The Sun. — 1845-01-08 (London, England)

CORONER—Are there any witnesses for the de fen lant ? Mr. Chambers—l tender no evidence: There• is in fact, no one who can be strictly culled the defendant.  The CORONER then proceeded to read his summing up from a paper which he held in his hand. He sod, sorry that the inquiry had been so long protracted; and he was also sorry that there had been any publicatiOn of the evidence. He begged the jury to attend solely. to the evidence, and to be misled bf no vague newspapers reports, but to givit the verdict in accordance with the, depositions, and. the depositions only. There were many •decliratiens which were not evidence; but Starkie laid it &0p.,. that a declaration accompanying an act might be taken as part of the act itself. (The Learned Gentleman then proceeded to read the evidence, and •in relation to the evidence of the • witness Moss, he said that he. had it on the deposition that she lived at 93, Crawfordstreet, and that the report that she had lived at 45, Crawford- street, which had been contraditted in the Times, and on the subject of which he had ret-eired a letter from a person,residing at 45, Crawford-street, was not correct, and had originated in the error of the reporter, for she herself had stated that A° . lived at No. 93.) There was no direct evidence, as to the administration of any" poison to the-de' ceased, but there was indirect evidence suffiOitintenable them to form an opinion. There were the means found in the late deceased's house by which poison might have been administered to her without bet knowledge, and that she had swallowed poison was evi" dent. Although it was possible that she might hal° swallowed the poison knowingly herself, still it was vell improbable. She was seen by White and Marlow . half-past six in the evening well, and in good spirit The next account they had of her was from ARV Ashlee, who, between six and seven o'clock, heaid, deceased's stifled screams, and on running out DO! John Tawell coming from deceased's cottage, an° asked what was the matter with her neighbour, 'hut could get no reply. Now, it was a most important fact that a man should have left her in the aenies of death without giving any alarm. It was evident that the poison had been administered after the stout had been fetched, and that the poison was quick and most deadly in its effects. If a man wilfullf laid poison in the way of a person and it was take"' that was murder, but if it were taken accidentally there was no murder. Now, with re' Bard to the evidence affecting the prisoner, Mrs Ashlee saw the Quaker-looking person coming from tb° door while the deceased was in the agonies of death, and she recognised John Tawell as that person. It was also an important fact, that on' the -Monday -when the prisoner was with deceased, Keziah Harding:b°a heard him ask her if she should be alone the next time he called on the Wednesday or. There'' day. They should also recollect that a dtscriptic°' of the Quaker had been forwarded by the telegraph to London, and that by the description he bad been followed and arrested, and that when arrested, he salu he had not been at Slough the day beer! There was no direct evidence *to she' who had administered the poison to tbs, • deceased ; but circumstantial evidence in many cao • was of much greater cogency. If they had act doubt as to the guilt of John Tawell, they would gll4 him the benefit of that doubt ; but if ithey had fc° moral doubt as to his guilt, it n ould be their duty say so by their verdict, without regard. to his stati° in society. .  The room was then cleared, and the jury, after re' maining in deliberation for three-pi:afters of an hour; returned a verdict of