The Sun. — 1846-07-27 (London, England)

POLICE INTELLIGENCE. WORSHIP-STREET.  ATTEMPT TO POISON —Hannah Barker, a young woman of very miserable and emaciated appearance, was placed at the bar before Mr. Broughtun, charged with having' administered a quantity of oxalic acid to her husband, George Barker, a shoemaker, living in Holywell-lane, Shoreditch, with intent to murder him. _  The prosecutor stated that he was married to the prisoner in the month of October last, .but they had lived together on the most unhappy terms, in consequence of h s discovery of her infidelity, and her own admission to him that another man was the real father of the younger of her two children, an infant four months old. On the preceding afternoon the prisoner's mother called at his house, and conducted herself with so much violence towards him, on. account of his differences with her daughter, that he determined at once to separate from the latter, and proposed to divide the furniture between them, and allow her 54. a week for her maintenance. The prisoner assented to the arrangement, and they soon after ,sat down together to partake of tea. which he prepared himself; but after filling a halfpint mug he was in the habit of using from the teapot, he had occasion to retire for a short time, and fcund on his return that his wife had put some milk into his tea, a portion of which he poured outinto a saucer and drank it off. The peculiarity of its flavour, however, instantly attracted his attention, and he accused the prisoner of having mixed something in it, which she at first faintly denied having done, but on repeating the accusation, she clasped her hands together, exclaiming—" Oh, God, what have they persuaded me to do !" and burst into tears. He then insisted upon searching her, to discover if she had any poison in her possession, and having forced his hands into her pocket he discovered there a quantity of loose white powder, which she admitted to be oxalic acid. After securing the pocket and its contents, he hastened to the residence of a neighbouring surgeon, who administered a powerful antidote, and he was afterwards taken to St. Bartholomew's Hospital, where further remedies wire resorted to, which had the effect of neutralizing the poison. Bilice constable Leary, II 129, stated that, having received information of the occurrence, he hastend to the house, where he found the prisoner seated on a chair in a state of extreme excitement, and took her into custody. On learning the nature of the charge, she admitted its entire truth, and said that she had in:ended to destroy herself and her two children, as well as her husband.  Mrs. Hayward, the searcher of female prisoners at the Featherstone station-house, said that the prisoner subsequently repeated the above confession in her hearing, and added that she was tired of her life in consequence of the brutal treatment to which her husband had subjected her. The witness had since examined the prisoner's person, the appearance of which certainly went tar to confirm the truth of her statement.  Mr. Thomas Vale, assistant to Mr. Bower, a surgeon in the Curtain-road, deposed that on the preceding afternoon the prisoner cafled at the surgery, and asked for a pennyworth of oxalic 'acid, upon which he handed to her a packet containing half an ounce, which was labelled " Poison." The prisoner then left the shop, and about half an hour afterwards her husband hastily entered, declaring that he had been poisoned by his wife, and witness accordingly administered an effective antidote, and directed his removal to the hospital. The prosecutor's father afterwards arrived with a jug containing some infusion of tea, which was found to be strongly impregnated with oxalic acid; but he required further time to complete the analysis. _ _  Mr. Vann then -addressed the Magistrate on behalf of the prisoner, and said that he had numerous witnesses who would be able to establish a strong case of systematic cruelty and neglect on the part of her binband towards the unfortunate woman, but he considered it most expedient to reserve their evidence for a future occasion.  Mr. BROUGHTON said that nothing whatever could justify the atrocity of the offence which had been so clearly established against her, and he should order her to be committed on the charge of attempting to poison her husband, but she would be brought up next week for the completion of evidence.  RAILWAY SU RE MARKETS  MANCHESTER, Jut 25.