■September 2,1871.] THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
197 
mote to Mr. Garrett, who gave him in return what ap¬ 
peared to he a letter ; this he took to the prisoner, who 
was waiting- for him at the bottom of Upper North Street. 
Mr. Isaac Garrett, chemist, at 10, Queen’s Road, said 
he had known the prisoner as a customer for about four 
years. She only called in occasionally till the beginning 
•of this year, when her visits began to be more frequent. 
She purchased generally toilet articles, such as soap, 
•etc., and also quinine and iron mixtures. She usually 
came between nine and ten in the morning', and fre¬ 
quently made observations about the weather being cold 
for riding, having to return by the next train, etc. On 
March the 28th, after buying some toilet articles, she 
asked if he could supply her with a small quantity of 
.strychnia to destroy some cats with, as her garden was 
very much infested with them, and she and her husband 
wished to get rid of them in this way. Witness ob¬ 
jected to supply her. He said it was such a potent 
poison that he did not care to supply anything of 
the kind. Prisoner said she would give it straight 
into her husband’s hands, and as they had no children 
no harm could possibly come of it, for she would be 
very careful. Witness then told her he could not 
supply her unless it was in the presence of a witness, 
who must be well known to both of them. She said 
the only person in the neighbourhood that she was 
acquainted with was a Mrs. Stone, with whom she was 
in the habit of dealing. Mrs. Stone lived three doors 
from him, where she then kept a milliner’s shop, and he 
requested the prisoner to bring her. He then served 
her. with the strychnia, and she signed his poison 
register book (produced), “Mrs. Wood, Hillside, Kings¬ 
ton,” and Mrs. Stone signed it as a witness. The 
quantity of strychnia sold to her was ten grains. 
The prisoner called in at the shop several times between 
March 28th and April 15th to make purchases. She 
was taking’ quinine at the time. Witness had flowers in 
his shop, and she frequently made observations about 
her garden. She asked him if he was fond of asparagus, 
and brought two bundles on two separate occasions. 
She came into his shop on April loth. She said the 
-cats in her garden were quite as numerous and destruc¬ 
tive as ever, and that the strychnia had apparently had 
no effect on them. She then asked him to supply her 
with more. Ho told her that he was very particular and 
anxious about it, and she repeated what she had said 
previously as to her having no children, and that no 
liarm could therefore arise from it. He told her that he 
should require a witness to sign the register as before. 
She fetched Mrs. Stone as a witness again, and he sold 
her another ten grains of strychnia. He filled up the 
-entry in the book (produced), and the prisoner signed it. 
He saw her on several occasions between that time and 
May 11th. She said that she was still taking the quinine 
and iron which she bought of him, and also that she and 
her husband were about to leave Kingston and go to 
Devonshire to reside. She also said that she should call 
-before she left to have a supply of the quinine and iron 
mixture, as it had done her so much good. On May 11th 
she came to fetch the supply of quinine and iron which 
he had prepared. She then asked him to supply her with 
a little more strychnia to kill a dog, which she stated to 
be so very old and diseased her husband could not take 
it with him, and did not wish to leave it behind. He then 
•cautioned her strongly again against the use of strychnia; 
but, ultimately, supplied her with it without a witness, ; 
but she signed the book as before in his presence, omit¬ 
ting, however, the address. The quantity was the same . 
as on the previous occasions, ten grains. He did not see i 
her after this till Friday last, when she was on trial, 
and that was the first time he heard her proper name. i 
Mrs. Stone said that she carried on the business of a | 1 
milliner. In March last a lady, whom she believed to : 
be the prisoner, but was unable to swear to, as she was < 
so closely veiled, made a purchase at her shop. About 
five minutes after she returned and asked her, as a great ] 
favour, if she would oblige her by going into Mr. 
Garrett’s to sign her name as a witness, as she wanted 
some poison to stuff birds, her husband and herself being- 
naturalists. Witness hesitated for some time, and asked 
her for her name and address. She said her name was 
Mrs. AVood, and that she resided at Kingston. She said 
not the slightest harm would result from her being a 
witness. At last witness consented to go with her. 
AVitness said to Mr. Garrett, “ AVhat have I to do F” 
He said, “ You have to sign your name here.” She said, 
“ I hope I am not going to sign my death warrant.” 
Mr. Garrett smiled, and replied, “ It is only a form 
which is obliged to be filled up since the new Act, which 
must be signed by some householder.” No entry was 
made in the book cither by Mr. Garrett or the lady 
while witness was there. She did not pay much atten¬ 
tion to the book to see what was entered. She was near¬ 
sighted. AATtness recollected the lady coming to her 
again on the loth April. She bought another veil. 
She then said, “ I have to thank you for doing me a 
favour last time, will you be kind enough to do it 
again, and sign Mr. Garrett’s book?” AVitness went 
with her to Mr. Garrett’s and signed as before. 
Air. Garrett was then recalled, and shown a small 
pink box, something in the form of a collar box, but 
smaller. He said he received it by post on the 10th or 
11th Aug. The box contained two fresh peaches. There 
was a piece of tissue-paper between the peaches, and 
there was also a piece of note-paper, containing half a 
sovereign. On the note-paper was written, “ The last of 
my debt, and the first of my fruit from my garden.” 
The person whom he knew at this time as Mrs. AVood 
was not indebted to him. 
Air. AVilliam Curtis deposed that he had received by 
post a box containing crystallized fruit. Some persons 
were ill through eating the fruit. 
Detective Gibbs said he had received a box (produced) 
from the prisoner’s mother, at 16, Gloucester Place, 
where the prisoner and her mother lodge. He had con¬ 
versation with the prisoner herself about the box the 
same afternoon. On going into the room he found her 
lying on the couch. She said, “Here you are again, 
Air. Gibbs, and I am nearly poisoned. You have 
heal’d that I have had a box sent me with some fruit 
in it. It came on Thursday evening, about half¬ 
past seven, by post. It is evident it is some one in 
the town, for it bears only the Brighton post-mark, 
and it is evident it is no one connected with, me, or 
they would have known my address and how to have 
spelled my name properly, for it is written ‘ m-o-n ’ in¬ 
stead of ‘m-u-n,’ and the address is put 17, Gloucester 
Place, instead of 16.” Witness asked her what the box 
had contained, and she said, “ Some strawberries, two 
apricots, and a pair of new gloves.” He asked her what 
she had done with them, and she said, “ Airs. Edmunds 
ate the strawberries and I had one apricot, and it was all 
right. I bit the other, and it was dreadfully bitter. I 
spat it all out and have been ill ever since.” She asked 
him different questions about the other boxes that had 
been received, Airs. Beard’s and others. She said, “ Is 
it true that some other boxes have been received, and 
that Airs. Beard has had one ?” AVitness said, “ Yes, also 
Airs. Boys, Grand Parade, and Air. Curtis, of the Gazette , 
North Street.” She replied, “ Oh, how very strange. I 
feel certain you’ll never find it out.” The prisoner ap¬ 
peared to be suffering from illness and looked very pale. 
Adelaide Ann Friend, housemaid to Airs. Beerling, of 
Albert Terrace, Alargate, deposed that the prisoner slept 
at her mistress’s house two nights. AVitness saw two 
boxes like those produced, and opened them. One con¬ 
tained two peaches, and the other crystallized fruit. A 
third box, like that which prisoner asserted to have been 
sent to her, stood by the others on the table. It was 
empty. 
Charlotte Pettit, servant to Airs. Freeman, said the 
prisoner had lodged with her mistress since Alarch. 
