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2to6s 15, 1845. THE NORTHERN STAR. - ' '...
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/otttxomiws; #totmffs;
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Westminster.—Clock-House.—The members of...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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The Murder At Salt-Hill. Trial Of John T...
by a squint , "When he approached the bar he was -rerypale , and l ooked anxious but * £ *** *> thnidfty or nervousness , and on being asked by the derfof the assize ( after the reading of the indictment * . which contained but one w ^ t , charging hun with having caused the deafli of Sarah Hart on the 1 st of last January , by giving her poison ) , "How say von are von guilty with respect to that murder or Jot ' guilty ? " he replied in a firm and audible tone , « ' 2 Jot guilty . " ^ H aving also pleaded "Not guilty" to the same di arge upon the coroner ' s inquisition , The jury was sworn , after a challenge by Mr . O'JJalley on behalf of the prisoner of thirteen names .
Mr . Serjeant Biles , addressing the gentlemen of the jury , began by saying , —You have heard from the derk of the assize that the prisoner at the bar stands indicted for themost serious crime known to the law .-the crime of wilful murder . I rejoice that upon the present occasion the prisoner , as the law now stands , may have the benefit of being defended by counsel , and that he will have the assistance of my learned Mend , than whom the bar of Europe could not give him greater . In cases of this hisd you are not to expect direct and positive evidence . Neman who meditates the crime of assassination by poison fails to take some precaution so that , at all events , direct or demonstrative evidence of the fact shall be inaccessible . No eye sees death poured into the cup ,
save that which is All-seeing , and in every place . All that a human tribunal can do is to gather together the circumstances of the case , and from those circumstances to ibnu as just and conscientious a judgment as is possible for fallible mortals to do . The prisoner at the bar formerly carried on the business of a chymlst and druggist . He had the misfortune several yfiars ago to lose his first wife . Shortly before her death the deceased , Sarah Hart , then a young woman somewhere about thirty years of age , entered into bis . service , and I shall show you l » y evidence , which I need not open in detail , the nature of the acquaintance whieh subsisted between her and the prisoner , and that when she left his service she was in the family way . She lived first
after quitting his service at a place called Crawfordstreet , London , where I shall show you that the prisoner was in the habit of visiting her . She lived afterwards at Paddington-green , thence removed to Slough , and for some time previous to her death was living at Bath-place , which consists of four small cottages , forming one detached building . Bath-place stands upon the Great Western-road , about a quarter of a mile beyond the Windmill public-house , whieh is kept by a person named Botham . In the end house , towards London , lived Mrs . Ashley ; in the nest the deceased , Sarah Hart , the mother of two children , who was living there with them , and who , as it will appear to you in the course of the case , was entirely dependent on the prisoner for her support ,
and whom he was in the habit of visiting at Bathplace , - and supplying with money . The prisoner himself has recently resided at Bcrkhampstead in circumstances of apparent ease and affluence . He married no long time since a second wife—a lady to whose deep misfortune no man can allude without feelings of commiseration . I shall show you that , notwithstanding the apparent ease and respecta bility of his circumstances , he was at the time this occurrence took place by no means in such circumstances . I shall call Ms banker ' s clerk to show you that at this moment he had overdrawn bis account . You will f nd that he was in the constant habit of visiting Sarah Hart , that she was dependent anon him for money , and that he found himself in
this position , —that money must be supplied , or that what would otherwise besecret mustbecomeapparent , xamcly , the nature of his connexion with this person . On the 1 st of January , in the present year , I shall show you that the prisoner was at the Jerusalem Coffee-house , Cornhill , London , the waiter of which he told , about the middle of the day , that he was going to dine at the west end of the town , and desired that his great-coat should be left for him on his return about nine o ' clock . He did not proceed to the west end of the town , but lo the station of the Great Western Railway , by the four o ' clock train of which railway he proceeded to Slough . On arriving at Slough , he went to the residence of Sarah Hart , at Bath-place ; and it will appear that after he had been a short time with her
she went by his direction to the Windmill publichouse for a bottle of porter . It is important to bear in mind that she was at that moment perfectly well and In Tory good spirits . Having bought the porter , she borrowed a corkscrew , and brought both home with her to Bath-place . I shall call a person who spoke to her on her way back , from whose testimony vou will learn that she was then perfectly well . Very shortly after her return Mrs . Ashley , the person who resided in the next house , being seated at work before a candle , heard a noise in the room of Sava . li Hart . I should observe to you that these cottages consist each of two very small rooms on the ground floor . . Mrs . Ashley heard in her neighbour ' s apartment a moan or stilled scream . She laid down her
work ; the noise continued , - she became very much alarmed , and , taking up the candle went to the door , and proceeded down the path leading from the cottage to the road ; but before she reached the gate she saw the prisoner approaching the gate which tcminated a similar path from the cottage of Sarah Hart . Mrs . Ashley will tell you that at this moment the moans of the deceased were distinctly audible . The prisoner went to the gate ; he trembled , appeared gr eatly agitated , and had much difficulty in opening the gate , which , I believe , Mrs . Ashley , who had reached it by this time , assisted him in Opening , saying "What is ihe matter with my neighbour ; 1 am afraid she is ill ? " the moans of Sarah Hart being distinctly audible . The prisoner
made no answer , but passed out of the gate and proceeded towards Slough . 3 Irs- Ashley , in consequence df the noise , went np to Sarah Hart ' s house , and turning round , saw the prisoner going down the road . She then went into the house , and observed in Sarah Hart ' s room just before the fire-place a small table and on it a bottle of porter open , and partly drunk , also two tumblers , one of which was next the window and towards the chair upon which Sarah Hart had apparently been silting . In one of these tumblers there was some froth , in the other there was porter or porter and water , it is not quite certain which . The deceased , Sarah Hart , was lying on the floor ; her cap was off , aud her hair hanging down . Her dolhos were np to her knees ; one stocking was down ,
and one shoe off . She was still continuing the moaning noise which I have described to you . Mrs . Ashley went up to her and asked her what was the matter , and raised her head np , but the deceased was unable to speak . Mrs . Ashley called in two neighbours , and some water was brought . Eventually , Mr . Champneys , a surgeon , was sent for . He felt her pulse and said he thought he could discover one or two beats . She moved her tongue or jaw a little . Mr . Champneys put his hand under her clothes to feel her heart , but he could discover no pulsation . She was clearl y dead . In the meantime , I shall show yon , gentlemen , that the prisoner , who had gone out of the house , was going on quickly towards the railway station . He came that day from
London , and was about to return , and did return ; but instead of staying at the station then , he got into an omnibus to go to Eton , Eton being ffl a direction away from the station . He was asked By the driver wher e he desired to he set down in Eton . He replied , " At Herschell-house . " "Oh , " said the driver , "Herschell-house is along way this side of Eton . " It appears that it is in Slough , a few hundred yards from the station . He , however , rode a short distance , and was set down at Herschell-house , where it appeared he had no business , for on getting up to the door he proceeded to walk on towards Eton . The omnibus went on in the same direction . "What became of him in the interval we do not know , but be certainly went back to the
station , and took a place in a first-class carriage for London . At that time suspicion became attached to the prisoner . Another gentleman of the name of Champneys- —the Rev . Mr . Champneys—was there , and suffered Mm to depart . But as soon as he was goise Mr . Champneys communicated his suspicions to the person who conducts the * clectric telegraph . A signal was made to the station in London that a person was in the first-class carriages who ought to he watched . Quick as the train went , the signal was there long before the train arrived at the London terminus , a policeman was on the platform , and as soon as the prisoner got out of the carriage the policeman saw him get into an omnibus , and , putting on a plain coat over hispolice dress , he stepped up behind the omnibus with the conductor . The omnibus proceeded to the Bank , wherethe prisoncrgot out , the policeman taking 6 d . from him . He went forward to
thelVellingtonstatue , turned round , looked back , and then went to the Jerusalem Coffee-house , in CornhiH , anumquiredfor thecoatwHchlhave mentioned in the early part of my statement . The waiter gave hint the coat , and he then went from Cornhill down urece church-street to London-bridge , and over that TO another coffee-house in the Borough , the policeman still watching him , and taking care , of course , tluit he sliojild not be observed . The prisoner stayed there auout half an hour . lie then came out , and retraced his steps over London-bridge , and wentdown J- annon street , to a lodging-house in Scoitfs-yard , * ept h y a persou of t ] ie name of rjugbe ^ who is , I oejieve , a member of the Soeietv of Friends . The policeman having waited half-an-kour , and finding inatme pTKouer did not come out of the lodgingnouse , went » way . The next morning further intelligence was received from Slouch , and the police
man , taking another officer with hini , proceeded to the house m Scott ' s-yard . He found that the prisoner had left the house ; and he then went to the Jierusaiem Cofiee-house , in Cornhill , where he found the prisoner , and said to him , "I believe you were down at Slough yesterday ? " The prisoner denied it . He said he knew nobody at Slough , and iad not been there . "You must be mistaken , " said he , in the identity ; my station in life places me above suspicion . " The officer , however , took the prisoner into custod y , and took him down to Salt-hill , where he was handed over to the custody of Perkins , the superintendent of the Eton nolice . He stent
thai . night m Perkins ' s house . On the next day , at dinner , some conversation took place about Sarai Hart ; and to that conversation , gentlemen , 1
The Murder At Salt-Hill. Trial Of John T...
invite your attention . It was in the presence of two witnesses , who will be called to establish it . The prisoner said , "That wretehed and unfortunate woman once lived in my service for nearly two years and a half . 1 suppose you did not know that , Perkins ? " Perkins said he had heard so , but was not certain about it . The prisoner added—* ' Sho left me about five years ago . She was a good servant when she lived with me . She has often sent to me for money . ' . ' The prisoner was cautioned to mind what he said , as it would be taken down and used against him as evidence . He replied , that he had no objection to that . He was asked if he had the deceased ' s letters . He said he did not keep letters of that sort . "I was pestered"he said , " with letters from her
, when I was in London , and I determined to give her no more money . She was a bad woman—a very bad woman . She sent me a . letter , threatening to do something . She said she would make away with herself if I did not give her any money . I went down to her house and told her 1 would hot give her any more money . She then asked me to give her a drop of porter . She had a glass , and I had a glass . She held in her hand over the glass of stout a very small phial , not bigger than her finger , and said , 'I will , 1 will ! ' She poured something out of the phial into the stout , and drank part of it and did so— " and then the prisoner described her manner by signs . He continued , "She then lay down on the rug , and I walked out . I should not have gone out , if I thought
she had been in earnest ; I certainly should not have left her . " Kow , gentlemen , you will observe , that in this conversation the prisoner expressly states that she took something out of a small phial at that time in his presence . Gentlemen , this conversation took plate at Perkins's house . We will now revert , if you please , to the scene at Salt-hilL By direction , of the coroner a post mortem examination took place the next day , I believe , after the death of the woman . You will hear what was the nature of thatposS mortem examination more in detail from the surgeons . But it is necessary lor me to tell you , in the first place , that the surgeons could not discover any external injury to accountlbr death . They examined the'brain ; there was no appearance of anything in the brain which could have produced death . In the same manner they examined the lungs , and found nothing but an old adhesion , which , they will tell you , is quite
consistent with perfect health , and is very common . It had nothing to do with the death of the deceased . They examined her heart , and found it perfectly healthy ; and so were the intestines . There was nothing , so far as they could form an opinion , to show that death had resulted from external injury or from internal causes . In opening the body one of the surgeons thought he smelt prussic acid , but the other could not discover anything of the kind . Either it did or it did not exist ; I will not pretend to say which . Probably the surgeons will not . But certainly when they came to examine the stomach they could discover no smell of prussic acid ; but inasmuch as it appeared to them clearly that deceased had not died from either external injury or internal causes , they came to the conclusion that she had died by poison of some kind or other ; and in order that the contents of the stomach should
be known , they took them to a scientific chemist in London , who submitted them to a chemical examination . At the time the surgeons conjectured that the woman had died through swallowing oxalic acid . Tests for that poison were applied , and none were discovered . Tests were also applied for sulphuric acid , for opium , for various mineral poisons , and for prussic add . Sulphate of copper and nitrate of silver were used . I am not competent to describe fully the nature of all the tests that were applied ; but the surgeons satisfied themselves upon that occasion that prussic acid had been the cause of death . They found prussic acid in the stomach , and that it produced what they will tell you is an infallible test of its presence , the " Prussian blue . " Gentlemen , at this
time it was not known , and it will be very important for you to bear this in mind , thattheprisoner had had any ' prussic acid at all . There was no reason at that time to attribute death to the influence of prussic acid , except what had been found in the stomach . Subsequently the remainder of the stomach was taken to Air . Cooper , and it was tried by sulphate of iron , nitrate of silver , and cyanide of silver , and prussic acid was clearly proved to exist . Mr . Cooper was now able to say , observing the contents of the two portions of the stomach , that in the stomach there were not fewer than hfty grains of prussic acid , according to the strength of the prussic acid of the "London Pharmacopoeia . " But , gentlemen , of all poisons , this is the most volatile , being subject
to evaporate most rapidly , inhaled while living , and absorbed by the tissues after death . The quantity is equal to one grain of pure prussic acid , which ia quite enough to cause death . This poison is so subtle and so energetic , that a single drop of the pure acid placed upon the tip of a rod and put into the mouth of any small creature—a bird or a do ^ , would cause almost instant death . About two-thirds of a graina grain and a drop I am told are nearly synonymous terms—of pure prussic acid , has been known to kill as many as seven adults one after the other . Before the residue of the contents of the stomach had been brought out the knowledge of the fact I am about to state was acquired , though it was not known when the first prussic acid was found in the stomach .
Owing to the publicity which things of this kind naturally obtain , it was discovered that , on the Wcduesday ^ whcn the alleged murder was committed , the prisoner had been to the shop of a chemist in Bishopsgate-street and asked for two drachms of Scheele ' s prussic acid . Butthat strengthens the case I have described . He said he wanted it for an external injury . He brought a bottle with him with a glass stopper , but the shopman gave him another bottle , which was labelled for him , and he took it away with him on the day he left London . I shall show you that he was again at the chemist ' s shop on the Thursday , the day after he slept at the lodginghouse ; and that he then said he had lost the bottle he had before , and obtained the bottle which ho had
originally brought and left there . Now , gentlemen , that is an outline of the material facts which will be laid before you with respect to this attempt on the life of the deceased . But there is other evidence , wliich I think and fear will induceyou to believe that this is not the first attempt whieh has been made by the prisoner upon the life of the deceased . It will appear to you that , towards the end of September , or the beginning of October last —the witness will fix the date—that a person of the name of Charlotte Hoard , who is , I believe , in service with a family in this neighbourhood , was staying with Sarah Hart . It was late in the evening , about seven o ' clock , that the prisoner then visited the deceased . It will be proved to you that Mrs . Hart , upon that
occasion , was perfectly well , and that the prisoner requested Mrs . Hoard togotoBotham ' shouse , the Windmill , at Salt-hill , to purchase a bottle of porter . She did so ; and took it home , and left it on the table . Not very long afterwards the prisoner went away ; Mrs . Hoard heard the front door of Mrs . Hart's house shut as he went out . She then saw the deceased ; her cap was untied , and she looked dreadfully ill . She complained of being violently sick , of a severe pain in the head ; and she retched aud vomited very much . Upon the table thirteen sovereigns were lying ; and it is a circumstance which ought not to escape attention , that she was too ill to see after that money . It was left loose Oil
the table , she being so ill as to be compelled at once to go to bed . She was dreadfully sick in the night . The witness Hoard will declare that she threw up above a hand-basin full , and was obliged to keep her bed all day . She complained of great giddiness , and heat in the throat . She attributed these sensations , as did the woman whom I shall call before you , to the porter ; there being no suspicion at that time , as I am hound to tell you , that these effects were caused by anything deleterious being introduced into the porter . She recovered ' from that attack in the course of a short time , and was as well as usual . Such , then , is the case against the prisoner .
The address of the learned Serjeant was listened to with breathless interest throughout . Mr . F . Keixt requested thattheprisoner might be accommodated with a seat . Mr . Baron Parke ; Prisoner , do you wish to sit down ? Prisoner : Tes ; I should he much obliged , as I have long had avaricose affection . A chair was then placed in the dock for his accommodation . [ Evidence in support of the statements made in the Learned Sergeant ' s speech was adduced . Nearly every witness was cross-examined by Mr . Kelly , but no material variation from , or addition to , their direct testimony was obtained , except it be in the following , which was the cross-examination of Mrs . Ann Ashley , who had deposed to the facta set forth for her bvMr . Serjeant Byles : ]—
Mrs . Ashley cross-examined by Mr . F . Kelly Before I heard the stilled scream , I had heard the voice of the de ceased in rather aloud tone . I can't sav whether there was any quarrelling . I heard only a few words , not loud talking , for some minutes . — Did you not think they were quarrelling about money matters ?—1 did not hear enough to make me think they were quarrelling . When 1 first heard her scream I tliought she might be in hysterics , as I knew there were money matters between them . She was not hysterical , nor violent in her conduct . I never knew her subject to fits of passion , ' or of her quarrelling with Mi * . Tawell about the children . I have heard her say she had been advised to put them out and go to service ; but she never told me that she had
differences with the prisoner about them . I heard no voice but hers on the night in question , so that I could not have supposed that they were quarrelling . The screams I heard before leaving my house were repeated several times . I cannot say whether or not Mr . Tawell heard the observation I made about my neighbour being ill The surgeon , Mr . Champneys , on being sent for put his hand under the clothes of Sarah Harf , and felt her heart . He then bled her . I held the basin for him . Blood flowed from herabout as much as would cover a plate . I believe she was dead before she was bled , at-least I heard the surgeon say so . That is my own belief also . I do not recollect having been asked the question when I was before the coroner , or having said that the deceased
The Murder At Salt-Hill. Trial Of John T...
died almost immediately after she had been bled . I do not think I could have said so , as my belief always was she had died before she was bled . ' 1 am aware that the deceased had received a present of a box of apples some time before her death . She gave mg some of them ; when I saw the box it was not full . It would hold about a peck , but I did not see it when she first received it . [ We pass the evidence of the other parties , which relates to the departure , and watching , and apprehension of the prisoner , as it would be merely repeating what is fufly set forth in the opening speech of the counsel for the prosecution . We . g ive at full length the examination and cross-examination of the surgeons , as it is likely that on that evidence the defence will be mainly grounded . !
Mr . Champneys , examined by Serjeant BlfflES . —I am a surgeon at Salt-hill . I was sent for to attend Mi's . Hart a few minutes before seven o ' clock on the 1 st of January . I ran all the way . I saw Sarah Hart lying on the floor . I felt her pulse at the wrist . I was not certain there was any pulsation . I put my hand under her clothes to feel her heart , and I perceived at that moment a sli ght convulsion of the lower jaw . There was no pulsation of her heart . I considered her dead then . Nevertheless , I opened a rein in her arm . I did so not to leave the usual means untried . About aw ounce of blood flowed . I still think that she was dead before I opened the vein . I saw the bottle , glasses , and beer- on the table . I put them in the recess by the fireplace . About nine
o clock the same evening I returned and took possession of them , and carried them all away home with me , and looked them up . On tho following day I inspected the body , assisted by Mr . Norblad , Mr . Pickering , and another surgeon . By direction of the coroner I afterwards made a post mmteW examination . I dissected the body in the presence of Mr . Norblad and Air . Pickering . I smelt the odour of prussic acid the moment I opened the body . I made a remark . I examined the heart . It was perfectly healthy . I examined the lungs . The lung itself was healthy , but the coverings had the remains of * old inflammation , old standing adhesion . There was nothing to account for death in the lungs . The abdominal viscera were healthy . Iexamined the stomach . The internal surface had more mucus than usual . ' I
removed the stomach andits contents for the purpose of analysis . I placed them in a bottle , which I took home and kept until I took it to London next day ( Friday , the 3 rd ) . I went to London accompanied by Mr . Norblad , . and Mr . Pickering joined us in London . We went to Mr . Cooper , whose son also was present . The contents were tested for oxalic and for sulphuric acid , and I don't remember the other poisons that were sought for . Nothing could be discovered of them . An experiment was then tried for prussic acid . Mr . Cooper tried first the proto-sulphate of iron . He distilled a portion of the contents of the stomach . I-saw the result of the two experiments for prussic acid . Thesecondwaswithnitrate of silver . Prussic acid was found . During the experiments we
found no smell of prussic acid . I am ~ of opinion the deceased died from the effects of prussic acid . I have no doubt about it . I saw Mr . Cooper after the adjourned inquest , between Saturday and Wednesday . I saw him on Sunday . Mr . Cooper analysed the porter in the bottle , in the glass , and the bun . No prussic acid was discovered . They were not tested for any other poison . I went to Mr . Cooper again on the 8 th of February , when 1 said I thought the deceased had been poisoned by prussic acid . I had not heard that the prisoner had purchased any . I know the strength ot the prussic acid of the London Pharmacopeia . Its strength is two per cent , to ninety-eight of water . Scheele ' s prussic acid contains five per cent , to ninety-live of
water . I would begin with three drops of the London Phannacopeian acid as a dose . I might give four . Of the undiluted prussic and pure hydrocyanic acid less than a grain could only be taken with safety . Two drachms of Scheele ' s solution would contain six grains of pure hydrocyanic acid . When persons die from prussic acid there are cases on record where the smell is not discovered in the stomach . In my opinion there is no importance in the absence of odour as a proof that prussic acid was not taken . There is a case where a boy took three and a half drachms of one of the solutions , I do not know whieh , aud there was no odour from any part of the body after it . A person died in an hospital in Paris , after having taken sevenrtenths of a grain of pure acid .
The acid is very voluble , and may bo carried off by the lungs , or absorbed by the tissues . I never heard of a person taking an ounce . If fifty grains of the London Pharmacopeian acid were found in the stomach , that is one grain ofreal . it would be impossible to ascertain how much had been taken , and it would be impossible to say how soon death might ensue . There is a case where a lady took twelve drops of Scheele ' s acid , and she died in twelve minutes and a half ; but no deduction can be drawn thence to other cases . I put some prussic acid in porter on the evening of the Thursday . I put half a drachm in a tumbler , and the tumbler was filled up with Guinness ' s stout . The smell of the acid was then scarcely perceptible . I don't think a person ,
after taking enough to cause death , would walk more than a few yards from the house . Cross-examined by Mr . Kelly . —I have been four years in practice . I never examined a person before who had died from prussic acid . During my apprenticeship I have killed some of the lower animals , cats and dogs , with it . I experimented on four dogs , and dissected them . Except thatpracticalexperience , and some I saw tried on rabbits , all the rest of my knowledge on the subject is theoretical . I attended the case of a man who had taken some prussic acid , which didnot produce death . I have read " Taylor ' s Medical Jurisprudence , " and from that , as well as my other knowledge , I should expect always to find the odour of prussic acid . It is laid down by Taylor , that
the stomach and all the cavities present the odour after death . My authority for the case I have cited , in which no odour was perceptible , isin Taylor . The body was examined thirty hours after death . I apprehend that in that ease the contents of the stomach were tested by the smell . I have read that case I think elsewhere at greater length . The odour may have passed into the blood after thirty hours . —Mr . Kelly ; Do you , sir , really believe that enough of prussic acid to causedeath may be swallowed , diluted in porter or otherwise , without leaving any odour from the mouth ? — Witness ; I should certainly always expect to find the odour , but I cannot say that
it would be impossible that it would be absent . I smelled the mouth of the deceased woman when I was called to her , and again subsequentl y , but I perceived no smell of prussic acid . On the subsequent examination by Mr . Norblad , Mr . Pickering , and myself ' , I remarked the smell of . prussic acid . Mr . HJiblad said he perceived none , but I was positive that ! I did . Prussic acid is excessively volatile , and itis this volatility which produces the smell . It has a very peculiar odour . —Mr . Kelly : Did you not boil down the contents of the stomach ? Mr . Serjeant Byles objected , as he was about to call Mr . Cooper .
After some discussion , Mr . Baron Parke decided that Serjeant Byles should resume the direct examination . Witness examined by Mr . Serjeant Byles . —The contents of the stomach were first exposed to evaporation . The retort was placed in a sand bath , and the sulphate of iron was applied to the distilled portion of what came off , and the sulphate of potassum . and muriatic acid were subsequently added , and the result was prussian blue . The production of
Prussian blue is considered an infallible test of the presence of hydrocyanic acid . Mr . Cooper then placed the retort in a water-bath to obtain a lower temperature . The distillation was again tested . Mr . Cooper regulated the temperature by a thermometer . It would be impossible , in my opinion , to produce prussic acid from the decomposed contents of the stomach . The nitrate of silver was applied to the second distillation , and cyanide oi silver was the result deposited on the glass . All the tests for prussic acid produced it .
Cross-examinationresumed by MivKelly . —Prussic acid is highly volatile , and of peculiar odour . Whilst it is volatilising a strong odour perceptible to anyone is emitted , Tho contents of Sarah Hart's stomach were exposed to a boiling heat of 212 for several minutes . During that time we all tried to catch the odour , without discovering it . I don't know that I ever saw prussic acid distilled before . There was no odour from the few drops of blood I drew from the deceased . I don't feel competent to say that epileptic patients would be more easily acted on by prussic acid than others not so afflicted . The case to whicli I have alluded , in which 7-10 ths of a grain was fatal in Paris , was that of seven epileptic patients , to whom by mistake , a dose containing 7-10 ths of a grain was
administered to each , and they all died , some within a few minutes , others after three quarters of an hour . [ A debate here arose as to this case , it being reported differently in different books . Mr .. Baron Parke referred to the ori ginal book , in which it was found that one died within fifteen minutes , aud tiie rest . at different periods to the last , who lived threequarters of an hour . ] Cross-examination resumed . The odour was , in some cases , found ei ght days after death . After the froth had subsided from the porter I poured on the drachm of acid , I perceived the smell strongly . Hydr ocyanic acid exists in many substances . In apples , and many fruits , for instance . I agree with Christison , who says , at page 756 , that hydrocyanic acid is found in numerous substances , where it was not previously supposed to exist . The prussic acid
of commerce is obtained from tho blood and horns of animals . The chief components of prussic acid are 62 . 12 carbon , ' 12 of nitrogen , and 1 of hydrogen . It is said to exist in the human saliva ; but not as prussic acid . It is called the sul ph , cyanide . It exists as hydrocyanic in cherry stones and other fruit kernels . There was no smell at all during the tests of the deceased ' s stomach for tho other poisons , and we then came to the conclusion that there must be prussic acid . The process through which the stomach and contents were then put , would produce prussic acid from apple pips or other , fruit kernels . When we obtained the prussic acid it had no smell . Down to the last experiment , in which we obtained a certain large quantity of prussic aoid , I perceived no smell at all after the first odour I perceived on open-
The Murder At Salt-Hill. Trial Of John T...
ing the body . We did not burn any of the substances produced . By Mr . Baron Parke . —We did not try to burn the cyanide ol silver . Cross-examination continued . —Tho first thing I did when called in to Sarah Hart was to feel her pulse . 1 thought at first I perceived a slight pulsation—a throb or two ; but now I im agine I did not feel any . When I put my hand upon the region of the heart there was no pulsation at all . I have never seen a positive case before where death ensued from prussic acid . The analogy between man and the inferior animals is very doubtful , I should say that Sarah Hart ' s lungs were sli ghtly congested . They were in a natural and healthy state , but they contained more blood than usual . That is , not a perfectly healthy state , but there was no symotom . of disease
productive ol death in them . That appearance might arise from many sorts of sudden death . The pericardium was empty , I don't think the quantity of blood contained in the lungs , although more than ordinary , could be properly called congestion , but it might be culled sli ghtly congested . 1 did not examine the spmal marrow . The gall bladder was of a natural colour . _ I examined the glottis particularly in order to find if any foreign substance had got down into it . I did not open the bronchial tubes ; so that if there was water in them I don't know . I did not examine so low down . I felt satisfied the deceased was dead when I tried to bleed her . I themoht it
better to do so , as one ol * the usual means , merel y in order to leave no moans untried , as in cases of congestion of the head . —Mr . Kelly : Do you mean to say that yon did not open the vein for the purpose of ascertaining the cause of death ?—Witness : I may have tried to see whether the blood contained anything to account for death , and I wished to satisfy the persons present that nothing was left undone . I took out the contents of the stomach eighteen hours after death . The vessel into whieh I put them was perfectly clean . It was a broad-mouthed pickle bottle . I did not wash it out , but I held it up and looked through it , and saw it was clean and quite clear . That is the bottle ( produced ) . .
The witness was re-examined by Mr . Serjeant Byles , at very considerable length , upon the subject of the . qualities , & c , of prussic acid , and with regard to the eases of the seven epileptic patients in Paris . The Court adjourned at seven o ' clock .
SECOND DAY-TnunsDAY . Tho Court resumed this morning at a few minutes before nine o ' clock . The entrance to the Courthouse was crowded to a dense degree , and it was with considerable difficulty an entrance could be effected . t The prisoner when placed in the dock seemed particularly nervous . He paid marked attention to the evidence , and particularly to the cross-examination of the witnesses by Mr . Fitzroy Kelly . Mr . Cooper , the chemist of London , was the first witness called , and he was examined at considerable length by Mr . ' Serjeant Byles , with reference'WRis experiments on the contents of the deceased ' s stomach , which had been submitted to him in order to
test the existence of poison . He found in the stomach pf deceased the pips of some apples . He discovered in the . seeds of those apples a quantity of prussic acid . " He was not enabled to say how much prussic acid had been originally introduced into the stomach before the contents were removed . A variety of circumstances might tend to decrease this quantity , as absorption by the system , < fcc . Cross-examined by Mr . Kraxv . —He had never before that time examined the contents of the human stomach where a person bad been killed , or where pi-ussic acid had been taken . He had had a good deal of experience of the chemical properties of prussic
acid . It had a peculiar smell , whether in its strongest state as concentrated acid , or hi its weakest form . It affected the back of the throat in a peculiar manner . He had met it more frequently in a diluted form , when combined with water ; than in its concentrated state . He began his investigation with tho view of ascertaining the presence ef oxalic acid . When he tested the contents of the stomach he took various portions for the purpose of discovering the presence of various poisons . ( Th 6 witness then detailed his mode of testing it . ) He did not discover the smell ol prussic acid on first testing the contents of the stomach . The smell of beer was the most
predominant . When his experiments had failed to discover the other forms of poison , he directed alibis skill to discover the existence of prussic acid . On the second examination , on the 8 th of February , he took a great deal move care than on the previous examination . This was a test of quantity , not of quality . The quantity actually obtained was one gram and forty-three hundredths of a grain of prussic acid . One hundred and thirty-six grains of cyanitc of silver was equivalent to twenty-seven grains of hydrocyanic acid . The stomach of deceased contained some . undigested flesh , the apples he had already mentioned , and a pulpy mass , of which he could make nothing . He did not see the apple pips , but knowing that tnat tribe would yield prussic acid , he afterwards tested them . He was not aware that sweet almonds would vield prussic acid ; the bitter almonds certainly would . lie made an experiment , on two separate occasions , on different kinds ol
apples , and extracted a little prussic acid from both . The test was simpl y placing the pips in a retort with water , and distilling it . He then added to the distilled liquor a little sul phate of iron , and the contents of the other phial on the table was the result . He did not think it necessary to crush the pips ; the distillation was the only test . He thought that no substance contained pure prussic acid . Prussic acid was so extremely volatile , that if it existed in a free state it must be continually evajiorating , and it could not therefore exist unless combined with some other substances . Animal substances contained prussic acid . lie would not say that it was likely to be produced by a change in organic matter . As far as he was aware ofj he was himself the first discoverer of prussic acid in appkv pipg . He was not aware that if apple-pips were macerated , that they would yield more hydrocyanic acid .
Mr . Kellt quoted from " Taylor on Poisons , " to the effect that the odour of prussic acid was present when the poison itself was not existent . Did Mr . Cooper agree in that opinion ? Witness—I do not . By Mr . Baron Parke . —After all the experiments he had made , he had no doubt of the presence of prussic acid in the stomach . The absence of smell might be accounted for by its dilution , or by its odour being covered by that of other substances . It did not follow that the prussic acid should be iu the form of
salt . He had never stated that it was in the form of salt . In his opinion it eould not exist in the stomach as a cyanite of potassium , where another and more powerful acid , as muriatic acid , was present in the stomach in considerable quantities . He was not of opinion that prussic acid could be formed in the contents of the stomach by putrefaction . Joseph Cooper , jun ., was son of last witness , and had been his assistant for four years . He smelt the prussic acid in the course of these experiments at the time his father did .
Edward Weston Norblad , surgeon at Stroud , — -He bad practised for ten years . On Thursday , the 2 nd of January , he went with Mr . Champneys to Mrs . Hart's house . He saw the bod y of the deceased there . Ho had hoard the evidence of Mr . Champneys , and he would infer the existence of poison if death had suddenly followed the matter taken into the stomach . He would attribute the very sudden death of this person to one of two poisons—either prussic acid or oxalic acid . He was present at the two first examinations of the contents of the stomach . Mr . Cooper had correctly stated the tests he had applied , and he ( witness ) agreed with him in the inference he drew therefrom . Oxalic acid must have been detected if it contained that acid . He had no
doubt that prussic acid was in the stomach , and he attribntedtbe death of deceased to that cause . He had lward " ifiie account of the last witness of what took place in October , and tbe symptoms were such as would be on the whole of the animal creation . It destroys life in the same manner in all . He had himself tried experiments upon animals . He had seen goats , cats , and dogs poisoned . He had especially tried experiments upon dogs . He had . idministeredtotwodogs , some bom's after feeding them—to one of them beer containing half an ounce of Scheele ' s and to the other one drachm of prussic acid . He gave it them at seven in the evening , and the effect was , that in fifty seconds the dog which had received the smaller dose fell , and in ten minutes he died . The second died m half the time . He opened tho bodies
ot the dogs eighteen hours after death , the same period at which the deceased was opened , and he could ascertain no smell of prussic acid . On opening the stomachs of the dogs the prevalent smell was that of sour beer . The food was but half digested . He should have expected a smell of prussic acid in the case ot a person who had died in a quarter of an hour after its being administered * He attributed the absence of smell to the admixture wjth the stout . He had examined the body of Mrs . Hart , and he would on opening . the body have expected to find the cause of death , and if prussic acid had not existed in the stomach ho had no doubt he could have traced some other cause . The body was perfectly healthy He was much in the habit of opening bodies , and he was satisfied that less t ' tsn one grain ; would cause death .
Cross-examined b y Mr . KELLY .-He had never attended any one who had taken prussic acid When taken as a medicine , the ordinary quantity was , of Scheees , five minims , or drops . Prussic acid , he thought , might with advantage be used in varicose affections . He agreed with Dr . Thomson , of London , that , externall y applied , prussic acid might be found useful m cancerous diseaws . He had the sense of smell very acutely , and he could not detect the smell of the acid in the stomachs of the dogs . The dogs were kept in an outhouse after they were dead , and before they were opened . He tried these experime s ? dogs on the 18 th Feb . succeeding the death ot the deceased . Headache and vomiting frequently followed a disorder of-the stomach occasioned by something being taken into it . The quantityvomitcd bore no proportion to the quantity taken into the stomach . He had g iven medicinal doses of prussic acid to allay irritation of the stomach .
The Murder At Salt-Hill. Trial Of John T...
Mr . Kelly . —In the whole course of your experience did you ever find vomiting produced by prussic acid ?•—I have seen dogs affected to vomiting . Mr . Kelly . —I speak of the human being . Witness ( emphatically ) . —The stomach of the dog is exactly similar to that of the human being . Mr . Kelly . —You speak very dogmatically , but I would wish a plain answer to a direct question . Havo you , sir , in the course of your experience , seen vomiting from the stomach of a human being induced by prussic acid ?—No ; I have not . Henry Thomas , chemist , Bishopsgato-stroet . —Ho remembered Wednesday , the 1 st of January , perfectly well . He saw the prisoner on that day netween twelve and two , at his shop . He asked for two drachms of -Scheele ' s prussic acid . He brought a
half-ounce phial , labelled " Scheeles prussic acid . " He gave that bottle to put the prussic acid in . The phial had a glass stopper . Witness could not get the stopper out , and was in consequence obliged to give him a stopper of his own . He tliought the prisoner said , " lou need not put a label on ; " but the circumstance was so common that he did not pay any attention to it . He said he wanted to apply the acid externally to a varicose vein . ( The book in which the entry was marked wasproduccd . ) Witness saw the prisoner on tho following day , between the hours of ten aud twelve , and he asked for two drachms more . He said he had had a misfortune , he had broke the bottle . He had the same quantity as formerly in the bottle he had originally brought , lie had been fro
quently to the shop'before that time . » Cross-examined by Mr . Kelly . —If he covered the phial at all , it was with leather , and not with paper . He had no doubt that the prisoner was at that time affected , as he stated , witli varicose veins . He did not believe that Scheele ' s prussic acid could be taken into thestoniacb and yet not ascertained by the smell . He had mixed thirty drops of Scheele ' s with eleven ounces , or nearly a tumbler full , of porter , and the smell was slightly perceptible . The bottle does not contain the quantity of eleven ounces . It is the property of this acid wliile it is volatilising to give out
a smell . He was aware that apple-pips contained prussic acid . He saw fifteen small apples tested by distillation , and then with sulphuric acid and sulphate of iron . The quantity of prussic acid that resulted was one grain and one-fifth . Mr . — Sinythe , clerk to Barnett , Hoare , and Co ., examined . — -The . prisoner had been in the habit of banking with . them . On Wednesday , the 1 st of January , he came between two and three o ' clock , and drew a cheque for £ li . Paid him in gold . His account was overdrawn at that date . He believed the paper shown him to be his handwriting . ( The paper referred to was a prescription for varicose veins . )
Cross-examined . —There was not the slightest objection to his overdrawing his account . Mary Ann Moss was next examined . Sho was aware of the intimacy between the prisoner and the deceased . Knew that he visited her at regular periods—once in six weeks , and that the prisoner was father of one ot * the children at Slough . Sarah Batcman knew the deceased before she went into the prisoner ' s service ; when engaged by the prisoner it was to nurse the first Mrs . Tawell , who shortly after died . In April , 1839 , knew that the deceased was in the family way by the prisoner . Grace Hadler . —The deceased was my daughter . I saw her last when she was living at Mr . Tawell ' s , in Bridge-street , in the Borough . I never saw her or heard of her afterwards until after her death .
Mr . Cooper recalled . —I tested the contents of the f ilial found ifi the cupboard in the deceased ' s parlour , t contained some liniment . Not a particle of prussic acid was in it . This being the close of the case for the prosecution , the Court adjourned at halt-past one o ' clock , for a few minutes , for refreshment . Mr . Fitzrot Kelly proceeded to address the jury on behalf of the prisoner . He should perhaps have contented himself with a brief narrative of the facts of the case but he could not forget that the circumstances connected with this ease had , no doubt , come before them through the usual channels of public information , and he therefore felt it his duty to advert to another matter . It was stated that the unfortunate
prisoner at the bar had many years ago been sent from his country for the commission of a certain act of which he was found guilty by a jury of his fellow men : but it was likewise known that he had cleared his character ) and ra-cataWished himself as an honest Christian and charitable man . It must first , in order to convict the prisoner , be proved that the woman died in consequence of taking a dose of poison —that , in point of fact , prussic acid was administered to her by Mr . Tawell . These facts had not been proved ; thc cvidencewithregard to them was perfectly illusory . If they believed that the woman died of poison , it was necessary for the purposes of the prosecution to prove beyond the smallest doubt that the poison was administered to her by the prisoner . The jury must
be made aware of that fact by certain and irresistible evidence before they could convict . With regard to poisoning by prussic acid , there were only eight or nine and thirty cases on record , and only two of those were found to be committed by design , the others were all accidental . Little , therefore , had been the experience of medical men in questions of this nature , and not one single person had been brought forward who could speak practically of the appearance of a body when under- the influence of prussic acid . The opinions given by the medical men were framed upon what they had read in certain books , which were merely the opinions of-the persons who wrote the books , and which could be no evidence at all . They were bound to prove , in
the first instance , that one grain of prussic acid was sufficient to destroy life , and that one grain was found in the woman ' s body ; and they had no such proof before them founded on practical experience . Mr . Champneys , who it could not be denied was the principal witness , when asked respecting the result of liis own experiment , said that when he put the true quantity ol * prussic acid into the true quantity of porter "he could scarcely perceive the smell" until the froth had gone away . Now , if Mr . Champneys had written the result of that experiment in a book ill the terms in which he gave it in evidence , and that his opinion was brought forward in a similar case to the present in a year to come , would it form evidence upon which to convict ?
So little did the medical men know otthe appearance caused by prussic acid , with which they state the woman was poisoned , that they tested the stomach for oxalic and other acids , and because they could not satisfy themselves with their experiments , they at once jumped to the conclusion that the woman was poisoned With prussic acid ; but their judgment was founded upon a mere theory , which could not be admitted . , Mi ' . Baron Parke suggested to Mr . Kelly that he made a mistake in asserting that in eases of death from natural causes Mr . Champneys had said there was an odour of prussic acid observable . Mr . Kelly begged pardon if he was wrong in making the Quotation from Mr . Champneys , but thev
had it from other sources that such was nevertheless the fact . But Mr . Champneys quoted another case . He ( Mr . Kelly ) asked him was it the case of the boy , and Mr . Champneys thought there were two more cases . That was another inaccuracy . . There was only that one case quoted by Taylor , where the body was examined thirty hours after death , the boy having taken Si grains of the prussic acid . But this very case , as quoted by Taylor , was not correct itself " , for it was to be found in Christicon , who , very probably , took it from the original report , and there he states that there was no odour perceptible in the body or blood , " although it was strong in the stomach . " Thus they saw the awful degree of danger they ran in taking the evidence of books ,
or of witnesses whoso evidence was founded only on cases recorded in books . They had Mr . Champneys himself first wrong in making two cases out of one , and they had next tho very case he had so duplicated reported , or at least quoted wrongfully by Taylor . Mr . Kelly then went on to the consideration of the facta regarding the actual death of the deceased . It had been proved that prussic acid was found in her stomach after death ; how much would be another question . Whence it came and how produced they would also have to consider . These were questions he would come to presently . But the smell was acknowledged on all hands to exist where prussic acid existed in a free state . It was alleged on the part ol the Grown that the woman had swallowed down a
quantity of prussic acid in its free state , and yet there was no odour at the mouth , in the blood , or in the stomach . Ho ( Mr . Kelly ) said it boldly—no man dare to take away tho life of his fellow-man on such evidence as this . j tBut prussic acid had been found in the stomach of the deceased woman . He would show that she had at the time of death in her stomach substances containing or capable of yielding an actually greater quantity of prussic acid ' than had been produced by Mr . Cooper from the contents of the stomach . He would show that she had eaten a quantity ' of apples , and most probably pips and all ; from which it would have been easy to obtain as much prussic acid as had been found . They had heard the witness who told them of the deceased having
received a b : iskc-t of apples anout Christmas , the entire , or nearly , the entire of whicli were consumed by her by the beginning of the year . Now , it was known that , with the exception of almonds , there was no substance from which prussic acid could be so readily obtained as pips of apples . Air . Thomas , the chemist ' s assistant , who had undertaken to experiment upon pips of apples , did not wish to trust to his own limited experience , and he therefore went to the London Hospital , and - there , under the able directions of Mr . Lievesley , the lecturer he obtained from the pips of fifteen apples , not an
inappreciable quantity , " asMr . Cooper called the result of his very incomplete and loose experiments , but no less than two-thirds of a grain ol pure acid ; more , actually a greater quantity of prussic acid , than Mr . Cooper had extracted from the whole contents of the deceased woman ' s stomach . He contended , he would put it to the jury , that upon such evidence ho would be entitled to their verdict ; but in a case where it was only necessary to raise a doubt , he would say he had shown the case most eminently doubtful . He contendedtherewasnoproofatallaaduccdtnatthewoman had died from the effects of prussic acid . Mr . Kelly next addressed himself to the evidence regarding the
The Murder At Salt-Hill. Trial Of John T...
stifled screams heard by Mrs . Ashley in the adjoining house , and asked where the surgeon had tound the proofs that stifled screaming was an evidence ot death by prussic acid . A succession of stifled screams was the description g iven by Mrs . Ashley of toe noise she heard . New where , he would ask , did Mr . Champneys learn that death from prussic acid was accompanied by a siiccrssion of stilled wreaming ? ' 1 he description give n in the books was , that death approached by paralysis and gasping , and finished with one convulsive scream ; but where did Mr . Champneys hear of a succession ofstifled screams t He should next observe upon a portion of the evidence , which he confessed he remarked with pain , and that was the evidence of Mr . Obanipneys with
regard to the state of the lungs . He did not give that portion of his evidence as he should . He fenced with the question as to their congestion . Having commented upon that portion of the evidence and drawn , a comparison between Mr . Champneys and the other medical witnesses , the learned counsel said it might be asked if the deceased woman did not die from the effects of prussic acid , of what did she die ? He submitted he was not bound to answer that question . That was an investigation that did not belong to him . They had heard one of the female witnesses who had told them that she poured a little water down tho deceased ' s throat , and foam immediately appeared at the corner , and she fancied or feared that she would be suffocated if the application were
repeated . J \ ow , what wm there to show she had not been actually suffocated by that very draught of water ? ( Here there was a murmur niingleu with laughter , through the court . ) Mr . Kelly paused a little , and when it had subsided he proceeded—It should be observed that the surgeons had not examined the bronchial tubes . There was , therefore , no evidence that she did not die of suffocation ; and although it might be objected that such a mode of death would be a very remarkable coineiden ' ee , yet they had frequent opportunities of observing the occurrence of most extraordinary coincidences . He would mention a very curious and remarkable coincidence which recently occurred in the case of a gentleman of his own profession , one well known to
the members of the legal profession—he meant the late Mi * . Serjeant Andrews . In that unfortunate gentleman ' s case , in a moment of delirium , he had made an attempt upon his life , aud had cut his own throat . Assistance was at hand , and in good time . The wound was sewn up and dressed , and the unfortunate gentleman was in a fair way of recovery , when he was found dead in his bed , the bandages torn oftmost probably in the death struggle—and tbe wound re-opened . But the flow oi * blood from it was not sufficient to produce death , and on further examination it was discovered that a blood-vessel had buret ,
and from the bursting of that blood-vessel he had died . Now , had not that case been thoroughly investigated , the most natural and obvious supposition would have been that he had died from having wilfully torn off the bandages from his throat . Yet , investigation had established the contrary . Hero was an extraordinary coincidence . The learned counsel then read a letter from the prisoner ' s wife to him , which was written in most affectionate terms . It was dated on the 1 st of January , the day on which the murder was committed . It was , proceeded Mr . Kell y , impossible that a man could receive such a " letter and bo a bad man . He went down to see the
unfortunate woman on the Wednesday . He saw her and remained with her an hour or two . Some porter was sent for , and then it was alleged that he tried to poison her . The woman in the house said she heard high words , and that she thought they were about money matters , and that be soon afterwards left the house . What was more natural than that after quarrelling he should leave the house and her annoyance or passion at Ills not perhaps yielding to her fishes might have caused a tit , and that fit have caused her death . He did not mean to say that this was the case ; the matter was a mystery , but it was not an unlikely state of things He did not call upon them , notwithstanding the evidence of the policeman as to what the prisoner
told him , to say that the woman poisoned herself , nor did he believe that she died of poison at all , Wifh regard to the prisoner ' s being seen running on the night of the death , and to his going to see lierschell ' s telescope , because he had time to do so before the train left , they were matters of little consequence . The night was a cold' one , wild he might run to warm himself ; and curiosity might induce him to go to sec the telescope . Well , he went to town , and called at various places . He was closely followed , and taken into custody at the Jerusalem Coffee-house . When charged with the crime it was said he denied it . lie might have done so it was true , and he certainly could not be excused for denying that he had been < it Slough ; but was it not natural for a man who was so circumstanced with a woman as he was with Mrs . Hart to deny any knowledge of her , fearing that tho
circumstance might reach the cars of his affectionate wife , and perhaps break her heart % In common charity they ought to take these feelings and circumstances into consideration . With respect to his purchasing the two phials of prussic acid , he contended that that was no evidence whatever of guilt . Was it likely that a man of common sense as he was , would go to a shop and purchase a" certain quantity of prussic acid , and administer it to a fcllow-GTCatUl'C , and then after violating the laws of his country , and rendering himself liable to the highest penalty they could inflict , go to the same shop , the next day , for the purpose of buying a similar quantity of tho poison . Seeing how tbe case was surrounded with difficulties , that the evidence was not direct , and could not , thureforev . be satisfactory , he trusted that the jury would pot break that "beautiful and blessed principle of the English law , which gave to those accused of crime the benefit of any doubt which might exist as to their guilt , and that a verdict would be recorded in tile prisoner ' s
favour . Mr . Henry Lane , churchwarden of Beridian-pstead ; Mr . Joseph Gomni , master builder , Bcrkh'impstead ; Mr . Tomkins , coal-merchant , Bcrkhampstead ; Mr . Joseph Baldwin , of the same place ; Mr . II . Castle , timber-merchant , Millbank , London ; Mr . John Richards , of Dover ; Mr . Abel Salter Trew , who had known the prisoner in Sydney ; the Chevalier Dillon , and Mr . John Gower , gave evidence in favour oftlloeXCOllontchaL'aetGl'in general borne b y the prisoner , and to his especially kind and benevolent disposition . At the conclusion of the evidence to character , the Court adjourned to eight o ' clock oh Fridav ' morning .
2to6s 15, 1845. The Northern Star. - ' '...
2 to 6 s 15 , 1845 . THE NORTHERN STAR . - ' ' v "> ¦
/Otttxomiws; #Totmffs;
/ otttxomiws ; # totmffs ;
Westminster.—Clock-House.—The Members Of...
Westminster . —Clock-House . —The members of . the above ' named locality are requested to attend on Sunday next , March 16 th , at eight o'clock . AsniON-UNi ) ER-LvNE . —A concert and ball will be held in the Association-room , on Good Friday , March 21 st . The amusements to commence at six o ' clock ; refreshments to be served round at intervals in the courae of the evening . Bradford . —On Sunday th « members of the General Council will meet in their room , Butterwortk ' s-buildiugs , at two o clock in the afternoon . Turkaoais-Lasb . —On Tuesday next the members of the City locality will meet at the ball , Turnagainlane , on business of importance connected with' the approaching Conference , and to elect a General Council for this localitv .
Birmingham . —A lecture will lie delivered at the Democratic Chapel , Thorp-street , ou Sunday , at half-past six in the evening . Maxcuesteh . —Cakpestehs' Hall . —A lecture will be delivered in this Hall on Sunday next bv Mr . Tattersall , who has just completed his education by two years ' close application and study in . her Majesty ' s College at Lancaster ; chair to be " taken at half-past six o ' clock . Dkwsbui-y . —The next Dewsbury district meeting will be holden on Sunday , the 16 th inst ., at two o ' clock in the afternoon . OnuiAM . — On Sunday ( to-mo « w ) ' Mr . J . Kay Taylor will deliver his fourth and last lecture on the " Life , Writings , and Genius of Robert Burns , " in the Chartist-room , Greaves-street , at six o ' clock in the evening .
Nottingham . —The Operative Hall Building Committee will meet on Sunday afternoon next , at five o ' clock , at the * White Swan .. New Radford . Mr . Doyle will lecture at the following places during the next fortnight : —Sheffield , Monday and Tuesday , the 17 th and 18 th inst . ; Barnsley , Wednesday , 19 th ; Littletown , Thursday , 20 th : Cleekheaton , Friday , 21 st ; Bradford , Sunday and Monday , 23 rd and 24 th ; Wakefield , Tuesday , 25 th ; Birstall , Wednesday , 26 th ; and Dewsbury , Thursday , the 27 th inst . Haufax . —Mi * . Doyle will lecture in the Working Man ' s Hall , on Sunday ( to-morrow ) evening , at six o ' clock . _ The Chartists of this locility are requested to meet in their room on Sunday , at ' two o ' clock in the afternoon , on business ofiniiMirtutU'e .
busoERLAxo , — Tho members of the National Charter Association resident in this district , will meet on Sunday afternoon next , .-it half-past twoo ' clock , at the Royal Oak , High-streot . Liverpool . —A public discussion will be held in the Temperance-hall , Rose-place , on Monday next at halt-past seven o ' clock . Question— " Wilfther prmcW pies of Robert Owen erthe principles of TeetotaW confer the greatest blessings on the working classes ?" SnEFFiKiD .-MivO . Doyle will deliver two lectures , m the . lami room , Figtrec-lane , on- Monday and Tuesday . Subject tor Monday , » Labour ' s Wrotw and Labou ' rsRemedy ? for Tb ^ . ^ SSSSJS ' Unions versus Consolidated T / adesV . UiS 25 upon just principles . " " « wns , oasea
Rochdale -The Ke * . V . Jackson wiU preach two sermons m the Assembly-room Toad-W Iff a t'S &^ % ^ t ^ ^ £ az , ^&&& Barnsley . --A Chartist Tea-Party and Ball will ^! i "i tae 0 dd Fellows' Hall , Barnsley , on tastev Tuesday , for the benefit of the Exeeuttre ,
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), March 15, 1845, page 5, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_15031845/page/5/
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