159 
CASES OF POISONING—ACCIDENTAL AND CRIMINAL. 
seeing what effect it would have on a human being. A remand was granted for the 
purpose of obtaining additional evidence. 
Accidental Poisoning.— It is stated that a woman, in Lincolnshire, administered 
tour drops of laudanum with sugar and water to her child, five weeks old, for the relief 
o pain and disorder of the stomach. The child died the next morning from the effects 
of the dose. 
The death of a child is also reported to have occurred in Northumberland, from eatin^ 
the water-hemlock. & 
Death from an Overdose of Medicine.— The death of a child from an over- 
nose of medicine is recorded at Leeds. The mother, to alleviate the suffering of the 
child, administered a dose of “ Washingtons Cordial, ’ which induced sleep from which 
the child did not recover. r 
Poisoning by Strychnine.— Mr. Beloe, the coroner for the borough of Lynn, 
held an adjourned inquest on Wednesday, May 5th, on the body of Charlotte Lang¬ 
ford, the infant daughter of Mr. A. F. Langford, a chemist in the town, who had died 
under circumstances leading to the belief that she had been poisoned’ by strychnine. 
It appeared from the evidence that Mrs. Langford, the mother of the child, had, for the 
last six months, been in very low spirits. She imagined that her husband’s business 
had fallen off, and that he was on the brink of poverty. At the time of her confinement 
she had complained of pain in the head, and was much excited. On the 26th ult. Dr. 
Lowe, the medical attendant of the family, was sent for to see Mr. Langford, who was 
said to be dying. He found him in bed, suffering from convulsions, and on asking his 
wife when they came on, she said she had poisoned herself and her husband with strych¬ 
nine. At this moment she was herself thrown into a strong tetanic convulsion. Reme¬ 
dies were at once administered, and both Mr. Langford and his wife recovered. The de¬ 
ceased child was found in its cradle, strongly convulsed; the stomach-pump was at once 
used, but it did not recover. The contents of various parts of the body were sent to Dr. 
Letheby, who found strychnine in the stomach. 
Dr. Letheby stated, in his evidence, that he discovered strychnia in the contents of 
the stomach; the quantity was sufficient to show its nature, and he was of opinion, 
from the account given of the symptoms, and of the post mortem examination, that 
the child died from strychnia. In cross-examination Dr. Letheby said, that he did 
not think, from the analysis alone, he should be justified in giving an opinion as to the 
cause of death, although the poison found in a stomach in every case of poisoning, is 
the excess of that which has killed,—the residuum of that which has been absorbed. 
Dr. Letheby was of opinion that strychnia could not be absorbed by an infant through 
the mother’s milk. The contents of the packet found in the pocket of the dress of Mrs. 
Langford was proved to be strychnia. 
Mrs. Langford, sen., who sent for the medical men on the 26th ult., stated that 
Mrs. Langford, jun. admitted that she had poisoned her husband and her child, and had 
herself taken poison. The jury returned the following verdict:—“Died of strychnine, 
given by the mother while in an unsound state of mind.” 
Mr. Langford has since died; and Mrs. Langford has been committed on the charge 
of wilful murder in both cases. No strychnia was discovered by Dr. Letheby in the 
viscera of Mr. Langford, but, according to the medical evidence, the symptoms were 
similar to those produced by strychnia. 
The trial of the above case took place at Norwich, August 7th, before the Lord Chief 
Justice. 
Mr. William Cooper and Mr. Abdy appeared for the prosecution; the prisoner was 
defended by Mr. O’Malley, Q.C., Mr. Metcalfe, and Mr. Ford. 
The evidence of Drs. Lowe and Archer, by whom the post mortem examination of the 
child was made, was to the effect that before the death of the child there were twitch- 
ings of the muscles of the face and arms; that the lingers as well as the toes were rigidly 
bent, and the muscles of the abdomen were contracted, and that it was convulsed strongly 
five or six times in the day. 
We subjoin the evidence given by Dr. Letheby and Dr. Taylor:— 
Dr. Letheby.—I received from a police constable a hamper. There were two jars and 
a wide-mouthed bottle, containing a brown paper packet, sealed. The packet contained 
rather more than five and a half grains of pure strychnia in a crystalline state. A dress 
