Swansea and Glamorgan Herald, and South Wales Free Press. — 1849-07-04 (Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales)

POISONINGS IN WILTSHINE.—AN inquest was held at Westbury, on Thursday, which has been the means of disclosing one; if not a series of eleven revolting murders. Cor.siderable excitement prevailed in this quiet little town during the week, in consequence of the exhumation of the body of a child who had died under very suspicious circumstances, and whose death, it was alleged, had been caused by arsenic, ad.i.inistered by Rebecca Smith, its mother, who, it appears, is the wife of a labourer, named Philip Smith, and w:io has been married about eighteen years, during which period she has given birth ta eleven children, most of whom, with the exception of the eldest, died in infancy, viz.—Philip, born Oct. 10, 1837, died Oct. 13, 1837, aged three days; Philip, born Oct. 13, 1838, died Oct. 21, 1838, aged eight days; Susan, born March 18. 1849, died April 1, 184-0. aged fourteen days; Sarah, born July 18, 1842, died August 7, 1512, aged twenty-one days; Edward, born Jan. 14, 1844, died within a month ; Edward, born in 1846, died in three days; and Richard, the subject of this inquiry, born May 16, 1849, died June 12, 1849, aged twentyseven days. Under these extraordinary circurnqtancel suspicions very naturally arose, and it was at length determined to exhume the body, which was done under the coroner's-warrant on Saturday last, when a post mortem examination was mc ,y Mr. G. Shorland, of Westbury. and Mr. Gibbs. Th-se gentlemen feeling convinced by the examination of the presence of arsenic in the child's stomach, the whole of the viscera, together with the stomach and intestines, and their contents, were carefully removed from the body, and, having been sealed up in a proper vessel, were transmitted to Mr. Ilerapath, of Bristol, for examination, and Rebecca Smith was given into custody. She is a forbidding, ill-favoured woman, of about forty-five years of age, and has manifested the most stolid indifference since her apprehension. On Monday a jury was sworn, when evidence was produced for the purpose of identifying the deceased child.—Prudence Mead deposed that five days Imfore the child died, viz., 7th of June, she accompanied the mother, at her request, to the shop of Mr. Taylor, a druggist, of Westbury, to purchase some arsenic, which she said was for a:sistet of hers living at Bretton, near Westbury, who wanted to destroy some rats with it.—Mr. Taylor's apprentice also proved the purchase of the poison by Rebecca Smith, and when serving her with it gave her strict warning of its deadly properties—Mr. J. Shorland, surgeon, and register of births and deaths for Westbury, deposed that the child's death was registered with him by the mother, Rebecca Smith, on the 13th of June, the day following its death. She said she did not know the cause of itsileath, that the child had been poorly for a short tune, and Viet Mr. Britton, the surgeon, bad attended it. As no sans. fact,ry teas-in could be given, the cause of death was registered as unknown.—The inquest was then adjourned to Thursday, t pon which day Philip Smith, father of the deceased child said the child was perfectly healthy when born, that the mother used to muse and feed it, and that from its death lie had derived no pecuniary benefit.—Mr. Ilerapath, ana'ytical chemist, of *Bristol, stated that the st,mach ant to him contained a considerable quantity of arsenious acid, and a very slight trace of undissolved arsenic. lie had not the slightest doubt that the ehild to whom those viscera belonged died front the effects of arsenic, and he believed that the arsenic was administered in the state of white arsenic, and that it W:IF given at more t'ian one time. After some other evidence the coroner (ad&essing Rebecca Smith) said—Have you anything to s:ate to the gentlemen of the j'ary ? —The prisoner. Na, sir.—The jury returned a verdict of '' W ilful Murder against Rebecca Smith," who was committed to take her trial at the ensuing Wilts A:sizes.  A