The Sun. — 1851-07-26 (London, England)

THE POISONING AT EASTWOOD. Sarah Barber, aged 22, dressmaker, and Robert Ingram, aged 19, butcher, were indicted for the wilful murder of Joseph Barber, the husband of the first named prisoner, at Eastwood, on the 24th of March last, The female prisoner is a very tall and rather good v • tit s . . " lo oking woman, but upon her appearance in the dock and during the progress of the trial her behaviour, was • ti remarkably indifferent and unconcerned. Ingrate 011: the other hand, preserved throughout an attitude and appearance of the deepest attention. Mr. Macaulay, Q.C., and Mr. Denison conducted the prosecution; Mr. O'Brien defended Sarah Barber, and Mr. Cockle defended Ingram.  It appeared that the deceased, Joseph Barber, was a horse jobber, in comfortable circumstances, residing at Eastwood, in this county. He died en Thursday night, the 20th of March, at the age of thirty-five years. At that time he had been married to the female prisoner five years; but she had no family. The deceased for some wees before his death had been unwell, and suffering from pains in the joints, for which he had bear attended by Mr. Smith, a surgeon, at Eastwood, and his assistant, Mr. Mather. Mr. Mather left Mr. Smith's on the 23d or 24th of March, or the beginning of April, and had had not appeared since. He was called upon his recognizance as a witness, and upon his non-appearance that recognizance was entreated. It was said that he had left the country. Ou the Sunday before his death tho deceased was riding out in a gig with the prisoner Ingram, who lived near him, and who assisted in nursing him during his illness; but he had a bad night on the Tuesday following, and on the Wednesday was so much worse that his mother was sent for. His mother remained with him until 11 o'clock on the Thursday morning, when he appeared better. After she had left he again became worse, and at twelve o'clock he died. On the following Monday an inquest was held, which was adjourned from time to time, in order to afford opportunities for an examination of the body. At first Messrs. Smith and Mather did not succeed in discovering arsenic in the stomach; but its contents were preserved and afterwards subjected to various tests by Professor Taylor and other medical gentlemen of eminence, who ascertained that arsenic was present in sufficient quantities to have caused death. The circumstances adduced in evidence for the purpose of bringing home to the prisoners the charge of wilfully administering poison to the deceased were very numerous, and many of them minute. The female prisoner and the deceased had not always lived on very good terms, and on some occasions she had used threatening language towards him. About two years ago she had left him for seven months and gone to France with another man, according to the statement of the mother of the deceased ; but the deceased went and brought her back. Since that time they continued to live together ; and the deceased on his death-bed spoke in terms of gratitude for the kindness and attention which his wife and the other prisoner had shown to him during his illness. Both prisoners, however, were proved to have purchased arsenic shortly before the death; they had admitted the purchasing of arsenic on the Friday and the Wednesday before; it had been purchased openly for the avowed purpose of destroying mice, with which the house of the deceased was very much infested. The statement of the prisoners, however, was that the pennyworth bought on the Friday was. burnt, and the pennyworth bought on the Wednesday lost. Neither of them, however, had made any disclosure of the purchase by Ingram of a third pennyworth of arsenic at Bulwell, on the Sunday morning, when the deceased was ridingout with him in a gig. The case for the prosecution having been closed, Mr. O'Brien addressed the jury for Sarah Barber, and Mr. Cockle for the prisoner Ingram. The Learned JUDGE sumrLacd up, and the jury found Sarah Barber Guilty, and Acquitted Ingram. The Learned JUDGE then passed sentence of death on Sarah Barber, without hope of mercy.