Blandy, Mary, 1720-1752 -- Trials, litigation, etc.; Trials (Murder) -- Great Britain; Trials (Poisoning) -- Great Britain
The next witness is Mr. Littleton, who had been clerk to the deceased
about two years, and tells you he came home from his father's, in
Warwickshire, upon the 9th of August last; that the next morning the
prisoner, her father, and himself were at breakfast together; that
they stayed for the deceased some time; that when he came he appeared
to be ill and in great agony; that he had always a particular cup to
himself; that he tasted his tea and did not like it, but said it had a
gritty, bad taste, and asked the prisoner if she had not put too much
of the black stuff in it (meaning Bohea tea). The prisoner said it was
as usual. He then tasted it again and said it had a bad taste, and
looked very particularly at her. She seemed in a flurry, and walked
out of the room. The deceased then poured the tea into the oat's basin
and went away. Soon after the prisoner came into the room again, when
he told her that he thought the deceased was very ill, for that he
could not eat his breakfast; on which she asked what he had done with
it, and, upon his acquainting her that it was poured into the cat's
basin, she seemed a good deal confused; that the next day, being
Sunday, Mr. Blandy, of Kingston, came to their house, and went to
church along with him; that after they returned from church the
prisoner desired this witness to walk with her and Mr. Blandy in the
garden, when she put a letter into his hand and bid him direct it as
usual, which he understood to be to Mr. Cranstoun (having been used to
direct others before), to seal it, and put it in the post. He tells
you he had then heard so much that he opened the letter, transcribed
it, carried it to Mr. Norton, and read it to the deceased, who only
said, "Poor, love-sick girl! what won't a girl do for a man she
loves?" This letter he has now looked at, tells you that it is written
worse than usual, therefore he cannot swear whether it is her hand or
no, but he can swear it is the same she gave him. The letter itself
has been read to you, and I will make no remarks upon it. He tells you
that after Mr. Cranstoun was gone from Henley, in August 1750, he has
often heard the prisoner say that she heard music, which portended
death in the family, and sometimes thought it might be herself,
sometimes her father, because he was so much broken; that he has heard
her say death would happen before October; that he has often heard her
curse her father, damn him for a rogue and a toothless old dog, within
two months of his death and a great while before; that he has told her
himself that he thought Mr. Blandy seemed broken, upon which she said
she thought so too, and that the music portended his death.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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