EXTRAORDINARY CHARGE OF CONSPIRACY TO MURDER.

Evening Star, Issue 4165, 3 July 1876, Page 4

EXTRAORDINARY CHARGE OF CONSPIRACY TO MURDER.

The investigation of- a very remarkable charge of conspiracy to murder was commenced'at Bow street * Police Court on the 21st March, the Treasury having undertaken the prosecution. The aecused persons me a medical student, twenty-four years of a»e, named William Kimpton Vance, and a married woman, thirty years of a<re, named Helen Suee. A letter signed with Vance's initials, and subsequently proved to be in his handwriting, was opened at tie Dead Letter Cilice, in consequence of its not;fl#avin<* been claimed at the Junction-road Post office, Kentish Town, to which it had been addressed. The letter contained what was practically an offer of a sufli cient quantity of* chloral to cause death, and vertai'H advice whieli, if lot lowed the writer said, would le-ul to the verdict of the coroner's jury ht;iri"' " death from misadventure." Vance was discovered and arrested, when he handed to the police a letter which he had received, and which had called forth his own note. >This letter, signed " M.Q." was a very remarkable one, and contained the following passages:

I make no questi n you could be of senile to me. question is,, will y.ni? The solatium I offer is LICK); the conditions are these :—T am ti ed of my life. I coul Ido a treat deal_ of good to a person I am interest d in by 1 aviror the wo hi just now, and, one way or the other, lam resolved to do so, but, if i oss'b!e, I should prefer not to wound th feelings of the persons who will gain most by my death bv allowing it t be sup. -osed volun tary I esid s most merciful verdict of a c 10 er's jury wou d be s tticient to invalidate my will Now, although 1 have ome acquaintance with medicine and ch-.mstry I know of no dm orcomb nation oi drugs which w.>uld do this f >r me without ri.sk of discovery. It is possible you may. It is not a solute!y essenti 1 that the sup osed means sou d Ire painle-s, or even very <i<ii k n their results. If some artery could be hurt with any' plausib o api earance of accident, a si fcmce summoned 'oo late, "o,lam willing to allow time for ex er ments, and have no objection to a per s nal interview. I will give any assurance of bond fides that may be thought necessary.

The prisoner Snee admitted when arrested that she had put the following advertisement in the 'Daily Telegraph':—

To medical men in need of money, o- to students well up in chemistry and ana omy A gentleman engaged n an inte esting experiment u willing to give liberal remuneration for professional assistance.

The prisoner Vance, it appears, answered that advertisement., the letter given above was Mrs Sneo's reply to him, and the one that -was not claimed at the post-office was in answer to this reply of hers. The woman Snee told the police that she wanted the herself, and had no intention to murder anybody. The magistrates remanded both prisoners, offering' to take bail for Snee, but no sureties were forthcoming. On Friday last they were brought up again, and AJr Poland, who prosecuted on behalf of the /Treasury, said that on that da}' after the last hearing a gentleman in a brougham" called at a post-office at 142, Kei.uish.Town road, and asked for some I t rs addressed to."M. V." There were three letters so addressed, but the postmaster very properly refused to given them up, and communicated with the' police. Jt was suspected that " M. V." referred to the prisoner Vance, and so the Secretary of State's warrant was obtained to have them opened. They were opened on Thursday, and proved to he <<f great importance in the cjise. Mr Pol.ind then proceeded to read them. Some wire from the prisoner Vance, giving direction's for fli'e taking of that death might seem to have been the j

result of accident, and -another signed " William Quarll," asking various questions about the effects of poison There wis also a letter from Vance relating to the manner in which he should be paid by Quarll for his assist-! ance. After reading the letters, Mr ! Poland said there was also a newspaper sent to the same address, and the postmaster at Kentish Town-road would be called,-and ho (Mr Poland) thought would prove that the gentleman who called for these letters was Mr Payne, the solicitor for the prisoner Snee.—The prisoners were again remanded.—'Bury Post.'