The Sun. — 1844-09-30 (London, England)

CASE-OF POISONING AT BETHNAL GREEN. Friday Mr: Baker, deputy, coroner for the easterii division of the county orMiddleeex, resumed and conclinied the inquiry touching tha death- of Jame Gregory, aged 27, whose death, it was alleged, had been oeca.siOned'hy the administration of some poiion by a youdx:maii, named Alfred Edwards, now in custody •on the Charge.  -The inquest was- adjourned on Monday last for the purpose of the -contents of the bottle, as well as the fluid loundiin the storrinch.of.deceased upon the post morkm examination„ being analysed by pr. Leeson, of St. Thomas's Hospital. On the reassembling of the jury yesterday, Dr. Henry Beaumont Leeson was sworn.—He deposed that he is assistant physician and lecturer on chemistry and forensic medicine at St. Thomas's Hospital. Ile had examined the contents of the stomach, but found no poison therein. The stomach itself witness had boiled in distilled water, and then filtered. -Ile then added a solution of sulphurretted hydrogen gas. He again boiled ,it, and obtained a black precipitate, which by reduction with .the blowpipe and charcoal yielded a globule of metallic lead, which he produced to the court and jury. Witness thought that, if any preparation of lead had been swallowed, it must have been vomited out of the body, except that portion produced. The solution obtained from the stomach also indicated the presence of prussic acid, probably arising from bitter` almonds having been made use:_ of in flavouring the so-called brandy bitters. There was trace also of prussii acid in tliiinontents of the stomach. The liquid in the bottles Stibinitted to _ him by Mr. Smith, the surgeon, neither of them contained -sager of lead or any preparation oflead, but both contained-a very large proportion of spirits, being above one-half absolute alcoho 1. They appeared to be coloured with saffron, and flavoure d very strongly with hitter almonds, as well as other wt., getable extracts; which rendered the application of chef mical tests almost impossible. The inference he drew from the examination was ,that he thotight it improbable that so large a Portion of: the lead, should have been found combined with, and adhering tO, the stomach itself , unlesS' a quantity: of. some preparation-of lead had bee. n swallowed, and could. only attribute the not being abf a to detect any satisfactory trace of lead in 'the stomach from its 'having been removed by vomiting or purging. If sugar of lead had been added to the liquid in the bottle; there would have been no difficulty in detecting -it. If adrriinisteredoit must have, been mixed in the cup at the time it was 'given to deceased, or given to deceased separately.- The appearance of the stomach was similar to that produced-by any. irritant poison. The brandy and bitters itself, containing so large a portion of alcohol and _the essential oil of almond_ being'. very deleterious-, would„.if taken in sufficiently large :quantities, .produce serious illness, ;and even death. The presence of the lead 'detected in'the.stoina.ch appeared, lo bo,a most re, markable indication of poison having been purposely adminiAtred.. .  surgeon, who had made the post mortem examination of ~the body, re-examined—ln his opinion death was occa(tioried by inflammation of the stomach, caused by the introduction of . deadly poison. Four drachnis of sugar of' lead would' be sufficient to destroy life. On the part of The accused, it was shown by the evidence of three Witnesses that they bad drank a portion of brandy bitters, similar to that which had been given to the-deceasud, without its having any-injurious effects ; but one of them admitted that he and another had been very- ilj.subsequently, but attributed it to having drank an immoderate quantity. A sister of deceased accounted for the sugar of lead ing in her pcissession, by stating that she wanted to set the colour of x dress which she had been washing, and that the accused had procured it for her. The!Coroner. summed up the evidence in a clear: manner, commenting upon those parts which bore more immediately upon the question, and explained the law as applicable to the case. The jury retired at six o'clock, and after a consultation• of nearly three hours' duration, returned a verdict of " Wilful murder against Alfred Edwards."  The Duchess of and the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg!' Strelitz honoured the Lyceum Theatre with their presence on Friday evening: A6IIICELTURAL