The Sun. — 1847-07-23 (London, England)

ROLFE.) MURDERS BY POISON.—Mary Ann Milner, a rather interesting young woman, aged 27, was charged with the murder of her muther-in•law, ...lary Milner, by poison. Mr. Wildman and Mr. Dennison prosecuted ; Mr. Miller defended the prisoner.  The prisoner and her husband lived at the village of Barnathy-le- Wold, in this county, and were agricultural lahourrs, or cotters. The deceased and her husbar.d lived in the same village. It would seem the old people were taken ill, and were recommended by the doctor who attended them to take sago. It would seem that during the time the mother and father-in-law were taking the sago the prisoner was there, and had almost the whole house to herself, and to one of the witnesses she admitted having given the sago to the old people. The mother died. The father survived, but has beco ne paralytic. Suspicion having been excited by subsequent circumstances, the body was exhumed, and the presence of arsenic clearly detected. The prisoner was proved to have purchased arsenic, but the facts were too slight to warrant a verdict of guilty, and a verdict of Not Guilty was returned.  The prisoner was then charged with the murder of Hannah fiche's, being the wife of her brother. Mr. Wildman and Mr. Dennison prosecuted ; Mr. Miller defended.  It appeared that on the 30th of June the deceased had eaten some pancake in the morning with the prisoner, and about ten o'clock she came into the kitchen of one Mary Winter, stating she had been so eating the pancake, and that she believed she was poisoned, and should die, that the pancake had poisoned her. She stated she had not taken any poison herself, and had never had any in the house. Deceased, who appeared to be in full possession of her senses, then left and went to her own house, the witness followed, and found her on her knees, violently sick, and saying the pancake had poisoned her. She wished her husband to be sent for, and he shortly afterwards arrived. This witness proved that she was with the deceased at intervals up to two o'clock of that day, and she continually complained of her throat being very hot. Mary Watson went and told the prisoner what Tickels said about being poisoned by the pancake ; whereupon she turned pale, her lips became white, and she seemed almost unable to walk. The prisoner went to the deceased, and said, " Oh, Hannah, do you think that the pancake has caused you to be so ? ' Tickels was unable to reply. She died about six o'clock of the same evening. The first matter vomited was thrown oway, but the witness thought what was subsequently vomited should be preserved, and told the prisoner so, but after the death of Tickels, prisoner said it had got thrown away. Elizabeth Watson proved that between eight and nine o'clock of the day in question deceased came to her, and asked, ":Whether she had any one iu her house ?" she replied, " No." Deceased said, " she would tell her something, but she was not to tell any one." She then stated the prisoner had come to her house and said, " Why, you have no fire; I'll lay you have nothing warm this morning, and if she would go with her she (the prisoner) would fry her a pancake. That she went and had the pancake, but she b.-lieved the prisoner had put sonicthing in it, she felt so queer—that she would have left a portion of the pancake, but a lodger was present, and it would have looked unmannerly." William Percival, a grocer in the same village, proved that six it eight week, previous the deceased came for a pennyworth of mi•rcury (white arsenic). He said it was rather an awkward thing, but she appeared to be in her right mind, and not likely to destroy herself. She replica, " :)11 no, I want to kill some rats." Jam«,s Burdet Moxon, a surgeon, proved the making a post mort- m examination of the body, and gave it as his opinion, that death was caused by arsenic, in which opinion be was confirmed by Mr. Paleron, a surgeon, of Brigg. _  The jury returned a verdict of Gotlty, and sentence of death .was passed upon her. There was another indiLornent against her for the murder of Ellen Tickels.