The Sun. — 1847-11-10 (London, England)

SUSPECTED POISONING.  TIVERTON, MONDAY.—The magistrates have been again occupied a considerable time in investigating the supposed murder of Richard Fisher, a farm labourer, at the village of Morchard, a few miles di-tent. Two other persons, Thomas Leach and Mary Hodge, sister-in-law of the unfortunate deceased, have been apprehended on suspicion of being concerned in causing his death, and, with the widow, Ann Fisher, have been committed to the county gaol for trial at the ensuing assizes. It was ascertained beyond all doubt that he died from the effects of arsenic. He was 71 years of age, and his wife V, and at the time of his death they had not been married three months. It may be mentioned, that she had been married Previously, and her husband, John Lee, died as late as February or March last. The deceased rented a small piece of land in the abovenamed village, and occasionally worked for a Miss Partridge, in the neighbourhood. It would appear that they lived comfortably together until the 25th of August, when she left her house, tai•ing with her some papers of importance and an account of the amount of wages due to him from Miss Partridge, 51. or Gl. The latter she endeavoured to obtain, saying that her husband was ill and wanted the cash, but Miss Partridge having been cautioned not to give it to her, she failed in getting it. As subsequently ascertained, he had quarrelled with her about a young man named Thomas Leach. He suspected that a certain intimacy existed between them, and found fault with her for allowing him to kiss her. Notwithstanding this ill-feeling, deceased employed Leach on the 26th to reap, and in the evening he was permitted to sup in the house with the other labourers By this period the wife had returned home, and she joined the party. The deceased probably from a desire not to continue in their company, retired to bed at an early hour, and they kept it up until between one and two o'clock in the morning, the wife causing Leach to be seen home in a cart. The poor old man again complained of his wife sitting up so late with the party in question, and on the morning of the 27th, after breakfast, he complained of being unwell. He went to bed and remained in a bad state all day. At four o'clock on the next morning (the 28th) the wife called her sister, Mary Hodge, up to attend the deceased, as he was seized with a violent retching; such was their statement before the coroner and magistrate. Upon Hodge arriving, the wife begged her to look after him, as she was going to Woodford for a doctor, adding that she had made some tea in a halfpint cup, which she was to give him if he was thirsty. He died at half-past six o'clock. Mr. Haley, the surgeon who was called upon to visit the poor man, did not see him till eleven o'clock, when l►e was dead. He was told that the deceased had died at half-past six o'clock, but, from the condition of the body, he thought that life had been extinct more than eight or nine hours. The post mortem examination of the body, and the analysation of the contents of the stomach, detected the presence of arsenic sufficient to produce death. It was also shown by a Mr. Wood, druggist, of Tiverton, that she called at his shop, accompanied by a woman, about the first Tuesday in August, and procured half an ounce of white arsenic, to destroy rats. These facts induced the magistrates to commit the widow for trial on a charge of having administered the poison to the deceased. The police then sifted other suspicious facts, which told considerably against the sister-in-law, Mary Hodge, and Leach. Their apprehension was determined on, and, on being examined before the magistrate, they, as previously announced, sent them also for trial at the assizes, to be holden in March next.