A Famous Poisoner

Feilding Star, Volume VIII, Issue 64, 8 November 1886, Page 3

A Famous Poisoner

Newspaper writers in search of precedents aud parallels to the crini.nality of Hull should look up the case of Thomas Griffiths Wainewright, former and poisoner, who died in the hospital at Hobart in 1882. Wainewright had beeii transported for life under a sentence for forgery; for his must serious crimes he was never brought to trial— why, dots hot very clearly appearjthe evidence respecting them, 6uppli«d by hia ©wii diaries and confessions, being of the mont conclusive character. He had been an officer in the dragoons, then he became an art critic, was intimate with Charles Laiub, the elder Hazlett, and other literary celebrites, and at one time regularly contributed to the London Magazine and Blaekwood. A volume of his essays, edited by Hazlett, junior, has been published within the last .few years. In 1828 Wainewright, with his young wife, went to reside .with a rich uncle, who soon after died suddenly, leaving valuable property to the Wainewrights. In 1830 Mrs Abererombie, a guest of the Wainewrights, died suddenly after a good deal of vomiting, iv a fit of convulsions. A, year later her daughter Miss Helen Abercrombie, then living with the Wainewrights, died after great suffering— synvptoms the same as in her mother's case. Wainewright a few months before had insured her life for £18,000. A country gentleman in Norfolk was the next victim ; the next, an English officer at Boulogne... All these murders Wainewright Acknowledged with the greatest sang froid. In that of. Miss Ambercromtoie his wife appears to have been an accomplice. He took her off by a mineral poison conveyed in oysters — (Hall might have got this case !) — the NorfaHc gentleman he got rid of by the same poison pressed into the sugar of his coffee. When asked how he could have the barbarity to murder the young girl who was hi 3. guest, he replied, after a moment or two's reflection, " Upon my soul, I don't know unless it was she had such thick legs!" This was a man who had "wept tears of happiness and gratitude" over Wordsworth's poems. When in Newgate Wainewright informed a visit ir that he had been determined through life to "hold the position of a gentleman." " I hold it still," he said. "It is the custom of this'place that each of the inmates of a cell should take bis morning's turn in sweeping it out. I occupy a cell with a bricklayer and a sweep. But my God, they never offer me the broom." Thus we see that even as there were great men before Agamemnon there were reßned and gentlemanly prisoners before Hall.