Blandford Weekly News. — 1889-06-08 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

THE LIVERPOOL POISONING  CASE. IMPORTANT MEDICAL EVIDENCE.  STARTLING DISCLOSURES.  The announcement that the public would be admitted more freely into the hall in which the adjourned inquest in the Maybrick case took place, coupled with the expectation of seeing Mrs. Maybrick in person, served to attract a very large assembly of people of all grades of society at the Reading Rooms, Garston, Liverpool, on Wednesday. Very soon the Court became almost insufferably hot. The sun was shining brightly outside, and the air was still, so that although all available windows were opened the ventilation at the best was inadequate. Hence a short adjournment took place in the middle of the morning. The anticipation as to Mrs. Maybrick's appearance was only partly fulfilled. The accused was brought front Walton Goal atiari early hour by Sergeant MclCeane, Dr. O'Hagan, and a feinaleattendant, the party driving over to Garston a distance of nearly ten miles, in a brougham. Arriving at the Reading Room a slight ruse was practised upon the public, for the carriage was driven to the ball by the side road, and Mrs. Maybrick was transferred to the anteroom, in which she remained for the whole of the day before many persons knew anything of her arrival. The announcement that she would not be brought into open court, but that a witness who was to identify her would be taken into the ante-room was made by the Coroner (Mr. Samuel Brighouse) on the reassembling of the court after luncheon, much to , the disappointment of all in court. The witness in I question was a waiter named Schweiger, a German ' employed at a private hotel in London, who was to speak to the accused and Mr. Brierly having spent some days together at the hotel as man and wife. During the interval for luncheon a number of ladies had been got quietly into the ante-room, and the witness was then introduced. He experienced no difficulty in recognising Mrs. Maybrick, and when afterwards he was called and told to go and formally identify her the process occupied but a moment. The most dramatic incident of the day occurred in this witness's evidence. He was speaking of the alleged visit of Mrs. Maybrick's to his hotel, and it became his duty in due course to identify and point out her companion, who had passed as her husband. "Do you see him in court r asked the Coroner. The witness stood up and pointed directly it Mr. Brierley, who had been in court all lay. He answered, "I do •he is there." A wave of sensation passed through the court, and there were indications of strong feeling against the person whose alleged association with Mrs. Maybrick is one of the unhappy features of the melancholy affair. Mr. Brierley, sat unmoved while the coroner, an in duty bound, declared that he could permit no expression of feeling in his Court, and that if it were repeated he would have the room cleared. Another point of interest was when Dr. Humphreys declared with decision his belief deceased had succumbed to arsenical poisoning, and that his suspicions had been emitted a few days before the actual death. Of the evidence as a whole it may be said that not all was unfavourable to Mrs. Maybrick, as, for instance, when it transpired that the deceased had a strange partiality for taking medicines of all and every kind and in large doses. But the chain of adverse testimony was strengthened in other parts, and the statement of Dr. Carter that a bottle of Valentines meat extract found in the deceased's bedroom apparently contained anemic in considerable quantity caused much tensation. The Court at six o'clock adjourned until Thursday morning. Before this, however, a magistrate had been conducted into the anteroom where Mrs. Maybrick sat, and, on the application of the police, assented to by her solicitor, she was remanded until yesterday (Friday). At the conclusion of the day ts proceedings a rush was made to the side door to see her departure, but no demonstration took place as the carriage was driven away. The inquest on the body of Mr. Maybrick, a Liverpool cotton merchant, was resumed on Thursday. The principal witness was Mr. Davies, an analyst. who : detailed the result of his examination of articles found I in the rooms of the deceased and handed to him by the I police. He discovered distinct traces of arsenic. Ulti-1 mately the jury returned a verdict of wilful murder I against Mrs. Maybrick, who was committed to take her trial at the next Liverpool assizes.