198 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [September 2,1871. 
She remembered her going to Margate. On Friday, the 
4th August, witness was in the lobby looking into the 
garden, when the prisoner brought some powders on a 
waiter in packets partly undone. There were no labels, 
but it was evident that there had been some, which had 
either been torn off accidentally in opening them or 
purposely. She said, “ Take these away.” One of 
the powders witness thought was powdered myrrh, 
and therefore kept; the other she threw on the fire. 
The powder which she thought was myrrh she kept on 
the dresser, and subsequently gave to Detective Gibbs, 
She recollected a lady of the name of Taylor lodging in 
Mrs. Freeman’s house. She had a favourite dog that died 
on May 27. The dog was ill rather more than half an 
hour. Prior to the dog being taken ill Miss Edmunds 
was with it. It was in good health previously. Miss 
Edmunds was with the dog about an hour before it died, 
and half an hour before it was taken ill. The dog be¬ 
fore it died stretched its legs out, shuflled about, and 
twisted round and round, as if with a sort of choking 
sensation. 
The prisoner was then remanded for a week. 
Poisoning by Arsenic. 
On Wednesday, August 23, the coroner for West 
Somerset held an inquest at Cutcombe on the body of 
Maria Norman, aged twenty-one years, who was acci¬ 
dentally poisoned on the Thursday previous, The fol¬ 
lowing evidence was adduced:—• 
James Norman said he was a farmer residing at 
Higher-house Farm, in the parish of Cutcombe. The 
deceased was his daughter. On Thursday morning she 
went on the hill with him, and returned between nine 
and ten o’clock a.m., appearing very well. On his re¬ 
turn to the house about eleven o’clock, she appeared 
very unwell, and his wife said she had given her some 
senna tea. He went on the farm again and about dinner¬ 
time returned. Deceased was then gone to bed. Whilst 
at dinner, Mr. Bond, a seller of oils for cattle and medi¬ 
cine for people, came in, and his wife told him that de¬ 
ceased was very ill, and at her request he saw her. He 
came downstairs and said there was not much the mat¬ 
ter with her, and there was no necessity of sending for 
a doctor; she had wind on the stomach through taking 
some brimstone which we told him she had had in the 
morning. He asked witness to let him see some of the 
same sort. Witness went to the back kitchen where it 
was kept and brought him some of it. He looked at it 
and said he thought it was nothing but pure brimstone. 
In the course of an hour and a half he saw her again. He 
said “ You needn’t trouble about her; if you like to send 
for a doctor you can, but there is no need for it.” Next 
morning, seeing that she was very ill, witness sent for a 
doctor. She died about 10 a.m., before he arrived. Wit¬ 
ness continued, I produce the barrel containing the 
brimstone as it was left in the back house. I obtained 
it from Mr. Harwood, of the Crown, Exford. I sent for 
10 lbs. of arsenic, 40 lbs. of brimstone, and 60 lbs. of 
black soap. I gave him a verbal order and received the 
two packets produced, each being marked “boison ” in 
large letters, as it is now. One packet, which I thought 
was arsenic, I put away ; and the other was opened for 
use, viz. to dip the sheep in a solution of it to kill the 
vermin. I considered that the packet which I opened 
was pure brimstone, and having arsenic in the house, I 
made a composition of arsenic, this supposed brimstone, 
and black soap. It was opened in the back house, and 
any one could go there and take it. We have had pure 
brimstone from Mr. Quick for years past, and my family 
have been in the habit of taking it. 
Ann Norman, a sister of the deceased, deposed that 
on Thursday morning the deceased said there was some¬ 
thing breaking out on her arm, and her mother said, 
“Why don’t you take a little brimstone? there is some 
upstairs.” Deceased said there was some nearer, down 
in the back kitchen; and she took a cup and teaspoon, 
and went towards the back kitchen. Three or four hours 
afterwards she was taken ill. 
Mary Norman, another sister, said she saw her return 
from the back house with something in a cup, which 
was the colour of brimstone, about a teaspoonful. She 
said, “Poll, do you think this is good?” Witness re¬ 
plied, “ Yes.” She went into the dairy, witness thought 
for some milk to take with it, which was their usual way 
of taking brimstone. The packet and barrel produced 
were in the back house, and witness considered it con¬ 
tained simple brimstone. 
Dr. Norman said he had made a post-mortem examina¬ 
tion of the body, the appearance of which he described. 
He took away a portion of the powder from the packet 
in the barrel produced, and a portion of vomited matter 
which he was told the deceased had vomited just beforo 
she died. He sent these under seal to Mr. Stoddart, 
of Bristol, with a request that he would analyse them. 
Mr. Stoddart reported that he found the yellow powder 
to be a mechanical mixture of white arsenic and sul¬ 
phur. The liquid in the bottle was milky-looking, and. 
under the microscope was full of small globules of oil. 
It also contained arsenic in solution in considerable- 
quantity. Witness was of opinion from this report and 
the post-mortem appearance, that the deceased died from 
inflammation of the stomach from taking arsenic. He- 
should think there would be twenty grains in a tea¬ 
spoonful of the compound. 
The coroner then carefully summed up the evidence- 
to the jury, who returned a verdict “ That the deceased 
took a quantity of a compound containing arsenic in 
mistake for simple brimstone, by means of which she 
became poisoned by the same arsenic, which produced 
inflammation of the stomach, of which she died.” 
The coroner remarked that the packet being marked 
“Poison,” the father ought to have been more particular- 
in placing it in a secure place, and that such a virulent 
substance, having all the appearance of brimstone, ought 
to be coloured by those who had the sending it out. 
He was not sure whether some Act of Parliament did 
not compel persons to do so. 
WILLIAM FLOCKHART. 
We regret to announce the sudden death of this gentle¬ 
man, at his residence, Annacroich, Kinross. Mr. Flockhart 
had been in his usual health until recently, but on Wed¬ 
nesday was seized with a severe attack of stomach cramp. 
Eminent medical aid was summoned from Edinburgh, 
but he never rallied, and died at ten o’clock on Thurs¬ 
day morning. Few names are better known in pharmacy 
than the eminent firm of Duncan, Flockhart and Co., of 
which the deceased was one of the original partners. 
Professor Christison, in his ‘ Dispensatory ’ (a volume- 
now “ scarce”) acknowledges the valuable aid and infor¬ 
mation, as well as many selected specimens of pharma¬ 
ceutical products, for which he was indebted to this firm ;• 
and the late Professor Sir James Y. Simpson owedmuclr 
of his early success in the anmsthetic use of chloroform 
to the care and fidelity with which his experimental 
samples of that chemical were prepared by them. Con¬ 
nected with a profession requiring the closest personal 
attention for the faithful and successful discharge of 
onerous and responsible duties, Air. Flockhart was littlo- 
known in political circles, or in connection with muni¬ 
cipal matters; but his private benevolences have been 
large and unobtrusive—indeed, the pecuniary and pro¬ 
fessional aid given to many deserving assistants on com¬ 
mencing business can never be forgotten by beneficiaries, 
or known to others. Mr. Flockhart was about sixty- 
three years of age, and has left a widow and two children 
to mourn his loss.— Scotsman. 
