Blandy, Mary, 1720-1752 -- Trials, litigation, etc.; Trials (Murder) -- Great Britain; Trials (Poisoning) -- Great Britain
powder that was given him by Norton, he made some experiments with it
the next day, and some part of it he gave to Mr. King, an experienced
chemist in Reading, who, upon trial, found it to be arsenic, as he
told him; that he twice had powder from Norton, and that what he had
the second time he kept entirely in his own custody and made
experiments with it a month afterwards; that he never was out of the
room while those experiments were making, and he observed them to
tally exactly with other arsenic which he tried at the same time. I
need not mis-spend your time in repeating the several experiments
which the doctor has told you he made of it; he has been very minute
and particular in his account of them, and, upon the whole, concludes
the same to have been arsenic.
Dr. Lewis, the other physician, who has likewise been sworn, stood by
all the while, and confirms Dr. Addington's evidence, tells you he
observed the same symptoms, and gives it absolutely as his opinion
that Mr. Blandy died by poison, of which he has not the least doubt.
The next witness that is called on the part of the Crown is Benjamin
Norton, who is an apothecary at Henley. He tells you he was sent for
to Mrs. Mounteney's, in Henley, on Thursday morning, the 8th of
August; that there was a pan brought thither by Susan Gunnel, Mr.
Blandy's maidservant, with some water gruel in it; that he was asked
what that powder was in the bottom of the pan, to which he replied
that it was impossible to say whilst it was wet in the gruel, but that
he would take it out; that accordingly he did take it out and laid it
upon paper, and gave it to Mrs. Mounteney to keep, which she did till
the Sunday following, when it was delivered to him, and he showed it
to Dr. Addington, to whom he gave some of it twice, and, by the
experiment made upon it with a hot poker, he apprehended it to be of
the arsenic kind; that the powder he gave Dr. Addington was the same
that he received from Mrs. Mounteney; that he has some of it still by
him, which, he now produces in Court. He tells you that he was sent
for to Mr. Blandy on Tuesday, the 6th of August; that he was very ill,
as he imagined, of colic, and complained of a violent pain in his
stomach, attended with reaching and purging and swelling of the
bowels; that he took physic on Wednesday morning, from which he found
himself better; that on Thursday he went there in the morning, but did
not then see him, but went again about twelve o'clock, and then saw
him; he desired to have more physic, which he sent him to take on the
Friday morning; that he has been used to attend Mr. Blandy, but that
he never saw him thus out of order; that the last illness that he had
had was thirteen months before. He tells you that he has heard the
prisoner say that she had heard music in the house, which portended
something, and that Cranstoun had seen her father's apparition, and
this was some months before her father's death; he says that he cannot
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account