72 
TRIAL OF DR. PRITCHARD. 
94. How is laudanum dealt with in France; is it one of the nineteen articles ?—It 
is ; when I say laudanum, I am in doubt without my French book to refer to ; it is 
opium and its extracts. I believe it applies to the sale of opium generally. 
96. Are you aware whether in France these regulations for the safety of the lives of 
the public are attended with any inconvenience or much inconvenience, as to the 
difficulty of getting articles generally ?—It does to some extent. I was in France 
last summer, and took the opportunity of making a little inquiry about it. Consider¬ 
ing the great freedom we have, and which we have enjoyed in this country of pur¬ 
chasing everything everywhere, it would be considered a great restriction to go 
through so many formalities, and to go to a particular shop to get a particular article. 
I had some difficulty in a French town, but when I represented myself as a member 
of the profession they gave it me. It might here be felt as inconvenient for weeks 
or a year afterwards. There is in France a great interference with freedom of trade ; 
with us there is a great destruction of life,—that is my strong impression. 
To he continued.) 
* THE TRIAL OF DR. PRITCHARD. 
On Monday, July 3, Dr. Edward William Pritchard, of Glasgow, was placed at the 
bar of the High Court of Justiciary, Edinburgh, charged with the murder by poison 
of his wife and his mother-in-law. 
The Lord Justice Clerk, with Lord Ardmillan and Lord Jerviswoode, occupied the 
bench. 
The counsel for the Crown were the Solicitor-General of Scotland, Mr. Gifford and 
Mr. Crichton; and for the defence were Mr. Clark, Mr. Watson, and Mr. Brand. ’ 
The prisoner was charged with having, between the 10th and 25th of February last 
administeied to Jane Cowan or Taylor, his mother-in-law, in tapioca, or in porter or 
beer, or in a medicine called Battley’s Sedative Solution, tartarized antimony and aconite 
and opium, and with having, between the 22nd of December, 1864, and the 18th of 
March, 1865, administered to Mary Jane Taylor or Pritchard, his wife, in egg-flip, and 
in cheese, and in poitei oi beei, and in wine, tartarized antimony and aconite, to which 
charge the prisoner pleaded “ Not guilty.” 
The first witness examined was Catherine Lattimer, lately cook in Dr. Pritchard’s ser¬ 
vice, who gave evidence as to the illness of Mrs. Pritchard, which began in October with 
frequent sickness, and generally came on after taking food, but this was not always the 
case. On the Tuesday before Mrs. Pritchard died, witness found a bit of cheese in the 
pantry, after eating which she felt a burning sensation in the throat, and became sick 
Next day, prisoner asked witness to make some egg-flip for Mrs. Pritchard. The Doctor 
gave her the eggs, and while witness was beating it he came once or twice into the pantry 
and dropped in what witness took to be pieces of sugar; he said he would add the 
whisky when it came upstairs. On pouring in the water, to see if it was hot enough 
witness tasted it, and remarked to Mary M‘Leod it had a horrible taste. She had the 
same sensations after it as from the cheese, and continued sick till four o’clock in the 
morning. Witness remembered making some tapioca for Mrs. Pritchard which 
carried to the dining-room by Mary M‘Lcod. 
Mary M‘Leod, a girl of seventeen, housemaid at Dr. Pritchard’s, and who had been 
seduced by her master, gave similar evidence, both as to Mrs. Pritchard’s illness as well 
as that of Mrs. Taylor, who told witness that she surelv had her daughter’s illness She 
died about midnight of the day she was taken ill. On one occasion when Dr 
Gairdner was called in to see Mrs. Pritchard, witness found her suffering from what she 
thought was cramp, and was much excited. She was sick almost every dav and com 
plained of great thirst and pain in the stomach. Dr. Pritchard did not dine at the same 
time as his wife, but was sometimes in the room when the latter dined. Witness fmne 
rally made the tea for Mrs. Pritchard, but it was sometimes poured out by the Doctor ' 
Mary latteison was then examined; her evidence was corroborative of that of the 
previous witnesses. 
‘ Thomas Alexander Connell and Richard J. King, both medical students, boarding in 
