The Herald of Wales and Monmouthshire Recorder. — 1886-04-24 (Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales)

THE FINAL STAGE. The final stage of the trial of Mrs. Adehada Bartlett, for the murder of her husband, at Pimlico, on New Year's Eve, was reached at the Old Bailey, on Saturday morning, when the Attorney-General replied on behalf of the Crown, and his lordship summed up. The prisoner looked weary and ill, and at the opening I of the court apparently took very little intereat in the proceedings. Mr. Clarke, at the outset, said he wished to make up for an omission he made yesterday, and that was to point out Cud no motive had, been shown why she oommitt xl the crime. It was also an important fact that the prisoner lad all her money in the business, and that ahe was dependant upon it. In addition, the jury should remember thatDyson had toli her that he could not marry her for two years. The Attorney-General said that all the evidence pointed to the conclusion that prisoner never pude single penny into theauusiness.• The Attorney-General then replied on the whole case. He said that it was not the duty of the Crown to struggle for a verdict, but to recall all facts to the jury, so that they could decide the guilt or innocence of the prisoner. He caked the jury not to believe that, because chlo, reform had not been previously used ins liquid Istate es a means of murder, the prisoner could not have adopted it as the instrument to get rid of her husband, who stood between her and Dyson. It was true that no one saw her admitustor the draught,butpoisoning was always done in the dark and not in the light of day, as were some crimes which were the result of an outburst of passion. He asked the jury not to believe the uncorroborated story of the peculiar marital relations betwsen her and her husband. The Attorney-General dealt at great length with the theory of the defence—that the death was due to suicide, and urged that if it was fully tested it would be found worthless. If they accepted the theory they would have to believe that a ulna who was prosperous and had a prospect of a happy life before him, had, during the temporary absense of his wife, got out of bed, poured the chloroform out of the bottle into the glum, swallowed it, placed the glass back on the shelf, and then got into bed without having utteeed one slight cry. There wee no suggestion that death was due to an accident, and under all the circumstances he asked the jary t 3 believe that it was physically impossible for the deceased to have taken the poison himself, and that the prisoner did admiInabcr it to him soon after midnight, either while he was insensible or else induced him to believe that it was a sleeping draught. He also asked the jury to believe that her husband had become distasteful to her, and that she had ceased to care for,him and got rid of him in the way described, in order that she might effect a union between herself and Dyson, who was more cultured than her husband, but not 80 attractive physically. He emphasized the fact that prisoner did not mention, until • long time after death, that she hal possessed herself of the poison, and that, if suicide was the correct one, why did she not clear himself by saying that 8120 had the chloroform in her possession At the request of Mr. Clarke, Annie Walker was recalled, and stated that she always understood from Mr. and Mrs. Bartlett that the child they had was born as the result of a single act. Rio Lordship then summed up andsaid that it seemed an anomaly that the counsel for the Crown could reply after the defence; but the judges considered it was right, on public grounds, to maintain the rihgt which had existed for generations. His Lordship also commented upon the withdaswal of the charge against Dyer by the Treasury and remarked that he did not that the prisoner's interest had suffered thereby. If Dyson had been placed in the dock, he would have had a great deal to have got rid of, and about which they might have talked until midnight, and then they would not have got rid of a. The evidence against him would have told with fatal effect against the prisoner at the bar, who had greatly gained by his being placed in the witness box. They must now, however, treat him as being innocent. His lordship proceeded to direct the jury to the arduous task before them. He said that until Dyson came to the house they lived happily together, but when he came things were altered. His lordship proceeded to condemn the conduct of Dyson, who, under the guise of giving lessons, used to allow this prisoner to sit on his knee and sit Gt his feet. He justified him-elf under the miserable pretext that he was listening to the maudlin nonsense of the husband, that he should accept the invitation to supplant him in the affections of his wife. That was the certainly very remarkable statement of the Rev. GeorgeDyson. He directed the jury not to accept any of the statements of the Rev. George Dyson, without they were strongly corroborated. At the inquest he no doubt had very serious fears as te the danger of his own life, and now if there was one man who wished to suffer as little as possible it was Dyson. (Applause.) He asked the jury not to implicitly accept Dyson's statement as to relations with prisoner. Everything showed I that prisoner was a most devoted wife, and had nursed deceased well, and he felt bound to say what she did for him seemed perfectly natural The really important point in the case was the history of the bottle of chloroform. That she had it given to her uner circumstances of criminal folly by Dyson was indisputable, but whet the prosecution alleged was that the priaoner, an ignorant woman, had succeeded in doing that which skilled pathologists had failed, namely, to administer liquid chloroform to g living adult. That the chloroform was in the wine-glass was evidently true, but it was an extraordinary thing if she gave it to her has. band that ohs did not remove traces of the poison certainly on the peimasee. If she was the criminal alleged by the tins, she had acted in a manner in whi he had i never known a driminal act before, in keeping , the last trace of her guilt—if any—for twentysix days after the commission of the erime. After the adjournment for lunch, Mr. Justice Wills continued his charge to the jury. The eourt was densely packed. His Lordship eoneluded his address at five minutes to 3 o'clock, with an earnest appeal to the jury .to give the. prisoner the benefit of any doubt they might have. After a large of some time the jury returned Into court with a verdict of—