The Sun. — 1858-01-15 (London, England)

THE KEIGHLEY POISONING.  On Wednesday John Sagar, master of the Keighley Workhouse, was again placed in the dock of the Keighley Court-h(aise, charged with the murder of his wife, Barbara Sagar, by administering arsenic. Mr. Manwaricg, poor law inspector, occupied a seat o❑ the bench during part of the proceedings. The prisoner, on being placed in the dock, appeared to be considerably dejected, and he wept several times during the day. Mr. Milligan, the surgeon who attended the deceased, was recalled, and was questioned relative to the bottle of medicine which he sent to Mrs. Sager on the Wednesday, and which was produced by Mr. Cheeseborough, the superintendent constable. Re stated that the quantity of medicine said to have been given to Mrs. Sagar out of that bottle on the Wednesday, namely, two table-spoonfuls and a half, could not have been taken out of it, from the quantity of medicine which now remained in it, if the spoonfuls were of the usual medical measurement. In cross-examination by Mr. Wasney, the prisoner's counsel, he said that quantity might have been poured out, if one or two table-spoonfuls of water bad since been added to the medicine, but it did not appear to have been diluted ; at all events, very little. In reply to the Court, he said no bottle of medicine was charge(' by him for Mrs. Sugar on the Wednesday night. Martha Bland, wife of Thomas Bland, one of the guardians, of the Keighley Union, was next recalled, and in addition to her previous evidence it was elicited, that on the night before the deceased died the prisoner called at her house, and after remaining a few minutes, went out with her husband. They returned together, in about an hour, and ten minutes after Sagar let to go home.  Thomas B!aud, the husband of the last witness, was called and questioned very minutely by the chairman as to when he hat been in company whit Sagar during the week that the deceased died. He stated that he bad only been with him ()Lee, and that was on the Wednesday or Thursday evening,.at Mrs. Corlass's public-house, in Keighley, where he met him accidentaily. On being asked particularly whether Sagar had called at his house on Friday night, and he had gone out with him, he replied he did not know—he could not recollect—he did not remember. When told of the statement made by his wife, he said it might possibly be true, but if Sagar called at his house, it was on the evening they were at Mrs. Corlass's, and he did not remember exaety what that night was Tole witness, it appeared, hid also known that the prisoner and his wife went to Liverpool for three days at the latter part of last year, and that Sagar subsequently went by a day trip to Nlanc ester, but be did not obtain leave of ab-ence from the workhou-e, and witness, though one of the guardian:, and aware of this, made no repsrt of it to the other guardians or to the clerk to he board. During his examination, the chairman threatened to some i, M.. Band for perjury, and at its close he said the magistrates were thoroughly canvirced that h bad perjur d himself, and it was utterly impossible for aLy person to believe that Sagar could call at his house nu the night before the death of the deceased, that he cou'd go out with him, return again in; an hour, sad Lot be able to remember anything at all about it. Ann Blase, an unmarried woman, 22 ytars of age, the daughter of the two last witnesses, was next called. Her evidence eontaived some mo-t extraordinary statements. She was asked snout the rumours abr that sheand the prisont-r had kept company, and she ad mittett that there was truth in those rumours, but alleged that Mrs, Sagar had led her to be guilty of the improper conduct. She had at first bad improper intercourse with the prisoner four years ago, when Mrs. Sagar asked her, when she was at the workhouse, to sleep with her husbandl and herself. In reply to further questions, she said that Mrs. Sagar bad asked her to go to bed with her, and to!cl her not to be afraid if her (Mrs. Sagar's) husband came. Witness said Mrs. Sugar did not ask her to sleep with her because she apprehended violence from her husband, and persisted in saying that it was for the purpose of having improper intercourse with him. ' She had acted as mistress at the workhouse on peTeral