The Sun. — 1866-05-28 (London, England)

TALLOW. Very little business is passing in tallow to-day, and prices are lower. .P.Y.C.-is qubted at 40s Gd per cwt. on the spot ; town tallow, 40s 6d net cash ; rough fat, 2s id per Blbs.  • PartiCulars. 1863. 1864. 1865. 1866. Stock this day 37,744 48,887 31,732 27,772 Price of Y.C. -40 s 9d 40s 6d 40s Gd to t—s Od —s Od —s Od Os Od Delivery last week 999 989 1,369 578 Ditto from June 1 — 74,258 93,912 102,173 Arrival last week — • 556 '1,113 1,855 _ Ditto frt in June 1 — :.-85.298 80,623 97,462 Price of Town  A New Mystery.  justr yfifvaet awli et eyi:v agohch thh aa td wo occurred emu r ra de ed pi nu bt lhi ec resident at Donkin's Houses. Since . Bthueisthexisbyt:a:oaw;ldiiy, that date the coroner has been pursuing his investigations, and these reveal the outlines of what at present appears to be one of the most horrible and mysterious cases of poisoning ever perpetrated in this country. It seems to be placed beyond the shadow of a doubt that the three brothers B hb us y—hale and hearty men—have been sent successively to their graves by the administration, repeated and continuous, of large doses of arsenic ; that other members of the household which was the scene of these occurrences have been crippled, possibly for life, through the same terrible agency ; and that, in fact, almost every one who ate or drank within the death-haunted walls came more or less within the power of this fell influence. Thus much is certain, if the generally consistent and straightforiard testimony given on the inquest is to be believed ; but how, or why-, or by whom death was sown broadcast—so to speak—in this ill-fated family, there is not at present a tittle of evidence to show. Suspicions there may be, but proof there is none. The inquiry has been spread over such a lengthened period that we will briefly recapitulate the facts as ascertained. On the 20th of December the residents in the farm house at Donkin's Houses were the three proprietors, George, William, and John Bushby ; Elizabeth Robley, their housekeeper ; Jane Watson, a servant ; John Watson, a lad of 10, not related to the woman of that name, but a nephew of the Busbbys. John Kennedy, a farm servant, had just left, after " having some words," and his place had been filled by Thomas Boynton. On the 21st the destroyer first appeared, and by the end of the week all the household had been attacked, the symptoms being precisely similar in each case. Medical_ assistance was not immediately thought to be required, but as amid slight fluctuations some  of the sufferers grew worse, Dr: Dodd, of Ponteland, was called in, and with him were subsequently associated Mr. Atkinson, of Wylam, and Dr. Heath, of Newcastle. But these gentlemen could search out no pause for this strange- visitation ; nor, although poison was suggested to their minds, did they observe any circumstances that tended to confirm that supposition ; and so, believing the disorder to be a peculiarly malignant form of diphtheria, arising from local miasmatic influence, they treated the patients accordingly. From the first the disease fastened with peculiar force upon the brothers, and the result was that William died cn January 3, George two days afterwards, while John lingered to the 9th February. The other patients escaped with their lives, though some of them are yet unable to use their limbs. It was noticed that, almost without exception, the persons attacked were seized soon after partaking of their meals, and particularly after drinking coffee. Thiswas shown very plainly in the case of visitors. Mrs. Brown, a neighbour, and her son were affected by Ain the A andn ud se ur butter Anderson, nut, er another andno t ho ef reoneighbour,ffee,symptoms on thea f became 3ee drc at omaf taking i ;lila: n u upons January. rmye bread .  having some tea on the following day ; and on the same 4th of January John Fletcher had the same results following his partaking of a similar meal. John Stokoe, a nephew of the deceased, who came in to assist, was in the house for several days before he was attacked, after taking some coffee ; while Mr. Bushby's sister-in-law, who was nursing deceased, and for a little while enjoyed immunity, was at length seized so violently that she is now, like Boyston and Robley, without the use of her limbs. Watson also seems to• have had • a very narrow escape from death. Two other' leading facts deserve attention. One is that it ,sothetimes happened that where a party sat_ down to a meal together, some of them would exhibit the -peculiar symptoms whilst others would not -be affected. The other is thatthere occurred periods in which "there feemed to be fresh and general outbreaks of the complaint, especially on the 18th and 22d January and the 4th February. It is not surprising that these extraordinary occurrences should have. been made the subject of the investigation which has led to the discovery of arsenic in the body of John Bushby, and that the three deaths and the whole of the attacks are now ascribed to the administration of that virulent'poison. It is however unfortunate that the discovery was not made sooner, when perhaps the poisoner—for few will believe these are the re...  sults of accident--might have been detectedln the act. In such a case suspicion naturally falls upon the person who was in the habit of preparing the family meals, and that such a suspicion existed the _ _  caution of the coroner to the housekeeper shows ; but then she appears to have been herself one of the greatest sufferers, and gives her evidence in a very straightforward manner. The conclusion is inevit able that the criminal must have had ready access to the house, and it is absurd to propose that there  was not some special end to gain ; but beyond this there appears as yet to be no clue to the secret of  his shocking tragedy.—Northern Daily Express.  Murder of a Woman and Suicide of the  Murderer.