[List-Cumbria] Carlisle Patriot, 28 Sep 1816 - Lancaster Assizes - Murders

[Petra Mitchinson]

Saturday 28 Sep 1816   (p. 4, col. 5-6)

 

LANCASTER ASSIZES.-Atrocious Murders. 

 

Susannah HOLROYD was put to the bar, charged with three murders-with the wilful murder of her husband, at Ashton-under-Line, by
administering poison to him on the 15th day of April, of which he died on the 18th; as also with the murder of her own son, a boy of
eight years of age, by the same means; and of Ann NEWTON, an infant of about 15 weeks old, by the same means, and on the same
occasion. 

 

Mr. CROSS, Counsel for the prosecution, stated the law applicable to this case to the Jury, and gave an outline of the evidence by
which the charge was supported. The deceased, Matthew HOLROYD, followed the trade of a weaver, and had the misfortune not to live on
good terms with his wife, the prisoner at the bar, by whom he had three children, the last of whom was mentioned in the present
indictment. The prisoner was in the habit of nursing illegitimate children, one of whom likewise she was now charged with murdering.
About a month before she exercised this unrelenting cruelty, she had a very extraordinary conversation with the mother of this
infant, who resided in the house with her. She told Mary NEWTON that she had had her fortune read, and that in the course of one
week, and within six weeks from the period on which she was speaking, three funerals would go from her door. One of the destined
victims was her husband, another her son, and the third the child of the person to whom she was addressing herself. She did not
delay her purpose, however, till the six weeks of the fortune-teller had expired; for in about a month afterwards she went to a
chymist's shop and purchased an ounce and a half of arsenic to fulfil the prophecy. This happened on Saturday, the 13th of April, or
Easter-eve. Next morning her husband had some coffee for his breakfast, and soon after became ill. To restore him, she prepared him
some water-gruel, and in it she mixed the poison. The wretched man immediately felt that the gruel had an uncommon taste, and
refused at first to drink it; but she urged him so strongly, by telling him that "it was the last gruel ever she would prepare him,"
that he complied with her entreaties, not knowing the enigma hid under these expressions. As he grew worse, she called in medical
assistance, the better to allay suspicion, and was intrusted by the medical man with the remedies to be administered; but she
refused to administer them, saying, it was no use, for "her husband would die." After the death of the deceased, the prisoner was
taken into custody, and before the Coroner made a full confession of the murder, which, as it was signed by her, would be given in
evidence. 

 

John TAYLOR, a chymist at Ashton-under-Lyne, proved that he sold an ounce and a half of arsenic (or mercury, as the common people
call it), to the prisoner, for destroying rats and mice; that he refused at first to sell any, unless the prisoner, would bring a
neighbour along with her, to vouch for the purpose for which it was to be applied; and that on such attestation, he sold the
quantity in question. 

 

Mary NEWTON had lodged with the prisoner for ten or eleven weeks previous to the murders, and had her child Ann NEWTON, about 15
weeks old, in the house with her. She remembered Matthew HOLROYD becoming ill on the 14th of April, and he complained of a fire or a
burning pain in his stomach. His son sickened about the same time. When his wife gave him the gruel, the witness heard him say,
"Susy, you have put pepper in this gruel;" which she denied, and he persisted in declaring. She threatened him with cooking no more
for him while he lived, if he did not drink it. He died on the Friday morning at six o'clock, after a week of severe agony; and his
son survived him only six hours. The child of the witness, which was under the care of the prisoner when witness went out to work,
died on the Tuesday at six o'clock in the evening, with violent retchings, convulsions, and vomiting, like the husband and son of
the prisoner. This witness recounted the story of the fortune-telling, as stated above. There were no rats or mice in the house to
justify the purchase of arsenic. 

 

John SWINDELS, who practises medicine at Ashton-under-Lyne, deposed, that he was sent for by the prisoner to her husband; that he
complained of violent pains in the stomach; that he gave him an emetic, which relieved him a little; but that he gave over his
visits when the prisoner refused to administer his prescriptions. 

 

Samuel NEWTON, a constable, presented to the Court the confession of the prisoner before the Coroner, stating that no threat,
promise, or allurement was held out to her to induce her to make it; but that on the contrary, she was warned not to criminate
herself, and told that every thing she said might be given in evidence against her on her trial. The confession was read and
acknowledged the murder in the most unreserved manner. 

 

Thomas OGDEN, a surgeon at Ashton, was called at the inquisition taken on the body. He examined the stomach, which was inflamed
nearly over its whole extent, and in one place the inflammation had amounted to gangrene. There was a quantity of fluid on the
stomach, which he analyzed, and in the analysis detected arsenic. He had no doubt that inflammation was the cause of death, and the
arsenic the cause of the inflammation. 

 

The Judge summed up the evidence, which seemed very clear, and the Jury returned a verdict of guilty. 

 

The Judge immediately pronounced the awful sentence of the law, that Susannah HOLROYD, being convicted of so atrocious a crime,
should be hanged on Monday, and her body given for dissection. The prisoner, who had continued during the whole of her trial
apparently insensible to her awful situation, and had even heard the word guilty without betraying any symptoms of emotion; seemed
impressed with the solemn formalities and moving address that accompanied the delivery of her sentence. 

 

Execution.-This wretched woman appeared upon the platform of the new drop, behind Lancaster Castle, a few minutes after twelve
o'clock on Monday the 16th; and shortly afterwards underwent the fatal punishment to which she had been sentenced. It was not until
the morning of the execution that she appeared sensible of her awful situation. A female convict attended her during prayer, and on
the platform her appearance then was weak and dejected, and her behaviour suitable to the awful situation. She acknowledged the
justness of her sentence. After hanging the usual time the body was taken down, and delivered to the surgeons for dissection. She
was a native of Halifax. The horrid depravity of the woman was so great that eleven individuals are enumerated as having been
deprived of life by her means, from poison, since the year 1814, several of whom were children entrusted to her care, to nurse, the
others consisted of her own family. 

 

 

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