Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1889-05-18 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

ALLEGED CHILD POISONING.  An inquest has been held at Brockley on the body of Sydney Bolton, aged 11 years, whose remains were exhumed by order of the Home Secretary. The father, Samuel James Bolton, of Deptford, stated that the child and his sister had lived with a Mrs. Winter. After being ill for a time the child died in February. Before the funeral he asked Mrs. Winter about the insurance money, but she said she had allowed the policies to lapse. On finding that she had received £lO from the Prudential Company, and £2O from the Liverpool Victoria Legal Friendly Society, he gave information to the police. His other child was ill for nine weeks.—Stephen Barry, collector for the Liverpool Victoria Legal Friendly Society, said Mrs. Winter insured the children for 220125. each. She hadi insured about 18 people, and five died.—John Jones, manager of the society, said that there were 22 persons insured in the society whose premiums were paid by Mrs. Winter. Five deaths out of that number in so short a period was excessive. The total amount of insurance was £240. Sarah Bolton, mother of the deceased, said she was living apart from her husband. Her little girl, who was living with Mrs. Winter, was ill, and told her that she was very sick after eating, and had diarrhwa. The deceased boy was very thirsty, and drank a great deal of cold water. Witness stayed six nights with the deceased before his death, and he told her he was sick after eating or taking his medicine. He had previously been a healthy child. She did not know that either of her children was insured until after the boy was buried, and she did not receive the money Dr. J. B. Macnaughton said he had known Mrs. Winter for four years. He attended the deceased boy, and prescribed bismuth mixtures, which contained arsenic in a very small degree. He attended a child and an adult who died in the same house, and gave certificates.—Dr. Bond said he and Mr. Hebherd, demonstrator of anatomy, made a post-mortem examination of the deceased. They formed the opinion that death was caused by irritation and inflammation of the mucous membrane of the intestines. He had since read Dr. Stevenson's report of the analysis,and now said that the irritation and inflammation were caused by arsenic. The appearances could not have been caused by the minute quantities of arsenic sometimes found in bisinuth.—Dr. Stevenson, official analyst to the Home Office, gave in detail the results of his analysis, and expressed the opinion that death occurred from an irritant poison.—The inquiry was then adjourned.  Richard Gresty, the Bolton pork butcher, who recently attempted to murder his wife by cutting her throat, and who afterwards set fire to the bed-clothing, has been comniitted for trial. The prisoner stated that he was exasperated because the woman had obtaiped a summons against him for threatening her life.  A numerous deputation of resident; in the neighbourhood of Gray's Inn-road, London, accompanied by sk.tveral. members of Parliament, have had an interview with the Home Secretary to ask that, in view of the large number of robberies in the localit,y,increased police protection might be afforded. It was especially requested that an adequate number of constables in gain clothes might be stationed in the locality. Mr. Matthews promised to consider the representations made to him.