Reports of Trials for Murder by Poisoning;: by Prussic Acid, Strychnia, Antimony, Arsenic, and Aconita. Including the trials of Tawell, W. Palmer, Dove, Madeline Smith, Dr. Pritchard, Smethurst, and Dr. Lamson, with chemical introduction and notes on the poisons usedBrowne, G. Lathom (George Lathom)
Science
Reports of Trials for Murder by Poisoning;: by Prussic Acid, Strychnia, Antimony, Arsenic, and Aconita. Including the trials of Tawell, W. Palmer, Dove, Madeline Smith, Dr. Pritchard, Smethurst, and Dr. Lamson, with chemical introduction and notes on the poisons used
Browne, G. Lathom (George Lathom)
Medical jurisprudence -- Great Britain; Poisons; Trials (Murder) -- Great Britain; Trials (Poisoning) -- Great Britain
“The few drops of liquid which were in the phial before mentioned
were now examined: they had no action on litmus paper, they smelt of
camphor and acetate of ammonia. The test for prussic acid was applied,
but it did not show the smallest quantity. The phial was then washed
out, and the distilled liquid, with the precipitated Prussian blue
obtained by the two above-detailed processes was put into it. It was
corked up and taken by Messrs. Norblad and Champneys to keep in their
possession. I also added the same test to distilled water containing
a few drops of prussic acid, for the sake of comparison and to try
the test. This was also taken by Messrs. Norblad and Champneys, as
was also some distilled water with the same tests applied, to which
no prussic acid had been added, and which was colourless. As far as I
can recollect this completed the first day’s proceedings, it being now
nearly dark.
“On the evening of the following day (Saturday) Mr. Pickering came
to me to request I would on the Monday following examine, by the
coroner’s desire, the contents of the glass tumbler, the beer bottle,
and the remainder of the beer, to determine if prussic acid existed
in any of them. On Sunday the 6th, being engaged at Derby on the
Monday, Messrs. Norblad and Champneys came, bringing with them the
whole of the things they took away with them on the Friday. The beer,
the contents of the tumbler, and the remains of the plum bun we each
subjected separately to distillation in the salt-water bath, and to
the liquor obtained by distillation the same tests for detecting
prussic acid were added, but not a trace could be found.
“I may here observe that, on the intervening Saturday, I continued the
distillation of the larger portion before spoken of for the purpose of
obtaining more of the distilled liquid, and in fact to continue the
distillation until the whole of the prussic acid had been separated.
A part of the distilled liquor had its Prussian blue precipitated,
which was given to Messrs. Norblad and Champneys on the Sunday, and to
another part I added nitrate of silver for the purpose of separating
the hydrocyanic acid, or rather the cyanogen it contained. I kept
it safe from decomposition or change during my absence, and for the
purpose of further experiments on my return, and at my leisure.
“Accordingly, shortly after my return, I put the cyanide of silver
obtained by the above process, together with some very dilute muriatic
acid, into a small retort, to which a receiver was attached. The
retort was placed over a lamp in order to be heated, and the receiver
was surrounded by cold water. The distillation proceeded until about a
drachm and a half had distilled over. _This liquor possessed the odour
of prussic acid_, distinctly recognised by myself, and also by two of
my sons.
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