1U 
POISONING BY CALABAR BEANS. 
the defendants had always conducted their business with great care, and had so 
arranged the various medicine bottles, including poisons, as in their best judgment 
would be most likely to guard against accidents. I have this vast body of evidence to 
express approval of the mode adopted by the defendants, and also to show that it 
was very commonly adopted and most approved of by the profession. I think it but 
justice, with the consent of the Attorney-General, to make that statement; but, as 
your Lordship knows, it would have amounted to no defence. We still should have 
been liable -at law. And I may say that Messrs. Clay and Abraham have said to me 
that, even supposing they could have hoped for a verdict on any strictly legal ground, 
they should feel it their bounden duty, under the circumstances, to pay to the widow 
such a sum as might be considered reasonable and proper. For these reasons the de¬ 
fendants have consented, as has been stated, to a verdict for £1500. 
His Lordship said—Gentlemen of the jury, I think we may all say we approve of the 
course the defendants have taken. For my own part, I must say, we all know acci¬ 
dents will happen, as the common saying is, in the best-regulated establishments; 
but I would make this one further observation, that in these matters of dealing with 
poisons I think it would be an excellent practice for everybody to keep them under 
lock and key, and separate from any other and harmless drugs. I do not by any 
means say the defendants have not done so. I am glad there would have been 
all this testimony to the good management of the establishment; and their having 
consented to a verdict is, I think, an act of good feeling on their part. The damages 
will be £1500, £500 of which will go to the widow. Under the Act of Parliament, 
you are to say how the damages shall be divided between the widow and children, if 
it is the case of a parent. In this case it is the parent, and £500 wall go to the widow 
and £500 each to the younger children. The eldest child comes into some money by 
the death of the parent, and one shilling is sufficient, in the view of the parties who 
are watching the case in his interest. You will find a verdict to this effect. 
The jury found accordingly. 
POISONING- BY CALABAK BEANS. 
We extract the following particulars from a Liverpool paper :— * 
Yery great alarm was excited in the neighbourhood of Greenland Street, yesterday 
afternoon, by the sudden manifestation amongst a large number of children of symp¬ 
toms of poisoning. During the whole of the afternoon young children thus afflicted 
were being conveyed to the Southern Hospital, at which institution upwards of forty 
sufferers were received, one of whom died shortly after admission. It appeal’s that 
about noon yesterday a quantity of rubbish—taken from the ship c Commodore,’ be¬ 
longing to Messrs. Tobin and Co., now lying in the Queen’s Dock Basin, and which 
has recently arrived from the western coast of Africa—was carted to Greenland Street, 
and deposited on a piece of waste ground between that street and New Bird Street, 
adjoining the Baffles Memorial Building. This rubbish, which consisted principally 
of ships’ sweepings, shavings, etc., was soon overhauled by the children playing about 
the neighbouring streets, who found amongst it a number of beans, which, probably 
mistaking them for nuts of some kind, they cracked and ate. Almost immediately 
afterwards several of them became violently sick, and so unwell that it was thought 
necessary to take them without delay to the hospital. The first child taken was Mary 
Ann Foster, six years of age, residing in a court in Bell Street. She was quickly fol¬ 
lowed by Mary Pierce, a little girl living in 4 Court, Bell Street; and the third patient 
was Michael Bussell, six years of age, who resided with his parents at No. 15, New 
Bird Street. This boy is said to have eaten six of the beans; when taken to the 
hospital he was almost dead, and though remedies were promptly applied, he died in 
a very short time. This was the only case which had terminated fatally, and the fact 
that the effects have not been more serious is attributed by the surgeons in a great de¬ 
gree to the circumstance that the majority of the children had had their dinners be¬ 
fore eating the poison, so that it was taken on a full stomach. Two of them, besides 
the deceased, were extremely unwell, but they are now much better. The whole of 
the children were very ill, the pupils of their eyes were contracted, they had severe 
