Experimenting !

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 828, 23 November 1929, Page 18

Experimenting !

Servant Charged with Poisoning Mistress’s Food HARGELY upon confessions that she was alleged to have made was founded a sensational charge that was Investigated at Solihull, near Birmingham, against a servant girl, Gladys Lily Ford, 19, of Shirley. Originally she was accused of giving her employer, Mrs. Rose Ada Bradbury, of Shirley, a dose of carbolic acid, and then of administering copper sulphate and boracic acid in August, with intent to aggrieve. It was now alleged that she administered a noxious substance to her mistress with intent to endanger her life. Mr. H. Jeffries, prosecuting, told the Bench that Mrs. Bradbury suffered from rheumatism and heart trouble, and was under the care of a doctor One charge was that last January Ford administered carbolic acid to Mrs. Bradbury, but there was no evidence to support it except the girl’s statement. In August, it was alleged she administered sulphate of copper and boracic acid, which made Mrs. Bradbury very ill and sick. Ford told Mrs. Bradbury she had a confession to make. and. -when asked what it ■was, replied, "It is something against yourself.” Mrs. Bradbury inquired if it was anything to do with her food. The girl answered. Jt was not nr«=pmV 1 .c. .. .

arsen! ment t 0 What would kill besides The police were summoned, and Ford made this voluntary statement: It is true 1 did it last night; the first & thrie°when the mUS & somewhere in the New Year. I put it m a bottle of medicine. It is still in' the mistress's room. That is where I found it. I put about a teaspoonful in. I put some in to some food Jt e thl ? Kame stufC - The mistress ate the food with the poison in it I about a dessert-spoonful in and the remainder is mmy bedroom. I got it off the scullery shelf. I gave it to her the U mil?r 3 °' u di<l U because 1 had told the mistiess all my business. I thought ; she would give me a false reference Mr. Jeffries added that a detective went with h ord to her bedroom where prisoner produced a bottle cf bluish I the U to<L” ing ’ " That iS "' hat 1 Put ! "That liquid,” Mr. Jefferies said consisted of sulphate of copper and’ boracic acid, bought by Mr. Bradbury | tor external application to a dog's ear ” I ) vhel > charged Ford stated, “I did it | 1 wanted to quieten her.” | Mrs Bradbury, in evidence, alleged I that ° n Ausust 21 she received [ some food which Ford had prepared ! I s h e noticed a peculiar taste, and! shortly after felt very sick. Witness ! declared that Ford told her she had - been administering something all the I time Prisoner challenged this state-! ment, and said the w-ords she used were; “I have done it at every I have been m except one ” Mr. Bradbury, the husband, told how i he arrived home on the last occasion I ana found his wife in a state of col-’ lapse. He declared she was very ill ; for two hours. Dr. Code Neale gave evidence that! ■while Mrs. Bradbury was in a nervous condition when he arrived, there w’as no evidence that she was suffering from poison. Large doses of sulphate of copper would, lie said, cause vomiting as well as nausea. The prosecution brought forward no evidence of administering carbolic acid apart from the alleged confession I and the Bench committed Ford for trial at Warwickshire Quarter Ses- i sions.