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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    favour of yesterday’s date, I am exceedingly sorry to say dear Bella has passed a wretched bad night—passed 15 motions in the 24 hours, and of a very bad description ; there is now much blood in the stools, and besides which there is an entire loss of appetite, consequently I have great dread for the result. She read your kind letter, and agrees with me that it would be better that you should be near to us; so that if you will run down as early as convenient, you can then take a room or rooms near at hand. It wdll indeed be a source of comfort to me to have you with us. I much regret there is no accommodation in this house for you, as we occupy all there is to let, and have not I’oom enough for ourselves. Dearest Bella sends her kindest love, aud with every good wish, believe me, yours fciithfully, T. Smethurst. P.S. There was no wish on my part to prevent you calling, beyond the consideration for the critical state of dearest dlella, in which her medical attendants perfectly united. She has never rallied once since seeing you, and that alone was the reason for keeping her quiet. T. S.”) On the receipt of that letter I did not go down until the Sunday, the following morning—I got down between 2 and 3 o’clock—I saw the prisoner —nothing was said to me about my sister’s having made a will that morning —he did not take me up to see her at once—he said 'she was very ill—1 had been to church, and came down after the morning service—I went up a few minutes after I got in—I found her in a very bad state indeed—she recog- nised me—she held out her hand-—she could not speak—I only remained in the bedroom a few minutes—not alone. Dr. Smethurst was there—I then went down stairs—he asked me to come down—I did not go up again for some time after—he did not remain with me while I was down stairs—he went up stairs, leaving me downstairs—he gave no reason for that—he said she was too ill to bear me in the room—I had brought down some soup with me in a jelly, that was when I went up the first time—I gave it to the prisoner—he took two teaspoonfuls from it, put some warm water to it, and took it outside the room to cool it—he said he took it out of the I’oom to cool—he was out of the room with it a minute or two—I could not see him when he was out of the room ; I could hear him stirring it round—-when he brouglit it back he gave it to my sister, and she brought it up immediately —I only saw my sister once afterwards that day—I remained with her a very short time indeed the second time ; I left her because she was so ill the Doctor said I had better not remain in the room—he took me down stairs, and then he returned to the room—1 don’t think she took any arrowroot in my presence—nothing else was given in my presence that I remember—I recollect writing some letters there, which I wanted to have posted—I told the pi'isoner I wanted them posted, and he said I must take them, as he could not send any one out with them -I took them, and returned again—during the day he called my attention to the effect of Dr Todd’s pills ; he said that they had made my sister much worse ; he described the effect as a burning sensation all over the body—about 11 o’clock I proposed to Dr. Smethurst that I should remain all night with my sister; he said he would rather not; he would wait on her himself—I had taken a room at a cottage near, and an arrangement was made that I should attend at half-past 9 the following morning—the reason he gave for my not coming earlier was, that he should wish to prepare the room before I came—I came at that time on the Monday morning—when I got there, the prisoner came down stairs to meet me ; and while I was there Dr. Julius came in—a convensation took place be- tween the prisoner and Dr. Julius about some fresh medicine—Dr. Smethurst wisiied to tty something else—he wished me to go and fetch it—that was