Northern Times. — 1857-12-21 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

WIFE CHARGED WITH MURDER.  At the York Assizes, Fanny Speed, 24, was indicted for the murder of her husband, John Speed, on the 251 h of July, at Pontefract. Mr. Blanshard and Mr. Maule were for the prosecution. The pdsoner was defended by Mr. Dearsly and Mr. Blackburn. The deco sed was a labourer its the service of Mr. Barker; farmer, Pontefract, and he had been married to the prisoner a year and a half before his death. They appeared to have lived very happily together as far as could be observed. On Tuesday the 21st July, he was quite well, but he was taken eudienly ill on the following morning, when he was seized with violent sickness and vomiting, and he died late in the nigh' of the 25th. During his illness he said to his wfp " What has thou dens ? lam done for." On a post 71' examination sixty grains of arsenic were found, a 41antity sufficient to poison several persons The case rsor the prosecution was that death was caused by arsertc, that no one but the prisoner could have administe hrr motive for administering the pois red it, and . to marry her cousin, a sailor, nee, 41 was to enablethat her she was on terms of intimacy evfore her arrage On the day before the husband .ed mwiith whom 44=5 taken ill his wife made enquiries far arsenic, and `des' 'she Saterday. previous. the prisoner told a person to the shop df t'PriP oesr were plagued by a dog, and she asked him le procure any poison for her. On the er,..rtln, of the following Tuesday she went drugie , •-t and wised for arsenic, b be :refined to sell her any. She, however, after7"erds eala she heel not been in his shop for four nrrohs. On the Taesday evening she told a neighbour ~et a gips woman had been to her house, and said her husband would be dead 2.n1 she married in six months, but added " she hoped not" She also said te another neighbour, "Our Jack will be dead this week." She likewise said that she had had queer dreams, and had heard the bell t';ll in her dreams. Another portion of the evidence showed that three months before the death of deceased the prisoner had been seen sitting on Wilks's knee, with her arms round his neck. On that occasion Wilke went up stairs, and the prisoner sail, " It's happy to meet, but lonesome to part, I think when he leaves me it will break my heart." She made use of other expressions, one of which was that she knew of one who would have her to-morrow, spoke of having a lock of hie hair, and that Ben Wilks had been at the7r house, and was staying at Hull. No arsenic was found in the house, nor was any traced to the prisoner ; but on Monday, the 10th of August, lehadley, the constable, found in a privy adjoining the house occupied by the deceased, a quantity of pure white arsenic, which, it was suggested, on the part of the prosecution, had been placed there by the prisoner soon after the death of her husband. The prisoner had made a voluntary statement, in which there was no suggestion that the deceased had taken anything himself, had taken nothing improper, or that any other person had given anything to him. The above were the main facts of the case, which a number of witnesses were called to prove ; and it was also shown that the accused, e'er the death of her husband, had expressed a desire that his body should nos be opened by the surgeons. At the close of the case for the prosecution, Mr. Dearly, in defence, reminded the jury of the great responsibility attaching to them in this case, and said the prisoner was charged with a murder under circumstances which, if she were guilty, exhibited a degree of moral turpitude and wickedness it was difficult to conceive. He submitted that the case was shrouded in great mystery, and if there was wanting one link in the chain of evidence necessary to prove her guilt, she was entitled to an acquittal. After the learned counsel's spe oh, M a Justice Williams adjourned the court. On Thursday Mr. Justice Williams took Ws seat on the bench at em o'clock. and summed up the evidence. Toe jury, after as absence of twenty-five minutes, acquitted the prisoner.  A