Cook, John Parsons, -1855; Palmer, William, 1824-1856 -- Trials, litigation, etc.; Trials (Murder) -- England -- London
CAROLINE HICKSON, examined by Mr. JAMES--In October, 1848, I was nurse
and lady’s maid in the family of Mrs. Serjeantson Smith, at Romsey, in
Hampshire. On the 30th of that month Mrs. Smith was unwell, and some
medicine was sent to her in the afternoon, about six o’clock, by a Mr.
Jones, a druggist in Romsey. Shortly after seven o’clock next morning I
saw her take about half a wineglass of the medicine. About five or ten
minutes afterwards I was summoned to her bedroom, and on entering I saw
her leaning upon a chair, and I thought she had fainted. She appeared to
suffer from what I thought spasms. I went out and sent for Mr. Taylor,
surgeon, and on returning to the bedroom I found some of the other
servants assisting to support Mrs. Smith. She was then lying on the
floor and screaming very much, very loudly, but did not open her teeth.
She asked me to have her legs pulled straight, and I found them drawn up
very much. She still screamed as if in great agony, and requested some
water to be thrown over her, which I did. Her feet were turned inwards.
I put a hot-water bottle to them, but this had no effect. Shortly before
she died she said she felt easier, and her last words were, “Turn me
over.” I did so. A few minutes after this she died. She was conscious,
and knew me during the whole time. From the time she took the medicine
until she died would be about an hour and a quarter.
Cross-examined by Mr. GROVE--From the time I first saw her in the spasms
she could not sit up at all. It was a continuous, recurring fit, and
lasted about an hour. She only seemed easy for a very short time before
her death. Her teeth were clenched during the whole time.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: F. Taylor]
Mr. FRANCIS TAYLOR, examined by Mr. WELSBY--I am a surgeon at Romsey. I
was summoned one morning to the house of Mrs. Serjeantson Smith. I
arrived between eight and nine o’clock, shortly after she died. I saw
the body then. The hands were clenched; the feet were contracted, turned
inwards; and the soles of the feet were hollowed up. This appeared to
have been from recent spasmodic action. The limbs were remarkably stiff.
The body was still warm. The eyelids were totally adherent, almost to
the eyeballs. I made a post-mortem examination three days after death.
The contraction of the feet continued, but it was gone off somewhat from
the rest of the body. No trace of disease was found. The heart was
contracted and perfectly empty, and the blood was fluid. I analysed the
medicine Mrs. Smith had taken. It originally contained nine grains of
strychnia, and Mrs. Smith had taken one-third. As the truth was so
apparent, only a very general examination of the stomach and bowels was
made, but still sufficient to find traces of strychnia.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: Jane Witham]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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