Central Criminal Court : the Queen against Thomas Smethurst, Monday, August 15th, 1859, and following days : minutes of evidence / printed from the short-hand notes of Messrs. Barnett and Buckler.

Date:
1859
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Central Criminal Court : the Queen against Thomas Smethurst, Monday, August 15th, 1859, and following days : minutes of evidence / printed from the short-hand notes of Messrs. Barnett and Buckler. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    called to see your sister), and tliat you breathe not a word of the contents of this note to any one. She further wishes me to add that she cannot ask you to remain, but simply solicits seeing you for the present. Rail from Waterloo station about eveiy half-hour ; and Richmond busses from the White-horse Cellar, Piccadilly, about as often. I I’emain, dear Miss Rankes, yours faithfully, T. Smethurst.”) Q. I believe in consequence of that letter you went at once to Richmond? A. Yes, I did—I arrived there somewhere about 2 or 3 o’clock on the 19th—I saw the prisoner, and was taken up by him into the deceased’s bedroom—when she saw me she said she was very ill, and she af)peared rather agitated—she said to me if I would be quiet it would be all right—I had not said anything to her—she referred to the prisoner, and said it would be all right, and he said yes, it would—I remained there some hours—I did not remain in the bedroom the whole of that time—I was not with her for any time alone—whilst I was in the bedroom Dr. Sraetbui’st remained there. Court. Q. Were you with her at all alone 1 A. h. minute or two ; not more. Mr. Serjeant Ballantine. Q. I believe yon have a relation, a gentle- man of the name of Lane, a surgeon at St. George’s hospital ? A. St. Mary’s hospital—in the presence of the pi’isoner I proposed Mr. Lane seeing her; she said she would rather not; and he said he thought it would be better not—I don’t remember who said first they would rather not, he or my sister—something passed between us about money matters—he said he thought she had not had so much as she ought to have received from the dividends; those were the dividends under Mr. Bankes’s will—he died last October—I had received my dividend last April. Court. Q. Do you know what time in October he died? A. About 17th, I think. Mr. Sehjeant Ballantine. Q. And the dividends were payable at the beginning of April. A. Yes—1 said that I had received the same amount that she had, and it was perfectly correct; it was 111. 5s.—whilst I was there I noticed some tapioca in a cup ; my sister said it had a nasty taste— she said she should like me to make some ; I was willing to do so ; 1 offered to make it, but the prisoner said the milk had not come—I afterwards pro- posed to make some blanc-mange for her—I did not make it ; the prisoner said he would rather not, it would interfere with the landlady—during the day I saw the prisoner give her some soda-water and a saline draught—it was a white mixture—I did not see it mixed ; it was mixed outside the room —the prisoner said the saline draught was to check sickness—he went out- side the room, and came back in a minute or so, and then the draught was mixed, and he gave it her—she was sick immediately—he gave her some milk—he gave her that after the draught—it came from some part of the room, I don’t know where—after that she was very sick—I left somewhere about 6 o’clock—before going, my sister wished very much to see me again —that was in the presence of the prisoner—her excitement when I first came I thought had quite gone off, and I promised that I would see her again—I said I would come in the course of the next week—I received a letter from the prisoner, dated 21st April—I think I had written on the 20th Api'il myself—this is the letter that 1 wrote {Read: 10, Lauark- villas, Wednesday. I have thought so very much of you, my own dearest Bell, that 1 cannot allow the day to pass without sending you a few lines. It was such a relief to see you, dear, and I felt so thankful to leave you 3 T