The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1882-02-11 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

THE IRTERESTING POISONER. The interesting poisoner, Kate Felipia Dover, whose piety and amiability have lately attracted so much notice, ha s been tried for murder and convicted o manslaughter. Seeing that she wa accused of poisoning, the finding of tha jury was a rather peculiar one, though, personally, we find no fault with it, as we always like to see the gallows cheated of its prey. The general impression before the trial was that she mast either be fonn 1. guilty or acquitted outright—that, from the nature of the charge against her and the character of the evidence, there were no other courses possible. What was thought of her crime by the judge may be gathered from the fact that he sentenced her to penal servitude for life, a result that caused her to faint. The particulars of the case are unique. The  counsel for the prosecution stated that the prisoner, who possessed more than ordinary personal attractions, and was known as "the Queen of Heeley," was the deceased's housekeeper. She slept at her own home, though she had the fall control of Mr. Skinner's domestic affairs. Mr. Skinner had been, during the early part of the time during which the prisoner lived in his house, in the habit of calling at her house, where he was regarded as the future husband of his housekeeper. In fact, in the coarse of conversations with the prisoner's mother the deceased had said that if he had a woman like the prisoner he would make her his wife. Towards the end of last year, however, the prisoner and deceased quarelled very frequently, one of the causes being that Mr. Skinner did not allow the prisoner enough money for household expenses. On the sth of December the dinner for Mr. Skinner and Miss Dover included fowl, the stuffing of which was prepared by the latter. Immediately after partaking of the meal both Mr. Skinner and Miss Dover became sick. Mr. Harrison, surgeon, was summoned, and found that Mr. Skinner showed all the symptoms of metallic poisoning. A strong emetic was administered, but Mr. Skinner died the same night. The stomach and other internal organs of the deceased on being analysed were found to contain arsenic more than enough to cause death, and the staffing of the fowl servel for dinner and which had not been eaten showed traces of the same poison. When the doctor arrived a servant named Bolsover heal d the deceased tell him that Kate, his housekeeper, had done for them both. Immediately after Mr. Skinner died the prisoner fetched some papers downstairs, and, placing them on the fire, she said, " Those are what Mr. Skinner told me to burn some days before Mr. Skinner's death. An acquaintance named Elizabeth Guest heard him say, "I have left my will for Mrs. Jones." Afterwards he remarked, " I have changed my mind. I think I shall leave all to Katie." On the evening before her master's death the prisoner, accompanied by William Wood, the family butcher, as a witness, bought twopenny worth of arsenic (which, she said, she wanted for making wax flowers) at the chemist's shop of Mr. Ardin, On the 2nd December the prisoner purchased threepenny-worth of chloroform of Mr. Riley, another chemist, who refused to supply her with prassic acid with which to poison a cat, and at noon on the 6th she sent a little girl to another chemist for threepenny-worth of laudanum and the same quantity of chloroform. It -was found that the fowl and stuffing prepared inside it were perfectly free from poison, while the stuffing separately prepared in another tin was absolutely loaded with arsenic. The vomit coming from Mr. Skinner's stomach was also strongly impregnated with arsenic, whilst that coming from the prisoner's contained no poison whatever. It was, therefore; evident that the prisoner had not partaken of the stuffing that had been specially prepared in the separate tin, and the prosecution upon those facts asked for a conviction against the prisoner. These, briefly, are the facts on which the verdict of manslaughter was returned. It ought, perhaps, to be added that Kate Dover is very prepossessing, and able to play the part of an 'lngenue with rale and artistic fimaish and success.