The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1873-12-27 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

THE EXTRAORDINARY CASE OF POISON.  ING NEAR BRISTOL. SENTENCE OF DEATH.  The hearing of this ease (partly heard on Monday), was resumed on Tuesday. Edwin Bailey (33), shopkeeper. was indicted for the wilful murder of Sarah Jenkins, at Horiield, on the 17th August last; and Ann Barry (31), charwoman, was indicted for aiding and abetting the said Edwin Bailey in the murder of the said Sarah Jenkins.  Mr. Powell, Q.C., and Mr. Gough prosecuted; Mr. Sawyer defended Bailey, and Mr. tiriftichs appeared for Barry. The following is a brief recapitulation of the facts October last year, a young woman named Mary Susan Jenkins, who lived with her parents at Myrtle Cottage, Horfield, near Bristol, was delivered of on illegitimate female child, of which the prisoner, Bailey, was subsequently adjudged the putative father, and ordered by the magistrates to pay 5s a week towards the support of the child till she arrived at the age of sixteen. Bailey, who carried on business as a boot and shoe dealer at Clifton, denied that he was the father of the child, and strongly protested against the order of the magistrates. He offered on the occaison to give a half-sovereign to any one who would bring him .information of the death of the child. The prisoner Barry, who was in Bailey's service, called at Myrtle Cottage soon after Christmas last, and professed to take great interest in the child. She visited the house many times, and during one of her visits she told the grandmother and mother of the child, that the lady visitor of Cottham Dorms Society took great interest in the case, and would send them something for the child. On the 11th August a letter was received by the mother of the child, purporting to have come from the lady visitor of the Dorcas society, enclosing three powders, labelled" Steadnan's Soothing Powders," and giving directionsa a to how the powders were to be administered, One of the powders was given to the child with some food on the lgth of August. The poor thing was immediately seized with convulsions, and died in ten minutes afterwards. The remaining powders were subsequently analysed be Mr. Horsley, county analyst, who found that they consisted of "vermin killer," of which strychnine is one of the principal ingredients. A postonortem examination was made of the body, and, although no poison was found, there were unmistakeable symptoms that death resulted from strychnine. The letter, which purported to have been sent by the lady visitor of the Dorcas Society was. signed "Jane Isabella Smith, Oak College, Cotthatu, August, 1873." The handwriting of this letter was afterwards found to correspond with the handwiitin several letters and bills found at the prisoner Baileys office. M. J. P. Wilton, senior surgeon of the Gloucester Infirmary, said he had been desired to listen to the evidence given on Tuesday, and assuming it to be oorrect, the symptom described were in his opinion consistent with poisoning by strychnine. The fiftecuth or twentieth of.a grain of strychnine would be sufficient to cause the death of a child of the age of the deceased. The third of a grain would cause the death of all adult.  M. Chabot, the expert in writing, was the next witness. He said he had received a number of documents, including letters and billbeads, the writing on which hr had compared with letters known to have been written by Bailey. and the points of resemblance were so numerous that ho had no hesitation in afirming that they were written by the same hand. He had also compared these with the letter accompanying the powders, and he said although this letter was evidently written in afeigned hand, and to a certain extent represented the handwriting of a lady, he found it corresponded with Bailey's handwriting in many important particulars, which he specified iu detail with great minuteness. Police-constable Critchley proved that he obtained the bill-heads, &c., from Baileys office, in his shop; and some of the letters he himsetf had received from Bailey, who paid him the ss. a week to give to the mother of the child.—Superintendent Rawle deposed to having custody of the documents, and duly hand. big them to Mr. Chabot.