The Sun. — 1861-05-10 (London, England)

THAMES.—DISSIPATION AND CRlME.—Sarah Jacobs, a married woman, about 40 years of age, the mother of nine children, one a daughter, 22 years of age, and who is very respectably connected, was brought before Mr. Woolrych, charged with attempting to commit suicide. The prisoner is the wife of an engineer, and dwelling with her husband and some of her family in John-street, Stepney- causeway. She has been addicted to excessive drinking for several years, and has ruined her husband, a most respectable and worthy man, and ruined herself and family. On Wednesday -night a police constable, named Alfred Brown, 196 K, was called into the surgery of Mr. Bennington, in Brook-street, Ratcliff, and found her labouring under the effects of some narcotic poison, and, by direction of the surgeon, his assistant and the police-constable took her to the London Hospital. She remained tbere under medical treatment  Until four o'clock yesterday (Thursday) afternoon, when the house-surgeon directed the policeman to take her before a magistrate. The policeman, in answer to a question, said the prisoner was quite insensible when he was called into Mr. Bennington's surgery. Mr. H. D. Greenshields, assistant to Mr. Bennington, said the prisoner came into the shop in which he was engaged on Wednesday afternoon and asked for four pennyworth of laudanum. Upon asking her what she wanted it for, she said it was to clean bonnets. He said that laudanum was rather a strange thing to clean bonnets, and she said " bonnets were strange things now." At that moment a man at the shop door nodded to him in a manner which determined him not to serve the prisoner at all. She then left the shop, and returned with a neighbour, and again asked for the laudanum. He refused to let her have any. The prisoner then said she had already taken four pennyworth of laudanum, and that would do for her, and that her husband had been beating her all day. Believing from her manner that her statement was true, he caused her to be pinioned, and applied the stomach pump, and dislodged from her stomach a large quantity of rum intermixed with laudanum.  Mr. Woolrych—How much laudanum had she swallowed.  Mr. Greenshields—l do not know, sir • the rum almost neutralised the smell of the laudanum. She was in a very bad state indeed.  In answer to other questions by the magistrate, The witness said the quantity of laudanum sold for 4d. was not the same at every shop, nor was it always of the same strength. He mentioned the quantity likely to destroy the life of any person. He was not aware who sold four pennyworth of  laudanum to the prisoner. Mr. Woolrych—Medicine vendors ought not to sell laudanum to any one unless it is a person well known to them, and are perfectly satisfied it will not be misapplied. Tbo prigoner said she was ver Rnrry indeed for what had happened, and it should not occur again. She had taken too much drink on Wednesday and her husband had beaten her.  Mr. Woolrych—You are a very wicked woman to do this, and guilty of great folly. You are remanded to prison for a week, and I hope under the good advice of the chaplain you will be made sensible of the rash and foolish act you have committed, and be brought to a proper state of mind. The husband of the prisoner implored of the magistrate to allow him to take his wife home.  Mr. Woolryeh—She sass you have beaten her. The husband, who is a respectable and indnstrious man, declared his wife's assertion was false. He had never beaten her. She was addicted to drink and was a lost woman. Mr. Woolrych—This comes of habitual drunkenness. The prisoner had lost her reason and made an attempt on her life. He allowed her husband to take her home. --