The Sun. — 1868-05-28 (London, England)

ALLEGED MURDER BY POISONING.  Dr. Lankester has held an inquest under very peculiar circumstances, at the Globe Tavern, Derby-street, St. Pancras, on the body of Mr. Philip John Mirehouse, aged 29. The deceased had been abroad for some time, but returned from New Zealand last year, worth a considerable sum of money. After a very short illness in England, he died without making a will, at the house where he was living with his wife, whom he bad not long married. A certificate was given by the medical mau who had attended him during the short period of three days, that he died from inflammation of the bowels, and on the Ist of November, 1867, he was interred in the Great Northern Cemetery. From certain circumstances which were not allowed to transpire, the relatives of the deceased suspected that his death had not taken place in a natural manner, but that be had been hurried out of the world by poison, and they therefore applied to the Secretary of State for an order for the disinterment of the body, so that an official examination might be made as to the cause of death. The Secretary of State, however, replied that he had no power to grant such an order. Application was then made to Dr. Lankester, and upon a demand being made for an inquest, the coroner made the required order, and on the 2nd of May last, after the body of deceased bad been in the grave six months and a day, it was disinterred in 'presence of representatives of all parties concerned. Dr. Anderson Smith, who attended deceased prior to his death, removed the viscera, and having sealed them up, conveyed them to Dr. Taylor, of Guy's Hospital, for analysig. Thejury h aving been sworn in at 11 o'clock in the morning of Tuesday, proceeded by the Great Northern Railway to the cemetery at Colney Hatch, and I went into the catacombs of the cemetery, where the bod bad been laid out. This was in such an advanced state o decomposition that the only distinguishable feature wa the beard, which was in a tolerable state of preservation The jury having returned to the Globe Tavern, King's. cross, the inquiry was proceeded with. Captain A. W. Mirehouse, of Brighton, brother of the deceased, was called as the first witness. He simply stated that be suspected po'son to have been administered. Dr. Anderson Smith deposed that on the 29th of October last be was fetched to deceased at Woburn Cottage, Duke's-road, Euston-road. Deceased was suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting, and his face was flushed and red. He was quite sensible, but did not like to be disturbed ; but in answer to questions he said  he had pains in the bowels and stomach. On the morning of the Ist of November deceased died. Witness gave a certificate that he died from inflammation of the bowels, and the body was buried. The symptoms, although consistent with poison, were not consistent with corrosive poison. Witness saw Mrs. Mirehouse and her mother and brother with deceased. The body, which was exhumed on the 2nd of May, presented a very dry and leathery appearance. The witness, after describing other appearances of an unimportant nature, stated that he removed the internal organs of the body, and having sealed them up, conveyed them to Dr. Taylor for analysis. Being in attendance at the House of Commons on a Speaker's warrant, Dr. Taylor was not present at the inquiry on Tuesday, but his written report on the analysis having been sworn to, it was received as evidence. The report detailed very minutely the appearance of the internal organs and their condition, and stated that although tests had been applied for arsenic, mercury, and antimony, no mineral poison had been detected. The Coroner having pointed out that there was no evidence upon which to proceed further, the jury returned a verdict that deceased died from inflammation of the stomach and bowels. They appeared, however, very dissatisfied with the evident mystery which still clang round the case.