DELUGED WITH POISON.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 196, 19 August 1899, Page 5 (Supplement)

DELUGED WITH POISON.

SPALDING WIPE MURDERER CON VICT.ED.

SENTENCE OF DEATH

(From Our Special Correspondent.)

LONDON, July T.

When the wretched little "slavey" Mary Ansell, who poisoned her Imbecile sister lor her insurance money, was sentenced to death the other day she howled out "Murder murder/1 and her mother joining In lustily the court resounded with terrified shrieks Very different was the conduct on Tuesday of the Spnlding wife-poisoner, Fdward Cell, who listened to Mr Justice Lawrance's oral castigatiou with complete impassivity. "By your hand," said the Judge, 'that woman," whom you were hound to protect, the mother of your children, has met her unhappy death. You allowed your passion for another -unfortunate woman, whose life you have blasted, to overcome you, and you got rid of your unhappy wife in order that you might afterwards marry that young woman. A more cruel, a more deliberate, a more cold-blooded murder I have never heard or read of, or experienced. There can be no doubt that you long ago formed a resolution to get rid of your wife, and you DELUGED HER WITH I'OISON. For this crime you must follow your victim, and I would beg of you to entertain no spark of hope that your life will be spared." The case being one which had a peculiar fascination about it for women, the fair sex largely predominated, both outside and inside the Court. Women young and old, pretty and passable, filled the Court and crowded the approaches to the castle,where the assizes are held. They loudly hissed Mary Skeers Hodson, the young woman who had formed an illicit attachment with the prisoner, when she arrived at the Court, and they hissed her as, crying and almost fainting, she was hurriedly driven away after giving evidence. She was guarded by police and taken to a suburban railway station in order to avoid further hostile demonstration. As for the prisoner, ho was pale and spiritless, but very attentive. He listened most carefully to the evidence, to the speeches, and to the judges severe remarks, but at no stage of the trial did he betray the least sign of agitation. He heard his doom without betraying the slightest emotion. The judge himself was more moved than the prisoner. The story of the crinv; is not old. For some 12 months the prisoner, who lived with his wife and two children ne-v Spaluing, had had unlawful relationship with the girl Hodson, who lived next door. Ilia wife became aware of this. Last Christinas she was found crying near a pit, and wishing that death would release her from her troubles. She told a sympathetic pas-ser-by that her husband would be GLAD TO SEE HER DIE. On April 23 she was taken ill. A doctor attended her, and prescribed for gastric inflammation. She became worse each day, and suffered terrible agonies till April 20, when she died a painful dentil. She was buried three days later, and then the prisoner asked Hodson to marry him. She consented. No suspicion had so far been excited. A few days later, however, an anonymous letter was received by the dead woman's mother. It said:—----"I can keen it no longer. The doctor never sent that powder, and I am miserable about it. See the doctor about it, and he will tell you the same. I am going away tomorrow." ..This, letter. ..(it was suggested that the prisoner himself probably wrote it) led to the crime being exposed. The body was exhumed on May 12. Dr. Stevenson, the Home Office analyst, found mercury and strychnine—enough to kill four or five people—in the organs. It was proved that the prisoner had, at various times, purchased these poisons. First of all he bought mercury, but apparently that acted too slowly for him, and he resolved to finish his ghastly work by dosing his wife with strychnine on the pretence that he was giving her magnesia sent by the doctor. Bottles which had contained the poison were found in the garden of the house where the prisoner lived. He was arrested, and he then said, "This is through being led away. She will have to suffer. She has caused me to do all this." There was never any doubt what the verdict would be. There was practically no defence, and the prisoner declined to give evidence. After sentence of death had been passed he turned and walked unassisted down the Bteps leading to the cells.