Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1890-06-28 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

THE DEATH OF MRS. MARSHALL  HALL.  At the Westminster Police-court on Friday Albert Laermann, 31, alias Viscount de Lerma, describing himself as M.D. of Brussels University, and Lieutenant Raoul de Vismes de Ponthieu, 26, of the Bombay Staff Corps, were together charged on remand, the first-named with illegal operations on Mrs. Edward Marshall Hall, whereby her death resulted, and the latter with being an accessory before the fact, and therefore a principal in the felony. Mr. C. Mathews, instructed by the Solicitor's Department of the Treasury, prosecuted ; Mr. George Lewis defended Lieutenant de Ponthieu, and Mr. Bernard Abrahams appeared for Laermann. Mr. Mathews stated that Lieutenant de Ponthieu met Mrs. Marshall Hall at Bournemouth, and that at the beginning of the year, when he was resident in London learning Russian, he frequently went backwards and forwards there to visit her. The lady was the wife of a learned friend of his (Mr. Mathews), and she was separated from him by a deed made in October last year, providing her with an allowance. It would be made clear in the course of the inquiry that Mrs. Hall became enceinte by de Ponthieu. Early in May Mrs. Hall could have had no doubt about her state, and it was then that de hinthieu took her to Mrs. Grandt's house in Berners-street. At one time, when Mrs. Grandt accompanied Mrs. Hall to Laermann, the prisoner (Laermann) injected morphia, and to drown her cries went to the piano and played and sang. When her condition Was most serious he had made entries in his books and given her prescriptions of an innocent nature for the purpose of deceiving anyone should death result, as it had, and at the Lime of his arrest he attributed her decease to dysentery, which was entirely inconsistent with his entries and previous statements. In concluding a long resume of the evidence which would be called, Mr. Mathews said the law of this country was that the prisoners must be charged with murder, de Ponthieu standing in the same position as the principal, Laermann, being an accessory before the fact. There also would be counts of felonies of less degree. De Ponthieu, he wished to say, when he heard of the lady's death expressed his regret, and anxiety at the arrest of Laermann, and then left the country. Mr. Lewis: Under orders from the War Office. Mr. Mathews : lam not blaming him for that. I merely state the fact. He went to Berlin, and it may be true, as he states, that lie returned to this country in consequence of seeing a report of the case in a newspaper. Mrs. Grandt was recalled and repeated the evidence she had previously given as to her making the acquaintance of Lieutenant de Ponthieu at the Alhambra, and sub‘equently, at his suggestion, accompanying Mrs. Hall to Dr. Laermann, and as to u hat occurred at the doctor's house. The witness was cross-examined by Mr. Lewis to Bbew that Lieutenant de Ponthieu had done nothing more than assist the lady to be examined. Mr. Lewis said he should call a doctor who would state that the lady was very anxious about herself. He applied for bail. Mr. Mathews said lie left it to the Court. Eventually Mr. D'Eyncourt accepted two sureties in £2OO each for de Ponthieu, and the Earl of Nurthesk and Mr. Gibbons, solicitor, immediately justified in that amount.