The Mysteries of London, v. 2/4Reynolds, George W. M. (George William MacArthur)
General
The Mysteries of London, v. 2/4
Reynolds, George W. M. (George William MacArthur)
London (England) -- Fiction; Penny dreadfuls
Henry Massey deposed: "I am a surgeon, and reside in Great Coram Street.
One evening, early in February, a young female came to my shop and
purchased two ounces of laudanum. She brought no phial with her. I gave
it to her in a phial of my own, which I labelled _Poison_. On the
following evening I was summoned to the house of the Rev. Mr. Tracy. I
was introduced into the kitchen, where I found the deceased lying back
in her chair quite dead. A young female was there; and I recognised her
to be the one who had purchased the poison at my shop. She is the
prisoner at the bar. From this circumstance and others which transpired,
I suspected her to have poisoned the deceased; and I had her given into
custody. The Rev. Mr. Tracy was in the kitchen when I arrived. He was
doing all he could to recover the deceased. He was deeply affected. On
the following day I examined the deceased, and found that she had died
by poison. That poison was laudanum. I discovered so large a quantity in
her, by the usual tests, that she must have experienced a deep lethargy
almost immediately after taking the poison, and could not have lived
many minutes. I cannot say that she did not take it voluntarily, and
with the object of committing suicide. There was nothing upon the table
near her—no cup, glass, nor any drinking vessel. The phial produced is
the one in which I sold the poison."
Thomas Parker deposed: "I am footman to the Rev. Mr. Tracy. On the
morning of the day when the housekeeper was poisoned, I overheard a
conversation between her and Katherine Wilmot. The deceased informed
Katherine that she must leave the house, but would not assign any
reason. The deceased, however, said that she would provide for Katherine
at a sister's in the country. Katherine objected to leave London,
because her relations live here. I thought Mrs. Kenrick was jealous of
Katherine, and wished to get rid of her. I mean that deceased thought
that Katherine would perhaps be entrusted to fulfil some of her duties
as housekeeper. I came out of the pantry, where I was cleaning the
plate, and observed that I supposed Mrs. Kenrick was jealous of
Katherine. The housekeeper cut the matter short by saying that Katherine
should leave. Katherine was very miserable all day afterwards. In the
evening my master sent me with a letter to a gentleman at Holloway. When
I came back, I found the housekeeper dead. The first witness was there,
in the kitchen. So were my master, Katherine, and the groom. I alluded
to the conversation which had taken place between the deceased and the
prisoner in the morning. The surgeon mentioned about Katherine having
bought the laudanum at his house. Katherine seemed very much confused.
She was then given into custody."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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