The Great Pimlico Mystery.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5608, 3 May 1886, Page 3

The Great Pimlico Mystery.

• THE REV GEORGE DYSON'S EXTRAORDINARY EVIDENCE. MAKING A CLEAN BREAST OF IT. In this remarkable case, briefly outlined in Saturday's issue, the statement made on oath by the Rev George Dyson, a young Wesleyan minister, who had expressed his intention to " make a clean breast of it," was to the following effect : — He Baid he first became acquainted with Mr Bartlett about twelve months ago. He first saw him sitting as one of the congregation of a chapel of which witness had charge. He called upon him personally. He did not see Mr and Mrs Bartlett after his first visit for six months. They did not attend his chapel regularly. He renewed his acquaintance with Mr and Mrß Bartlett last June. He then called upon them at their request and took tea with them. The health of the deceased at the time was very good. He was asked to call more often on them. After witness* return from Dublin, where he took his degree, Mr Bartlett asked him to ABBIBT HIS WIPE IN HEB STUDIES, which he did. Eventually he became very intimate with Mr and Mrs Bartlett. While staying at Dover deceased paid witnesß a visit to Putney, and there told him that he had made witness an executor of his will. Deceased aIBO told witness that he had left his property to his wife. While Mr Bartlett was living at Claverton street he purchased a season ticket for witness to enable him to visit them frequently at Dover in order that he might continue the etudieß of Mrß Bartlett. Witness visited Mr Bartlett on Dec. 29. On Sunday night previously, when he went to Claverton street, and tho servant opened the door, Mrs Bartlett came out with letters to post. She asked him whether he would GHT BOMB CHLOROFORM FOR HER. She stated that during former sicknesses of Mr Bartlett, when she had nursed him for weeks as now, and felt herself breaking down for want of sleep, she had been accustomed to use chloroform externally to quiet him. She said that she required some again now. The lady nurse from whom she had been accustomed to obtain it had gone to America, and she knew of no other way of getting it, except through witness. Mrs Bartlett gave him to understand that she nursed the deceased alone, without any doctor. Mrs Bartlett told hiip she had a medicine- chest, and a very considerable knowledge of drugß. Witness asked Mrs Bartlett what amount of chloroform she would require. She said it , waa a very volatile subatance, and was -. quickly nsed up, and he had better get a , medicine draught-bottle full. Witness i promised Mrs Bartlett that he would try j to get chloroform in the neighbourhood in : which he lived. He put the whole into a draught bottle, which was about two-thirds ■ full. He put a chloroform label upon it, j and gave it to Mrs Bartlett on Dec. 29, ! when they were out for a walk. Witness i used to take Mrs Bartlett on the Embank- • ment at deceased's request. When he gave the chloroform to Mrs Bartlett, he asked her whether it would do, and she said it | would. On the previous Sunday night, when Mrs Bartlett asked him to get the , chloroform, witness asked her to obtain it ! from the doctor. She replied that j THI DOCTOR DID NOT KNOW j that she nursed her husband, and could ; not understand that she could use chloro- I form. A few bottles were here produced, and witness selected a 6oz bottle, which he said was two-thirds full. He did not tell Mr Bartlett when he Baw him that his wife had got tho chloroform. Witnesß next saw them on the Wednesday, and deceased then seemed fairly well. He saxd ta Hr Bartlett that he wished to see Mrs Bartlett and apologise to her for some words he said on the previous night about getting a nurse for Mr Bartlett. The effect of the words he said to Mrs Bartlett was that it would be hotter for her in the eyes of all people if Bhe had a separate person to nurse her huaband. She said witness distrusted her, but he repudiated that. He saw Mr and

] Mrs Bartlett on Thursday about halfpast two, and remained two hours, ! and Mr Bartlett was then in good health. .' Deceased askedhimtofetchDr Leach. After j the doctor's visit Mrs Bartlett told witness J that necrosis of the jaw had set in. He \ heard that Mr Bartlett waa dead on the j Friday evening. Mrs Bartlett informed ; him by letter, «&nd asked him to call on j Saturday morning. Witness continued : I called at 11 o'clock, and Mrs Bartlett ' asked me if I thought the death was . sudden. I said I thought it was start i lingly sudden. She then gave me an acoount of how she found him, which was as nearly as possible the same as that given to Mr Leach. On Jan. 1, the day of the post-mortem, I said to Mrs Bartlett, "WHAT HAVE TOU DONE WITH TJHE CHLOROFORM ? " and Mrs Bartlett said, "Oh, the chloroform." On Saturday night, when I was taking Mrs Bartlett to Mrs Matthews (a friend), I asked her, "Where is the chloroform f " She replied, " I never used it. This is a very critical time for me, and yon must not worry me with questions. Put away from your mind the fact that I ever had a medicine chest, and that you gave me the chloroform." I told her that ■ I should see the doctor on Monday. When [ I bow her on Monday I asked her point j blank, ** What have you done with the chloroform?" She stamped round the room, and seemed in a great rage. Mrs Bartlett subsequently asked me if anything had been found in the stomach, and I said, "A few drops of chlorodyne or chloroform." She asked me to tell her exactly what the doctor said as to what had been found in the stomach. I Baid I could not be quite sure. I told her that I should make a clean breast at once that I purchased the chloroform. She said, " THEN TOU BUSrECT HE ? " Witness Btated that he was silent, for the reason that he could not say one way or the other. He understood Bartlett was a dyiDg man, and on the strength of that he had bought the chloroform. On being pressed for an explanation of this statement 5 the witness Baid on his first visit to Claverton street he asked her why it waa her husband was so evidently desirous to throw them together as he had done. She tcld him as she had told him before that he had no friends, that people misunderstood her, that her husband for the past five years had been suffering from an internal affliction, that the disease had risen to a climax on threo separate occasions, during which, with the exception of the first, she had nursed and doctored him herself. After the inquest he had a long conversation with her. He mentioned the fact that the contents of the stomach had a pungent odour, and said she had not given him a satisfa3tory explanation. He again asked her what had become of the chloroform. He repeated that he should make a clean breast of it, and she said, " If you do not criminate me I will not criminate you." He told her he was not afraid to stand by the truth with regard to himself. On the Saturday following he called upon Mr Matthews at his place of business and met Mrs Bartlett there. They all returned to Mr Matthews' house, and he there had a conversation with reference to the chloroform. He asked where the bottle was, and she replied that she had poured the chloroform out when she was in the train on the previous Wednesday night, and had thrown the bottle away. That was the last time he had spoken to Mrs Bartlett. HE HAD HEARD KB BARTLETT SPEAK IN A PECULIAR JHANNER IN REFERENCE TO KATRIKONT. He asked the witness if monogamy was especially laid down in the Bible. The witness replied that the whole tenor of the Book was in favour of it, and did not agree with Bartlett that a man should have two wives. He had never requested them to kiss in his presence, but witness had kißsed Mrs Bartlett in the presence of her husband. Mrs Bartlett had never told him that her husband had given her to the witness to take at his death. Mrs Bartlett had never told him that she had never had intercourse, with her husband. He had had expectations of marrying Mrs Bartlett at the death of her husband, and the matter was talked about in the presence of Mr Bartlett.