wax ill, an4 there ore went to see her. IV tness8apoke to her, and said, " Hannah, you are very bad Il 4he said sihe was. Her eyes were Ahut. W'itnes3asked her if she knew who was speaking to her ? and ahe said that she didhand mentioned witnesaMs namne. She said, " I will not be long wit you now." She asked for drink, and got it from witness. Dee ceased said, when witness gave her the drink, that "h her heart was burning." '*Witness went to milk her three cows, and, before she could get back, heard that she was dead, and fosund her dead when witness went back-.could not get her mouth shut; antl when she went back about three in the monilng, was greatly surprised to flnd froth at the moxth, and vater runiiing from the mouth and nose; sihe was buried on Wednesday; deceased's sister assisted to dress her. Jane Houston, sister to the decensedc-Did not sec her before she lied; saw her six or sevenl hours after. Loughridge's brother camne for her; the corpse was dark, and had four black apots on the side of the neck; frotlh was at her moutsh, and water proceeded fron her nose and mouth in great quantities. AMrs. JancJohnson.-Aires in Ballymoney; herhusband is a tuir. geon; recollects seeing prisoner, Hugh Loughridge, at their shop, on Friday, the 2d of August, between 11 and 12 o'clock ; a little boy was with him, of the name of Irwini pr;ioneraskedl for sorme poison for the purpose of killing rats; had. known him before; gave him three quarters of an.ouncie of white aPerdcr put it in double paper, marked polson; took a memorandum in a book of having soId the poieon; witness recognized the boy who came with prisoner to the shop. Robert frwin (about 12 years of age).-Knows Hugh loughridge- witness led him to Ballymoney from Folintammy, about four miles; it was a little after breakfast; his (prisoner's) cousin, Samuel Pin. kerton, brought prisoner to witness's father's, and because they were good neighbours, witness tool him to Ballymoney, to Dr. John. son's; Hugh Loughridge desired him to take him thare; he read the name over the shop.door, went into the shop; prisoner got three.pence worth of poison, which lie put in his pocket, and witness led him home to witaas's father's. Thepoison,prisoner,said wasto kill rats, who were destroying his butter. Prisoner stayed about two hours at witness's father's, who led him to prisoner's couin's. John Irwin corroborated hin son, as to his leading the prisoncr away, and bringing hin hack. Prisonerstayed about an hoar; he said he had got three.pence worth efpois8n for Mr. Bricel of the Knock. agh; witness asked if it was to kill vernin, and prinsoner said Afr. BTice said so. Pri4oner said his wife was donsy, or a little tender; witness asked if she was confined ? prisoner replied she was in the turf bog. Prisoner said it run in his mind she wouid not be long to the fore, and that when she died he would send for her relations to give her a decent funeral. He had a piece of cloth for a gorn, which he mid w;asfox his servant seirl, 'but aesired witneis to keep it secrel, anbetween the servant antl his wife there wasa little jealousy. A few dayvafter, heard Hannah Loughridge was dead. Witness is a relationof deceased. John Dt'Gowan, surgeon and physiciah to the gaol.-Has heard the evidence; the symptonis were the sane as produced by acrid poison or arsenic, but the same symptors might aTise frorn othei Causes. William Houston, father to the deceased, was considerably af- fected. He said there had beeti ino inquest, nor any medical men called in - he did not imagine any thing about poison; though it was whispereA at the funeral, witness did not think the prisoner couldc be so barbarous. The Jury, after due deliberation, and without leaving the box, returned their verdict, finding both the prisoners Gu'ilty. The prisoners were then placed at the front of the bar; the Clerk of the Crown in the usual terms announced their convictioa, and de. manded if they had any thing to sav why sentence of death should not be awarded against them accoraing to law. pugh Loughridge, the prisoner, in a firm tone of voice addressed his Lordship:-" I have to say, my Lord, I am not guilty; by the reason that when I went to Ballymoney for the arsenic, it was for M r. Brice, and on my return I gave it to his servant, as I consider. ed, When I cans charged with the murder of my wife, I went to Mlr. Brice, but he denied having received the poison, desiring me to point out the person I had given it to, but i told him l could not, becausc I was blind. The gil mekes evidence that she re. turned from the bog with the deceased ; this ias wrong, for if she had been present, she would have seen that I ate as much of the bread as the deceased. We, the prisoners, shall submit to any Judgment passed on us, but we are wrong accused by these people, and are not guilty." The female prisoner, a hoary old woman, upwardi of 60 years ohti, did not evince much feeling on the awfil occasion, but asserted her innocence, saying she knewr nothing of the polson. His Lordship then addressed the prisoners, and during the deli. rering of it, was so deeply affected as to be almost overpowered by his feelings. There did not appear to be any individual in the crowded court wrho was ant deeply moved on the awful occasion. They were sentenced to die on Mtonday. 4NTRIM A.qszAs,. Auou-a 13. Mvfunlf.b