September 9,1871.] THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
215 
-which the screws pass would he elongated or a slit filed 
at the end of the spring, care being taken to give suffi¬ 
cient space for it to rise and fall without injury to the 
-screws. In my opinion the spring would effect a great 
saving of labour. The first effect of the power would be 
to depress the substance in the cylinder; this offering 
resistance, further power would force the spring down 
to the cross-beam'. The press being now set aside, the 
spring would continue to act upon it, the action would 
thus be somewhat automatic. For a very large press, 
probably a compound spring (on the principle of the 
coach-spring) would be required. 
Mr. Greenish, Mr. Savage, Mr. Newbiggin and 
■ethers made a few remarks on the construction of the 
press, and a general approval was given of it. 
IparJianuntarj mill fato IpnMfMttgs. 
The Alleged Attempt to Poison by a Lady. 
On Thursday, August 31, Christiana Edmunds was 
•again brought up on remand before the magistrates at 
Brighton. The solicitor for the prosecution said that 
he should on that occasion enter specific charges against 
the prisoner charging her with attempting to murder 
Mrs. Beard, the wife of Dr. Beard, and also with at¬ 
tempting to administer poisons with intent to do bodily 
harm to Mr. Garrett and Mrs. Boys. Since the last 
•examination it had been proved that the prisoner had 
.sent a letter for three ounces of arsenic to a chemist 
■named Bradbury, who had now left the town, and whose 
successor had given the letter up. Mr. Bradbury was 
Being searched after. The letter had been identified as 
in the handwriting of the prisoner, though signed as by 
‘‘ Mrs. Wood,” the name given by the prisoner to Mr. 
■Garrett to obtain the strychnia. 
Sir. Henry Swaysland, son of abird-stuffer in Queen’s 
Boad, Brighton, was then called, and stated that he 
fetched the body of a dog from 16, Gloucester Place, 
which he gave to Mr. Brazenor. 
Mr. Brazenor, bird-stuffer, Lewes Road, said he took 
the body of the dog in question from last witness, and 
-on opening it, found that the dog had been poisoned. 
His reason for believing that the dog was poisoned was 
Because its limbs were very limp, and the vertebral 
-column was bent inward. There was a peculiar smell 
.about the dog’s throat and lips, and a large quantity of 
saliva about the mouth. He could not state wdiat poison 
was used, but was certain it was not prussic acid. 
Mr. J. Netherclift, of 18, Golden Square, London, an 
•expert in handwriting, was then called, and said he had 
^examined the writing on the outside of the paper sent 
to Mrs. Beard, and also on the "wrapper in which the 
cakes which "were sent to her "were enclosed, and he 
identified the handwriting as being the same as that of 
letters of the prisoner. The letter addressed to Mr. 
Garrett was also in her handwriting, and also a note 
addressed to Mr. Curtis. 
Mr. S. P. Blaker, surgeon, said that he had attended 
Margaret Knight in her illness, and placed some vomit 
in two bottles, which he carefully sealed up, and de¬ 
livered to Inspector Gibbs. 
Inspector Gibbs deposed to delivering the bottles to 
Mr. Rogers, on the 21st of last month, numbering them 
vtwo and three. He also delivered some cakes, which he 
•-received from Mrs. Beard on the 13th, to Professor 
Rogers, and also some preserved fruit. 
Professor Rogers, examined by Mr. Stuckey, stated 
•that Inspector Gibbs had delivered to him the vomit in 
two jars, and also a parcel of cakes and some preserved 
fruit, and a handkerchief. He had analysed all these 
articles, and partly tested the handkerchief. Jar No. 2 
contained arsenic in most decided quantities, and the jar 
No. 3 also contained arsenic, but in smaller quantities. 
The handkerchief gave traces of arsenic. There was no 
other poison in these three articles. If the first vomit 
had been examined, he had every reason to believe that 
it would have been found to contain more arsenic than 
there was in either of the two jars he had examined ; 
did not think there was sufficient in jar No. 2 to destroy 
life ; but it was enough to be highly injurious. It was 
the common wdiite arsenic that was used. On examina¬ 
tion of the cakes he found that one of them had on it a 
dangerous quantity of arsenic. The arsenic was sprinkled 
over the cake. A second cake contained arsenic on it in 
the same w r ay, but less in quantity. On two other cakes 
and some fragments there were mere traces of arsenic. 
There were several grains of arsenic on the first cake, 
and it was his intention to state, on a future occasion, 
the exact amount. All the four preserved fruits had 
arsenic on them, and one was literally stuffed with it. 
The arsenic found in one was enough to have destroyed 
the life of any one. "Witness here stated that he had 
also examined two peaches which had been sent to Mr. 
Garrett, and found they had been covered with strych¬ 
nine. The peaches were very much decomposed, but 
there was strychnine all over them. The quantity "was, 
he believed, sufficient to have caused death. 
Mr. Netherclift was recalled, and stated that a letter, 
which was found at tho residence of Mr. Bradbury, was 
in the same handwriting as the other letters. 
Mr. Thomas Glaisher, of tho firm of Glaisher and 
Kemp, was then shown a letter, which he stated was not 
written by him or by any one in his establishment. The 
letter was one sent to Mr. Garrett, purporting to order 
a quantity of arsenic. 
Mr. Black, coroner of Brighton, stated that the letter 
produced was not in his handwriting, and was not written 
by his authority. Tho letter purported to come from 
him, and requested Mr. Garrett to send his “ Sale of 
Poison Book.” 
Emma Helsay: She was parlour-maid to Mrs. Boys, 
59, Grand Parade. She recollected a parcel coming by 
a railway van on the 12th of August, addressed to Mrs. 
Boys. On the following day she was in the house¬ 
keeper’s room, and saw the nurse taking some cakes 
from a box like the one produced, and putting them in a 
dish. There were two gingerbread cakes, two cheese- 
cakes, two macaroons, two plum-cakes and two tartlets, 
done up separately for Mrs. Boys. A piece of thin 
paper was wrapped round these. The nurse broke in 
half one of the tartlets in tho paper addressed to Mrs. 
Boys, and they ate half each. About ten minutes after 
she felt very sick, and had a burning in the throat. Her 
legs ached, and felt drawing up. Those sensations lasted 
until ten o’clock that evening,—about eleven hours,— 
when she began to get better, but it was nearly a week 
before she felt hersolf quite well. The nurse was very 
unwell—much worso than her. 
Mrs. Boys then deposed that there was also in the 
box a piece of paper, which she tore up ; on it were 
the words, “ I send you some cakes for your two little 
girls. Those directed to yourself are my first efforts. I 
hope to see you soon.—Your old friend, G. N.” Witness 
put the box into the garden-room, and the next morning 
gave it to the nurse of the two younger of witness’s little 
girls. On the morning of the day after the parcel 
arrived she was sick two or three times. In consequence 
of the child being so unwell, and the nurse and parlour¬ 
maid unwell also, sho gave certain directions to the cook 
with reference to the box ; one of tho tartlets was pre¬ 
served, and in the afternoon she took a portion of it to 
Messrs. Glaisher and Kemp’s; the other portion of the 
cake she gave to Mr. Blaker. Witness did not eat any 
portion of the cake herself. Had never seen the 
prisoner before, but was in the habit of visiting at Mrs. 
Beard’s. 
