The National Register. — 1821-08-19 (London, England)

AUG. 10.—James Emery, a well looking young man, about 2i years of age, was indicted for the wilful murder of Sarah King, on the 29th of May last, at White Nettles,, in this county, by administering to her a poison called arsenic, of which she died. This ease excited uncommon interest, from the atrocity of its circumstances—the murder of an unhappy girl who had been seduced and became pregnant by the prisoner. Mr. Knox stated the case for the prosecution. In the month of May last the prisoner came to the house one evening, and held a conversation with the deceased, which her sister, Mary King, overheard. The deceased said to the prisoner, " Emery, I am with child by you." He then said, " Is there any man you like better than me, because if there is, you may swear the child to him." She replied, " I have never been with any other man but you, and to you alone 1 will swear the child." After this it would be .hewn that the prisoner was busily making inquiries about the neighbourhood as to the mode of producing miscarriage, and one of the witnesses who would lie called very properly refused to give I any information upon the subject. It would then he sliewn that the prisoner came to Chelmsford aud went to a horse-doctor, and told him that his house was very lt infested with rats and mice, and lie wanted something to destroy them. The prisuner, it would be observed, was not a housekeeper. The man told him lie could get what he wanted at a chemist's shop, and that the articles proper fur the purpose were nos oomica and arsenic, and at his request the limn went to a citeini-t's shop in the town, and purchased half an ounce of each. The chemist very properly put a label on the parcel, with the words "Arsenic—poison," which lie did in pursuance of the requisition of a late Act of Pill'll4. meat. It would appear that when the unhappy girl went to bed in the evening she took the greatest part of the box of pills there being eleven, and site had swallowed all lint five. in a very short time after she was iii bed, she awoke in grievous pain iii her stomach. The pain at length becoming insupportable, she email nut lie in bed. She got up and sent her sister to a public-house to get some spirits. Half a quartern of gin was brought her, but finding no such from it, she said to her sister, " 'fake those phials and pill-box, and hide them, for wby should Emery be hanged ?—Emery will be hanged—they will hang Emery," or words to that effect. Her sister, frightened at her alarming state, went out again to get something to relieve her, but when she returned in about ten minutes she found the unhappy girl a cot Ilse! The above statement was fully proved by several witnesses. This was the ease for the prosecution. The prisoner being called upon for his defence, said— " I have nothing to say. I ant quite innocent. I did not do it." He had no witnesses. Mr. Justice Burrough then recapitulated all the evidence in detail, and left the Jury to decide, whether the deceased had lost her life by means of the poison administered by the prisoner; fur if she had, the prisoner was guilty of Wilful Murder. The Jury immediately found the prisoner Guilty. The learned Judge then pronounced the sentence of the law in the usual form, and ordered the prisoner to be executed on Monday. The prisoner appeared resigned to his fate, but was little affected by the dreadful situation in which lie was placed.