The mother asked for a "sweet," which the little girl
gave. After this Annie got into bed; the mother began to twitch her
arms and legs, and seemed in great pain. Dr. Turner was sent for, as
she got worse. His assistant, Dr. Anderson, came, and, watching the
patient, noticed that the symptoms were those of strychnine poisoning.
She was dying. Before he could get to the surgery and return with an
antidote the woman was dead. She who had been well at half-past nine
was dead before eleven!
The police were communicated with, and a constable searched the house.
Turning up the valances of the bed, he found a piece of paper crumpled
up; this was sent to an analyst on the following day. An inquest was
held and a post-mortem directed.
Horsford at the inquest swore that he had never written to the
deceased or visited her.
On the evening of Saturday the 8th, after the post-mortem, Mrs.
Hensman and another woman found between the mattress and the bed a
packet of papers. These were also submitted for analysis. One of them
contained 35 grains of strychnine; another had crystals of strychnine
upon it. There was writing on one of the packets, and it was the
handwriting of the prisoner; it said, "Take in a little water; it is
quite harmless. Will come over in a day or two." On another packet was
written: "One dose; take as told," also in the prisoner's handwriting.
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