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Leader (1850-1860), 15th March 1856, Edition 2 of 2, Page 7, JXIABUH X«, x^^.. is i flirt 1 THE LEA D...

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      The Destruction Of Covent-Gardbn Theatre...

      gggsSf ^ Sf l ^ allv beeniSserted in themain walls So strongly ' %£ ? iSl oZ tUs point , that I considered it to be a ^ tf ^ the P rofession the benefit of my expen-Snce on the danger of using this mateiial . I ad-^ essi a paper Jthe Institution of Civil Engmeers with a drawing of the main wall as const ructed , and specimens of the bond timber , which was read at one 5 the meetings in May , 1847 , in prooi « f which I beg ¦ to extract a few lines . I stated that the Wtimber had failed , and that in taking down the old vaults at thirteen feet from the foundation , I found a tier ot kernel bond timber ; 12 x 6 had been introduced into the main walls all round , which externally apneared merely to have shrunk , but on examination

      proved to be not only useless , but perfectly ^ yeu . Of this there were five tiers up to the level of the ceiling , the whole of which , amounting to above ^ , OUU feet I directed to be removed in small lengths , as tne work progressed , and filled nip with brick and . Roman < 5 ement to consolidate the wall . I found , also , that the timber lintels above the doors were rotten , and . l had recourse to York stone lintels ; and flat arches , ™* £ h rfiHevmer arches above them , were necessary ,

      which was a work of great extra labour and expense . I may add , to strengthen the work , and as a precaution against fire , as far as practicable , I introduced m its construction above 2 , 000 ewt . of cast and wroughtiron . "

      Fibb ax Drtjbt-lane Theatbe . —A fire was discovered in Drury-lane Theatre on the evenmgof Friday week during the performances . The locality was precisely the same as that where the conflagration which has destroyed Covent-garden was first discovered ; but the flames . w « re speedily extinguished , withoutthe audience knowing of their existence . An inquiry was instituted by Mr . E , T . Smith , with the assistance of Mr . Braidwood ; but the result has not been made public . It is stated , however , that the cause of the fire was the lodging of a piece of lighted wadding , discharged from a gun in the first piece , among the " flies "—a fruitful cause of fires at theatres , having led to the destruction of the former dovent-garden , and of the famous > Globe Theatre " of the reign of James I . The conflagration which destroyed the ktt ?? building was caused , according ¦?»«

      to tne statement ot six rxtsiuLj » "" w " , *>/ u " ° " * : ding from the cannon discharged in " Henry VIII . " — supposed to be Shakspeare ' s play of that name .

      Jxiabuh X«, X^^.. Is I Flirt 1 The Lea D...

      JXIABUH X « , x ^^ .. is i flirt 1 THE LEA DEB . % 47

      Body She Could Not Bear Touching, For, E...

      body She could not bear touching , for , even if I touched the bedclothes , she quite jumped and started . Even walking across the floor would sometimes cause . her to jump and start . The twitches were interrupted by brief intervals of quiet , and then recommenced , particularly when she offered to stir , or when we were walking about the room or touching the bed . " When first apprised of the attack , Mr . Dove asked a neighbour , Mrs . Witham , to come in ; which she did . She witnessed all the symptoms described by Mrs . Fisher , and assisted in applying remedies to the sufferer . Mrs . Dove refused to drink anything cold , and putting any cold liquid to her mouth brought on the twitches . When these ensued , she threw back her head , and grasped the hands of her attendants convulsively . Mr . Dove went for medical assistance , and returned with a gentleman , who found the sufferer still in great pain , but not so bad a & she i a v . aan a-nA in aihrtnt . two or three hours the fit left

      pressed surprise at the length of time ha had been gone , to which he replied , " I can ' t go to Leeds and back in five minutes . She remarked , " You might have been quicker . You shall not fetch my medicine to-night . " He answered , " I shall . " Afterwards , he . observed to Mrs . Witham , "I thought you were going at five o ' clock . " Mr . Morley had . been attending Mrs . Dove since thjB 2 Tth of last Depember , and referred the spasmodic jerkings which he observed to hysteria j but they did not give way to the medipines he administered , aB they would have donehad his conjecture been ri ght . On Wednesday , the 27 th of February , he suggested a consultation with some other m edical man , " partly / as he stated at the inquest , "because the case seemed anomalous , and partly because Mr . Dove expressed a fear that his wife would not recover . " To this suggestion he received a reply contained in the subjoined note : — ..... ie

      her . On Tuesday , the 26 th ult ., she was better ; on Wednesday , she was again attacked with twitches , and was ill for eight or nine hours . On Thursday and Friday , the fits recurred , with greater intensity each time . On all these occasions , it appeared that Mrs . Fisher and Mrs . Witham were present , with the consent and at the desire of Mr . Dove . " The attack was so * severe , " according to the testimony of Mrs . wit * _ l k € ± . t J . lv - «»« UmlTT •«»¦« « ' Pw « wiMi £ * rfc + 1 ¥ r llfl" . Oil TIT * TlWm

      Dear Sir , —Mrs . Dove tells me she has'entire confidence in you , and she thinks thiat it would be going to needless expense to have any one else- Don't ha deceived—I have entire confidence . Will you be kind enough to speak to Mis . Dove to-morrow on religion ? for she says she wants some person to take her by the hand , as she feels herself a sinner . "I am , dear Sir , yours respectfully , * ' Willia-m : Dove . "

      the bed . Her inside at that time made a very peculiar noise , and her breathing was also very bad . I did not observe how her eyes appeared . She was quite sensible , and when she had a little recove red she said , * I thought it was all over with me . ' I stayed in the

      Mr . Morley subsequently suspected the presence of strychnine , but did not feel assured of it . Previous to the violent attacks , a suspicious incident occurred . On' Saturday , the 23 rd of February , either Mr . Dove or his sister , Miss Dove , brought Mrs . Dove saiu auim

      room until two o ' clock on Saturday morning . Mr . Dove was there all the time , appeared very much frightened , and wished me to call in Mrs . Witham , but I could not make that lady hear . " ( Mrs . Witham had been present at an earner part of the evening . ) " I only knocked at the chamber wall , the houses of Mr . Dove and Mr . Witham adjoining each other- Mr . Dove appeared quite alarmed and frightened . He did not request me to go for Mrs . Witham , nor did he say anything about going for Mr . Morley , the surgeon . About one o ' clock , the symptoms appeared to abate . I stayed with her until two o ' clock , and then went to bed ; She appeared sensible on that occasion , although she could not speak when the fits were on . " These alarming attacks reached their climax on the night of Saturday , March 1 st , when xiie pat-lea * died . In the middle of that day she appeared to be "better . Tl ^ nroor . « Avf » n and eieht o ' clock . Mr . Dove went in to

      some jelly , wnicn . eae . was uaoij , « " . <* tasted bitter . She asked her husband if he had put anything into the jelly ¦; and he answered , " Yes , 3 liave put some of the medicine in it , " to which she rejoined that it was very unkind of him to do so . She ¦ was sucking an orange , to take the flavour out of her mouth , and she said that that was bitter too . " You don't think , " said her husband , "that I Jiave put anything in the orange too ? " She replied , " I do not think you have . " Mrs . Witham and Mrs . Fisher were pre- ' sent on this occasion , and the latter , having tasted the ; , jelly , said it was as bitter as aloes . Mr . Dove subsequently said he had put in the medicine for . a joke . After Mrs . Dove ' s death , her husband was seen to empty down the sink the remains of the medicine which his wife had been taking . In the course of the : n «« ss , some effervescing powder was put by him . into the medicine . Mr . Morley desired to see the body

      OUR CIVILISATION . SLOW POISONING NEAR LEEDS . If anyone were asked to mention the most prominent feature of the present times , would be forced to answer " Slow Poisoning . '' That awful crime has developed itself within the last few months in various parts of the kingdom , showing that the disease 13 general , and not confined to particular localities ; and the neighbourhood of Leeds has now to be added to the catalogue . ! v » ww

      Mrs . Witham , and asked if she would stay with cis | wife while he went to Leeds . She consented ; and , about eight o ' clock , in her presence , Mr . Dove gave his wife some medicine from a bottle which . Mr . I Morley , the surgeon , had sent . The medicine was of I a dark colour . After it had been taken , Mr . Dove I washed out the glass , saying , " I always wash it out , I as the medicine is very nasty stuff . " It appears that I at that time he was not quite sober . The medicines were generally administered by him . When Mrs . Dove had taken the draught , she observed , "Oh , dear , it is very disagreeable and veiy hot . " Shortly afterwards , she said , " It ' s very bitter . Have you anything in . your pocket , Mrs . Witham , that you can give me ?" Mrs . Witham gave her a lozenge ; and , in about a quarter of an hour , Mr . Dove administered to his i

      after death , but was refused . _ A post-mortem examination has been made by Messrs . Morley and Nunneley ; the result being the discovery of strychnine in sufficient quan tities to cause death . The opinion of those gentlemen , emphatically expressed at the inquest , was that death resulted from that poison . It appears that Mr * Dove obtained some strychnine from the surgery of Mr . Morley , under . the pretext of poisoning a cat ; and a cat killed m this manner was found at the house . About a month ago , Mr . Dove went-to the surgery of Mr . Morley , and began talking about Palmer ' s case . He said he believed strychnine could not be detected after death . Mr . Elletson , Mr . Morley ' s assistant ,-said he thought it could ; and mentioned some of the tests . Mr . Dove then asked the effects of strychnine - _ ^ i « . T > AMo « itri y a ** TvmT . AV 1 fi . j «* » ——

      JXLITa M XXXIamLIX JL / UVu JLO « gWUUluiAluu v * , * .. _• va-vj ^ fw * - » ' —* means living at Burley , near Leeds . He is eightTandtwecty years of age , and report says he has led an irregular life ; but , three years and a-half ago , he married . He is stated to have used his wife with great brutality ; often coming home drunk , beating her , threatening to "do" for her , and on one occasion , saying he would give her a pill that would settle her . On another occasion , he menaced her with a carving knife , and once he beat her until she fainted . In consequence of these circumstances , Mrs . Dove requested her servant girl , in case of her death , to take steps towards having a post mortem examination made . About a month ago , his wife fell ill , and was a 4 . 4 *«* tti s-1 j- »/ 1 Vvi-r in rvwAfii sinl wtnvt *« vl ~ is-h - £ i-v * T * -k / 3 T \ aw * niv 4 ¥ ck w «_

      | wife , at her request , some peppermint water , and then I left the house . Mrs . Dove exclaimed , in a few minutes , that she believed another attack was coming on , and she asked Mrs . Witham to hold her back . Her back was arched inwards , and the twitches again came on . She seized Mra . Witham with one hand , I and Mrs . Wood , another attendant , with the other , grasping tho hand of each so tightly that they found it impossible to withdraw from the grip . Hex I eyes were contracted ; s he could not seo ; and hex I features wore distorted . The feet were arched out-I wards , and a rattling as of mucus was heard in the I throat . She made a poise so dreadful and loud , that , ft « cordincr to Mrs . Fisher , she could be hoard iu the

      i on man , ana was snown a pasB » Ka m - . ou « -,--Medica , " describing those effects . He appeared to read this , aud afterwards said that his house was nr feated with cats , and asked for some strychnine to destroy them . Mr . EUetaon gave bim about tea grains , wrapped up in white foolscap paper , on which the assistant wrote the word " poison , adding a verbal caution not to let the packet he about , beering a bottle of antimony , Mr . Dove remarked that that waB the poison Palmer used . He called again m about a we ek : said he had killed one cat , and asked for some more poison to kill another—a P ortl 0 £ of that which he had previously bought living been washed away by the rain . Mr . BUotaon . aupphed him 7

      ing from functional disorder of the stomach and of I the nervous system , of a slight character , but there I was no oi'ganio disease . It was not long , however , before more serious symptoms manifested themselves . On Saturday , the 23 rd of February , a Mrs . Fisher wont to Mrs . Dove ' s house to perform the domestic work . She nrrived at the house about noon , and found Mrs . Dove apparently quite well ( though this was after she had been attended for nervous disorder ^ , and cleaning the knob of tho door . She wont to church on tho following morning , and even on Monday , at breakfast , sewned perfectly well . After breakfast , she and Mrs . Fisher jpvooeeaed about some household work , when Mra . Dovo rmMonly complained of ' feeling ill . She spoke of a etrange aonaation in hor logs , saying " they felt very curious—she Boarooly ¦ know how they felt . " Rapidly she grew worao : hor husband wan called , and she was put to bod . Thon ensued symptoms of < i very alarming and unusual character . " She apponred , " fiftid Mrs . Fisher , in . giving , hor ovidonoo boforo tho coroner , " to start , jump , and twitch about tho bed whilo tho attack wan upon hor . Hor logs wore stiff , hor head was thrown ovor , and there was a convulnlvo motion of tho wholo

      farthest part of the house . " Tho screams were like a child ' s screams . '' She appeared desirous of swallowing liquid , "but could not , her teeth being clenched together . In tho midst of these convulsions sh , o exclaimed , " Off tho bed "! " and the women , who wero sitting on t he bed , got off ; but , on finding tho ejaculation repeated , they understood her to wish that they would lift her off . This , however , they found they could wot do , owing to hor weight . About ten o ' clock , Mr . Dovo came iu , but went out again for medical assistance . To Mr . Morloy ho oxprossed « . wish for further medical advice ; and that goutleman therefore brought Dr . Hobson . Boforo leaving for the sick ho-uso , tho two medical gontlemen had a conversation with Mr . Dovo at Mr . Morloy ' s house , when M , r . Dovo said , " Mr . Morley , if my wifo nhould d * o , flhu hue a particular objection to being disrooted . Slio \ htxfi a very strong objection ( ho ropoutod this iix different forms ) to being dinaootod , und it must not be done . " On arriving at tho Iioubo , Mm Dovo wne no more . Hor husband entered tho room and But on tho bod . He was oxoitod , and was orying , and Jio oxolniraod , " Oh , Mra . Witham , what munt I do t " On Mr . Dovo ' b return lVom Lcodu , hia wifo hud ox .-

      with about live grains more , ana , H » » " - " ^ "" ~ S MnMoSoy (» atJ it in the Btong . 1 . ^^ 8 woman . " On another occasion , Mr . V < T paid too . Surf Mr . Morloy , " If my wifo we *« to dio , would Si ! be acoronerfinquoBt , Vwould the «^ r «| - arsrsftS ? - £ SSsJ « KSX S-rdcath , at tho house of Mr . Dovo ^ s ^^^ was preaent . According to Mr . Morley ' e statement to ZioiWs jury , " the accused said ' I gfj ^^ Ml Morlov what you htvvo found , ? He alao men SnodpoSnTand FtUink h « added , ' Have you found poiBonT but during the oonvoreation ho mentioned poLn . I replied , 'Wo have « ot yet fim » hcdL j « analyBte , and I cannot give an opinion but I cannot mv wo hftvo found any natural dieoaeo to account tor death . Neither ho nor I mentioned Bteydhmno , ho having prooured some at my surgery . ' Ho eaid , l > o vou Mr . Morioy , nuspect mo of poisoning I Vo you Ek 1 coukl bo bo oruolS' I add , ' My aufpioiona

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), March 15, 1856, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_15031856/page/7/