The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1910-08-17 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

POISON.  Singular Revelations at the  Police Court.  Another case of attempted snic.ide.was before the magistrates presiding at the Liscard Police Court on Saturday, Messrs. it J. Houghton and W. Wind Platt. The prisoner was a young mar.' ried woman named Mary Elizabeth Merrin (23), employed as a day servant and raiding with her manned sistes, Rose Emma Paling, at the Gon3er Gardens, Brighton-street, Seacombe. She was charged with attempting to commit MlAcide by 'taking a quantity of red precipitate.  Superintendent • 31aHale said that the accused had been married about three years. She returned home the previous morning, and 'complained to her. sister I with respect .to a letter she had. found in her husband's,pooket. She , went out ' again, and entering the house of a friend took a quantity of red precipitate in 'a' cup of water. She was afterwards seen by Dr. Duncan, and subsequently taken to the Central Hospital. ' From the evidence given by Robe Emma Paling, accused's married sister, and Mary Thomas, cif I. Neples-road, and other witnesses,., it appeared that, on Friday morning she Went to her employments at Parkaide as usual; but returned home some. ItiMaafter II a.m., and leaving her marriage .lines and a letter' found in her huMmidha .pocket, with her taloa., she wei4rAn:.this shoßof idri-BOOiird Bennett, Yid:v*l94ld, Seacombe,i tihil procured a red pieniPitate powder. 'bite then went te:Shif..honse of ,Mrs,, Thomas and asked if :Annie :was in. _Mrs,' Thomas said she had. gone to BirkeithW. The accused tuok..a.ciii, went to the water tap and etlmtnenlied to drink wliatlirs. Thomas believed to be pure. water. 4eining Mrs. Thomas at the front, door Otp..ebserved: "I am rotten bitd,'.':i'and: s" Tell Annie I havi, behno, .depatted;74.-She was subiequentlyktikenf by_:',annielpeeple into Mr. Bennetes 4vinisee. siwipt;•. They informed Ur,-,:Tayilorrihia aisistimt, that she had teken;:phiSoni,.and ,he mixed. an emetic, but, thS-itenitd• knocked it, out of his hand, saying she would not take it. The wonian was then taken to the gar-gery •of Dr.. Eluncan Where she readied' freely. He administered an emetic, aid then fecoMmended her removal' to the 'Central Hospital. P.C.' Wakefield was. present at the 'surgery and the accused' handed to him a red powder .packet saying she had taken the contents. He took her to' the Seacombe Police Station and :after another emetic bid been' achiinistered she vomited- again. She exclaimed; -"Let me- die; -I don't want to live. My husband told me last night he bad 'Another wife in Ireland. Let him go and lire with her.. I shall try and do it again.' She , was afterwards taken to the Central Ifori;, pital, In answer to the magistrates, Dr. Duncan said .that eed precipitate was an unnommen 'poison, and was not often used for purposes of cernMitting suicide. He abould say, that from sto 15 grains as about ihe minimum' dose. • .  Harold taylor, assistant to Mr. Bennett. said the powders contained front '2O to 30 grains. He 'considered that. this was not sufficient to prove fatal.  Prisoner's husband said she had been in bad hetilith .for about eighteen months, anti had attempted to Commit" suicide on a previous occasion. He had tried to persuade her to consult a' medical Man, but she would not do so. She certainly found a letter in his pocket. It as from a friend, a hpßavkelplr t 9, millionaire in New..ol:leask§..-.w)10 144 heet? trO4g togç -hifwra situoitift*Alist.wifp And bimsel .bad Hied quite happily together until she began to buffer from delusions.. Mrs. Jackson, of Parkside, Egrement, said the accused had been a very good servant, and she was willing to take her back. She did not know the girl. was married until Thursday last. She was in a.depressed state all the week.  •Ttie accused, who was rem-a-nded for a Week, appeared to be.stiffering throngh the hearing of the case, and at the conclusion fainted 'away and had to be carred out of ;Court. •  - Reporting' on the- ttate of • the labour ;market in Jule. the Labour Department of the Roard of 'Trade says that employment was, on the whole, much about the 'same at in June: •• • •