Trial for murder by poisoning with arsenic, Berkshire Lent Assizes, 1845 : Post-mortem appearences; chemical analysis; detection of the poison as sulphuret, twenty-eight days after interment / by Alfred S. Taylor.

  • Taylor, Alfred Swaine, 1806-1880.
Date:
1854
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Trial for murder by poisoning with arsenic, Berkshire Lent Assizes, 1845 : Post-mortem appearences; chemical analysis; detection of the poison as sulphuret, twenty-eight days after interment / by Alfred S. Taylor. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    and after the result of the analysis in the second case, the Coroner issued his order for the disinterment of the body of Eleazar. This accordingly took place on the 24th January 1845, i.e. twenty-eight days after interment. The prisoner was present in the churchyard, and identified the body ; and on some remark being made that there was a suspicion that the children had been poisoned, he said there was no more poison in them (i.e. the two children), than there was in him. The stomach and intestines of the child, unopened, were placed in a clean bottle by Mr. Lamb, and brought to London. They were examined by himself and me, at Guy’s Hospital, on the 25th January, and the result of the examina- tion will be found in our evidence. This evidence is so fully given in the brief for the prosecution, that it is unnecessary to make any addition or alteration in it. Arthur Lamb, is a surgeon, and resides at Newbury, Berks. On Monday, the 6th day of January, he was at the prisoner’s house. The prisoner stated to him, in the presence of another witness, that he had had no arsenic in his house for two years, but that he had some in a cottage in the wood, and he had not used any since March last. That he (witness) re- ceived an order to make a post-mortem examination of the body of Eleazar Jennings, and an analysis of the contents of the stomach, and attended at the parish church at Thatcham, on the 24th January last, for that purpose. The body of Eleazar Jennings was disinterred that morning, in the pre- sence of the constable of Thatcham. It was stated on the coffin that the child was three years and eight months old. Witness found that decomposition had but slightly taken place in the body ; that the stomach and intestines were dis- tended with gas, and externally exhibited marks of inflamma- tion. He removed the stomach and intestines entire, having placed a ligature on the cardiac orifice of the stomach and on the rectum, in order to prevent the contents from escaping. He took them to London the next morning, the 25th January, and proceeded, with Mr. Taylor of Guy’s Hospital, to make a further examination of them, as well as an analysis of their contents. On making an examination of the stomach of the deceased, Eleazar Jennings, witness found that the internal c