The Central Glamorgan Gazette, and General, Commercial, and Agricultural Advertiser. — 1869-08-06 (Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

ATTEMPTED MURDER BY POISON.  At the Maidstone Assizes, on Friday, before Mr. Justice Mellor, a woman named Susanna Seaman, 49, described as a widow, was charged with feloniously administering, and with attempting to administer, to Mary Anne Groombridge, a quantity of deadly poison called mercury, with intent to murder her. There was a second indictment against the prisoner, charging her with a similar offence in reference to a person named William Glover. The first case that was taken was the indictment which charged the prisoner with attempting to murder Mary Ann Groombridge. This case appeared to create a good deal of interest, and some of the details connected with it were of a very shocking character. The prisoner, who is a very ordinary.looking woman, and whose appearance might almost be described as repulsive, was a widow, and, prior to the month of JaUV in the present year, she lived with the man William Glover, who was a labourer, and a good deal younger than herself, and who was a widower with two children, ostensibly as his housekeeper,but they in reality cohabited together, and the prisoner appeared to have been very much attached to her paramour. In the month of February, however, Mary Anne Groombridge, the niece of the prisoner, went to Glover's cottage, which was situated in the village of Otford, near Sevenoaks, and criminal relations seemed to have very speedily commenced between the girl and the man Glover. This state of things was, of course, very distasteful to the isoner, and she and Glover frequently quarrelled, . 1 at length on the sth of June, the latter either uidered her to pack up her things and leave, or tamed her out of the house, but before she left she made DBO of the remarkable expression to Mary Ann Groombridge, "You are leaving me in darkness, and I will be revenged of you yet ;" and there seemed to be no doubt that the wretched woman mediated some desperate act of violence towards her late paramour and the woman who she imagined had supplanted her in his affections This intention she very speedily seemed to have attempted to carry into effect. On several occasions she attempted to poison both Glover and Groombridge, by placing poison in their coffee pot, or kettle, and she succeeded in making Glover very ill. Evidence was given that the prisoner had attempted to purchase sixpennyworth of arsenic at a chemist's at Sevenoaks, and that he refused to supply her with it, but upon her saying that she wanted to destroy rata, he let her have some white precipitate, or poisonous matter used for the destruction of vermin, and according to the medical testimony, poison of this description was contained both in the gruel and the coffee, and in addition tothis, several empty packages that had contained the vermimkilling matter were found in the place occupied by the prisoner. When called upon for her defence, she merely declared that she was innocent.—The learned judge having summed up, the jury returned a verdict of Guilty, and the prisoner wu sentenced to penal servitude for ten years.  A Cabinet Council was held on Saturday afternoon, at the private residence of the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, Carlton Honse.terrace. Rumours are afloat, says the Echo, that Mr. Gladstone has offered the Deanery of Durham to the Rev. H. Parry Liddon, of Christ Church, Oxford. Mr Lid. don is one of the most brilliant preachers in the Church of.Ensrland.  The oxford Delegates have resoriedio add a third volume of Wicliffs Miscellaneous English Works to the two volumes of " Homilies" before announced as under the editorship of Mr. Thomas Arnold. The work of erecting the large extension of the Elgin-room at the British Museum is progressing rapidly. The new chamber will be appropriated to the display of sculptures, including many examples which have not hitherto been shown.  Tine new office to be created at the Admiralty will be conferred upon Mr. E. J. Reed, the Chief Constructor, with an addition to his present salary of