THE SHEFFIELD POISONING CASE.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1076, 20 May 1882, Page 4

THE SHEFFIELD POISONING CASE.

At the Leeds Assives lately, before Mr J ustice Cotton, the trial « as commenced of Felicia Dorothea Kate Dover, aged 27, spinster, who was in•dicted for the wilful murder by poisoning of Mr T. Skinner, a Sheffield artist, on December 6th last. Mr Waddy, Q.C., and Mr Barker appeared for the prosecutionthe prisoner being defended by Mr Lockwood aud Mr •Stuart Wortley. The prisoner, on ■being placed in the dock, appeared to feel acutely the terrible position, sob--bing violently. She pleaded not guilty in a feeble voice. Mr Waddy explained that the deceased, who was about sixty years of age, lived in •Glover-road, Heeley. About August, 1880, deceased formed the acquaiut--auce of the prisoner, and an arrangement was then made by which the prisoner became his housekeeper, she coming to his house every morning, doing household duties, and then leaving tor her own home at night. Generally, they were on the best of terms, and the deceased, when in one of those moods, said he would alter his will, which he had made in favour of Mrs Jones, his former housekeeper, and make the prisoner his heiress. There was no proof, however, that he had done tha.. Mrs Jones kept on good terms with the deceased alter she and her husband had left his house, and on the 2nd of December last, having received from a friend a present of some garden produce, Mr Jones sent a portion of the present to Mr Skinner for his acceptance. At this time Mr ■Skinner was seen and known to be in his usual health; but, singular enough, the prisoner told several persons that her master was ill, and that she was .afraid he was going to die. On the evening of the sth December Mr .Skinner went to the Big Tree, apparently in his usual health, and at hallyaal seven the same evening the prisoner went to the local chemist to purchase some arsenic, which she alleged she required for coloring some artificial flowers. She purchased three pennyworth of that deadly poison, and then went to the Big free aud accompanied Mr Skinner to his home. On the following day the prisoner again expressed her tear that Mr Skinner was going to die, although there was apparently no cause for the fear. That morning she purchased a fowl, and prepared it for dinner for Mr Skinner and herself, and directly after partaking of the fowl Mr Skinner exhibited signs of violent poisoning, vomi - ing continuously, aud beiug in the greatest bodily pain. A doctor was ■sent for, and he at once saw that Mr Skinner was suffering from arsenical poisoning. Emetics were immediately employed, but without success, aud deceased died the same night. Directly after dinuer the prisoner also feigned illness, but she did not vomit until after the application of an emetic—a somewhat singular fact, seeing that in eases of arsenical poisoning vomiting follows immediately. The fowl, stuffing, Ac., was subjected to analysis, and it was found that the fowl and the si "tilingprepared inside it was perfectly

free from poison, whilst the stuffing separately prepared in anotner tin was loaded with arsenic. The vomit from Mr Skinner was also strongly impregnated with arsenic, whilst that from the prisoner contained no poison whatever. The jury found the prisoner guilty, and she was sentenced to penal servitude for life. The sentence is said to have apparently taken the prisoner completely by surprise, and she fell fainting in the dock.