The Sun. — 1858-01-15 (London, England)

THE KEIGHLEY POISONING.  On Wednesday John Sagar, master of the Keighley Workhouse, was again placed in the dock of the Keighley Court-house, charged with the murder of his wife, Barbara Sagar, by administering arsenic. Mr. Manwaring, poor law inspector, occupied a seat on the bench during part of the proceedings. The prisoner, on being placed in the dock, appeared to be considerably dejected, and he wept several times during the day. Mr. Milligan, the surgeon who attended the deceased, was recalled, and was questioned relative to the bottle orrnedicine which he sent to Mrs. Sagar on the Wednesday, and which was produced by Mr. Cheeseborough, the superintendent constable. He stated that the quantity of medicine said to have been given to Mrs. Sagar out of that bottle on the Wednesday, namely, two table-spoonfuls and a half, could not have been taken out of it, from the quantity of Medicine which now remained in it, if the spoonfuls were of the usual medical measurement. 1u cross-examination by Mr. Wasney, the prisoner's counsel, he said that quantity might have been poured out, if one or two table-spoonfuls of water had since been added to the medicine, but it did not appear to have been diluted ; at all events, very little. In reply to the Court, he said no bottle of medicine was charged by him for Mrs. Sagar on the Wednesday night. Martha Bland, wife of Thomas Bland, one of the guardians, of the Keighley Union, was next recalled, and in addition to her previous evidence it Was elicited, that on the night before the deceased died the prisoner called at her house, and after remaining a few minutes, went out with her husband. They returned together, in about an hour, and ten minutes after Sagar lefr, to go home.  Thomas Bland,. the husband of the last witness, was called and questioned very minutely by the chairman as to when he hal been in company with Sagar during the week that the deceased died. He stated that ha bad only been with him oace, and that was on the Wednesday or Thursday evening, at Mrs. Corlasels public-house, in Keigbley, where he met him accidentally. On being asked particularly whether Sagar had called at his house on Friday night, and he had gone out with him, he replied he did not know—he could not recollect—he did not remember. When told of the statement made by his wife, he said it might possibly be true, but if Sagar called at his house, it was on the evening they were at Mrs. Cerless's, and he did not remember exact'y what that night was. Tula witness, it appeared, hid also known that the prisoner and his wife went to Liverpool for three days at the latter part of last year, and that Sagar subsequently went by a day trip to Manchester, but he did not obtain leave of absence from the work-1 hou=e, and witness, though one of the guardians, and aware of this, made no report of it to the other guardians or to the clerk to the board. During his examination, the chairman threatened to commit Mr. Bland for perjury, and at its close he said the magistrates were thoroughly convinced that he had perjured himself, and it. was utterly impossible for any person to believe that Sagar could call at his house on the night before the death of the deceased, that be could go out with him, return again inj an hour, and not be able to remember anything at sit about it. Ann Bind ,en unmarried woman, 22 years of age, the daughter of the two last witnesses, vas next caned. Her evidence contained some moat extraordinary statements. She was asked about the rumours abroad that she and the prisoner had kept company, and she admitted that there was truth in those rumours, but alleged that Mrs. Sagar bad led her to be guilty of the improper conduct. She had et first had improper intercourse with tee prisoner four years ago, when Mrs. Sager asked her, when she was at the workhouse, to sleep with her husband and herself. In reply to furiTher questions, Oat said that. Mrs. Sagar had asked her to go to bad with her, asad to'd her not to be afraid if her (Mrs. Sagar's) husband came. Witness said Mrs. Sagar did not ask her to Bleep with her because she apprehended violence from- her husband, and persisted in saying that it was for the purpose of having improper intercourse with him. She had acted as mistress at the workhouse on several