CRIME AND MYSTERY.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 180, 1 August 1925, Page 23

CRIME AND MYSTERY.

THE YELLOW POWDER OF DEATH

MARY ANN BURDOCK'S CRUEL CRIME

Arsenic has been styled "The Fool's Poison," and so it is. Detection is practically certain owing to a victim's symptoms and the state of the stomach shortly after death, or even in the distant future. Now we shall draw attention to a crime which was committed with a rarely-used sulphuret of arsenic, commonly caUed orpiment. This contains anything from thirty to seventy per cent hy weight of arsenious acid—the greater tho proportion of this the more deadly the poison. In appearance It closely resembles mustard. It will cause death by external application; therefore any person desiring to remove superfluous hairs from the face, arms, hands, etc., should be very careful to ascertain the composition of a depilatory to he employed, for a very common one consists of this actual substance In combination with lime and starch, so its use is never without possibility—probability, even—of danger. The symptoms of poisoning with orplment are practically identical with those nvhlch supervene after the administration of arsenious acid. The broadside which records the following case was printed by R. Heppel, 113, Coleshill Street, Birmingham, and Is of the ordinary size, having no illustration, probably because the bolted drop was then in use, which does not permit spectators to view the hanging body. Its title is, "Last (Dying "Words of Mary Anne Burdock, who was executed at Bristol, on Wednesday, the 15th of April, 1833, for poisoning Clara Anne Smith, a widow, on the 23rd of October, 1833." It is fortunate for the commonweal that criminals, despite their possession of imagination and cunning to carry a crime through, are usually stupid, short-sighted, or over elaborate at some point In their machinations. Mary Anne Burdock exemplifies this to a degree, for she left traces of her handiwork at every stage or the cruel crime for which she suffered. (Greed was her motive, and that Instinct seems to blind those persons possessed of lt, to caution, fear, or conscience. The Widow's Fatal Mistake. The widow Smith went to live with Burdock, at the latter's house in Bristol, in the year 1533. She was well-connected, had relatives in good positions, and was (herself possessed of an annuity and considerable means in the portable form of bank* notes, and gold. Her life with Burdock was dramatically short, for, on October 23, an undertaker named Thompson was sent for to measure her for a coffin, and the instructions given to tolm were that, as the deceased had died poor, she would have to ibe buried at the smallest possible cost. The coffin was funlshed with a plate on which the old lady's name, age, etc., were inscribed, and she was burled at eight o'clock in the morning of October 30, In St. Augustine's churchyard. The neighbours, greatly to their surprise, soon noticed that Mrs. Burdock was In possession of ample means, recently acquired. She forestalled inquiry, however, by stating that an aunt had died and left her a fortune. Previously she had lived under the protection of a man named Wade, who, shortly after Mrs. Smith's death, went Into business, and apparently made considerable headway. But he, too, died a few months later, having executed a will which made over all his property to Mrs. Burdock. His stock-in-trade alone was, Talued at £700, and there seems to have been cash to a like value. Mrs. Burdock, like a heedless fool, actually Informed an acquaintance that the rich old lady who had died In her house was very fond of Wade, and had left him her money in consequence. When' we remember that she had burled Mrs. -Smith almost like a pauper, and stated that such was practically her condition, it Is easy to Imagine that such divergent statements would be treasured up against her, as indeed they were. Suspicions Aroused. By some means or other—probably because no letter from or relating to their relative reached them—a brother-in-law residing at Oporto, and a nephew In England became suspicious, and, in the December of 1834, instituted Inquiries as to Mrs. Smith's welfare. To their great surprise they were informed that she had died more-than a year before. When Burdock was interrogated, she produced certain papers which had been the property of the dead woman, but denied that she had left' material wealth. Further inquiries—now directed to others—engendered suspicion of foul play, and an order for the exhumation of the body was obtained. The undertaker was able to swear to the spot of interment, the coffin, ahroud, etc., whilst the nameplate was additional confirmation. Dr. Riley, physician of the Bristol Infirmary, opened the body, aided by Dr. Symonds, J. J. Kelson, surgeon, and Mr. Herepath, a chemist of repute. The corpse was splendidly preserved, and, but for the presence of yellow nrsenic, discovered in it, and the results therefrom, showed that deceased was otherwise in normal health. Curiously enough, the coffin was found to be half-filled with water from the body, whilst the integuments had been converted into adipocere or animal soap. Great interest and sensation in Court followed the production of nn elegant preparation of the stomach, for the benefit of judge and Jurymen. A Notable Trial. The case was tried before Sir Charles Wetherell, Recorder, at the Bristol Assizes of April, 1835. It was a careful and protracted Inquiry, for it began on . Friday, April 10, and did not end until the Monday after, when tbe Recorder summed up. Throughout the whole of this period, the Jurymen were under the care of officers of the Court, and not permitted to go home or elsewhere. The police had soon got in touch with the purchaser of the arsenic, a seaman named Evans. He, however, was quite Innocent of evil intent. He had lodged with Burdock when she was known as Mrs. Wade, and, In October, 1833, was asked by her to purchase twopennyworth of arsenic to poison rats, with which the bouse was said to be infected. He took two witnesses with bim to a druggist named Hobbs, obtained the powder, and gave it to Burdock, who put it Into her pocket. The additional evidence he gave was of a most damaging character. He was in v the house when Mrs. Smith died,, and heard the prisoner and Wade laughing during the night. Next day, Burdock said the dead woman was indigent, and that she herself would have to sell some plate to pay the funeral expenses. Evans, however, had seen deceased wearing a sold watch and chain a month before, so did not believe the mendacious statement. It came out, also, that no one bad ever seen ft rat In the house.

The Poison Called Orpiment—Stupidity of Criminals—The motive of Greed —Mrs. Smith's Death—A Pauper's Funeral—Disinterment of the Victim—The Seaman and the Landlady Mary Allen's Evidence—The Furtive Mrs. Burdock—" My Lord, lam Innocent ! " —" Lord Have Mercy on My Soul ! " —Murderess Drops the Handkerchief—Hangman Draws the Bolt.

But the most convincing evidence as to accused's guilt was given by Mary Ann Allen, a girl who had been engaged to wait on the victim. She saw Burdock take a small packet from her pocket, and extract some yellow powder from it, and afterwards put this In some gruel for the deceased. The unfortunate woman was soon afterwards Belzed with violent convulsions, and died. Burdock's behaviour then became outrageouß. She opened all boxes and drawers belonging to the dead woman, and when she found anything of Importance, said, in sneering fashion: "Only think of the drunken old having such as this." Afterwards Bhe most unwisely told Mary Ann never to speak of Mrs. Smith, unless obliged, in which case she was to say that the old lady was a stranger and a foreigner, who came from the East Indies. Finally, she helped to put her own neck In the noose by adding: "Now don't you ever tell anyone you saw mc put anything into the gruel, for people might think It was curious." Nothing conld have been more calculated to canse Mary Ann to treasure np such a peculiar action In her mind, and arouse suspicionhad lt been either negligible or dormant hitherto. The evidence of Mr. Charles Read, a wine merchant, blackened the case against Burdock still more. He was an aqualntance of deceased's brother-in-law away In Oporto, and made inquiries as to Mrs. Smith's estate. Burdock had a glib tongue, which could tell a plausible tale, and her information was to the effect that Mrs. Smith had died lamentably poor, her very clothes being In so ba da state that lt was necessary to burn them. Then, greed being ever uppermost in her nature, she offered to produce the deceased's papers, and other personal belongings, on payment of £15, which was the price of the funeral. It was arranged that a professional man to represent each party should be engaged to be present next day when the personalty was handed over. A box was produced and opened, when lt was found to contain a copy of Mr. Smith's will in favour of his wife, and some documents of minor importance. But there were no deeds or accounts in evidence, though Mr. Reed knew very well that such instruments should be present, for he was aware that Mrs. Smith had property. Moreover, he himself had paid her the sum of *700, so recently as 1829, as well as an annuity of £15. He flatly refused to believe the statement as to the poverty-stricken state of tbe deceased's wardrobe, for," since the death of her husband, she continued to dress In her usual neat and respectable style. This concluded the case for the prosecution, and it was far too strong to break by any counter testimony on the part of the defence. It is true that witnesses were called to speak in favour of the accused, who volubly and Insistently protested her innocence; but these attempts availed little. When the ury retired, the prisoner was observed to be~ in close consultation with her solicitors and friends; nevertheless, her eyes continually strayed to the doorway through which the Jurymen would return. Conviction and Sentence. Their re-entry—about a quarter of an hour after tbe charge had been delivered to them—was the occasion of such tumult that the ushers could not obtain sufficient order for the Recorder to proceed. He obtained a hearing eventually, the names of the Jurymen were called over, and they were asked what Verdict they had to return. The foreman, who was very much shaken, answered, with deep feeling, "Guilty." The prisoner's face changed somewhat, but she said to the judge. In faltering tone, though the words were clear: "My lord, I am innocent, I am Innocent. Standing at this bar I call upon the Almighty to put his judgment upon mc if what I am' now saying is not true. I know nothing of it; and the Almighty, I hope, will put His judgment upon mc at this moment if I am not Innocent." Sir Charles Wetherell uttered no prolonged homily, nor did be dwell on the cruelty and enormity of Burdock's crime. He sentenced her to be executed on the Wednesday following, her body then to be buried within the precincts of tbe gaol. The prisoner exclaimed, "May the Lord have mercy upon my soul." But she did hot neglect her body, nevertheless, but immediately afterwards asked for refreshment, of which she partook when it was supplied to her under the dock. There was a tremendous and hostile crowd awaiting ber outside tho Guildhall; every street, Alley, avenue, and court on the way to the gaol was crowded with people. Curses and yells were uttered when she became visible, and the carriage which conveyed ber away was followed by a shrieking and howling mob till the vehicle and its main occupant disappeared within the portals of the prison. At the religious service before her execution on Wednesday, the 15th of April, she sat throughout sullen and silent, never once kneeling or rising. No emotion betrayed itself on her face when she left the chapel for the pinioning room, and she walked thither firmly without assistance. Her dress was arranged in a room under .the gallows, and then only, as the bood was placed upon her head and the noose adber neck, she Joined In the prayers of the chaplain, with apparent fervour, being particular In the responses, "Lord have mercy on my soulJ Christ have mercy on my soul!"

But lt soon became apparent to onlookers that she was praying so as to gain time; nevertheless, she was not hurried or interrupted, there being a hope that, when arrived at a proper state of mind, she would make full and ample confession, ending with words of contrition.. But the hope did not bear fruition; she ascended to the drop, finally, having made no statement of any kind.

Beneath the beam her face became white and wan, but she held herself firmly, though plainly in a state of mental agony. She herself gave the signal of death by dropping a handkerchief, and at twenty minutes to two o'clock the bolt was drawn, and she passed to Instantaneous death, mainly owing to her bulk and weight. She was a native of the city wherein she died a felon's death at the age of forty.