THE LIVERPOOL POISONING. CASE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 6996, 19 April 1884, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE LIVERPOOL POISONING. CASE.

Bbfobe Mr. Justice Butt, at Liverpool February 16, the trial of Catherine FiauagsJ 1 fifty-five, and Margaret Biggins, fortTtS" on a charge of murder, was concluded. Tk* prisoners were ciiarged on four indictments —first, with murdering Thomas HigginT the husbmd of the prisoner 'Higsin. T* October 2, 1S83; secondly, with murderm" Margaret Jennings, on January 25, IS83? and, thirdly, with murdering John Flanagan' tha son of the" prisoner Flanagan, on nJ cember 7, ISSO. The fourth indictment charged the prisoner Higgins alone with murdering Mary Higgins, the daughter of Thomas Higgins by hia first wife, fhe prosecution elected to proceed on tha fir»t indictment. The prisoners are sisters, and previous tp the marriage of the prisoner Higgins with the deeea3ed they lived to. gether. At the time of his death the de. ceased had only been married a few months. During his fatal illness, which was T "ery brief, and arose suddenly, suspicions cir. cumstances were noticed. A medical naa was called in by the prisoners, and, on their representations, treated' the deceased suffering from diarrhoea and the effects of drinking bad whiskey, bnt suspicion aroaEed among ' the neighbours ia the locality. Both prisoners attended deceased in his illness, and two * persons noticed that when Flanagan gave hit* drink tbe unfor. tunate man immediately Buffered great pain. On one occasion in particular this was wit. nessed, on the very day of his death. Xiia police authorities obtained information of the fact 3, and an inquiry was resolved apt®, A certificate of death had been obtained and the funeral of the deceased was arranged, but as the body was being taken from tha house the Coroner's officer ordered it to be taken back. A post mortem examination of the body of the deceased was made, and proof that he bad died from EMenicaj poisoning was obtained. The motive for tho murder, it was alleged, was to obtain tha insurance money from five offices in which' the life of the deceased was insured. Farther evidence was given as to the in. surances effected by the prisoners. From : the British "Workmen Insurance Company they obtained £12 9s Gd on the day of his death, and a further sum of £7 17s Cd from the Scottish Legal Life Assurance Society. "The other offices did not pay the claims made upon them. The next class of evi. dence dealt with the movements of tha prisoner Flanagan after the funeral was stopped. It appeared that she remained three days at the house ot some friends named Mackenzie, who lived in Rocking-ham-street. After leaving that house aha went to that of a Mrs. Burns &3 a lodger. For one night she slept in a house in Mount Vernon, and from there she went to Wavertree, wheia 3ae was arrested. No witnesses were called for the defence, and the jury returned.a verdict of " Guilty" against" the prisoners, who were both sentenced, to death. It is stated that the prieonar Flanagan has confessed to the crime, and offers to give further evidence in the ease,