pan of water gruel to Mrs. Mounteney's from Mr. Blandy's, which had
been made at his house the Sunday seven-night before his death by
himself; that she set it in the common pantry, where all the family
used to go, and observed nobody to be busy there afterwards; but on
Monday the prisoner told her she had been stirring her papa's water
gruel and eating the oatmeal out of the bottom; that she gave him a
half-pint mug of it that Monday night before he went to bed; that she
saw the prisoner take the teaspoon that was in the mug, stir it about,
and then put her fingers to the spoon, and rub them together, and then
he drank some part of it; that on Tuesday morning she did not see him
when first he came downstairs, and the first time she saw him was
between nine and ten o'clock, when Miss Blandy and he were together;
that he then said he was not well, and going to lie down; that on
Tuesday evening Robert Harman bid her warm her master some water
gruel, for he was in haste for supper; that she warmed him some of
the same, which Miss Blandy carried into the parlour, and she believes
he ate of it, for there was about half left in the morning; that she
met him that night, after the water gruel, as he was going up to bed;
as soon as he got into the room he called for a basin to reach, and
seemed to be very sick by reaching several times; the next morning
about six o'clock she carries him up his physic, when he told her he
had had a pretty good night, and was better; but he had vomited in the
night, as she judges by the basin, which she had left clean, and was
then about half-full; that on Wednesday the prisoner came into the
kitchen and said to her that as her master had taken physic he might
want water gruel, therefore she might give him the same again, and not
leave her work to make fresh, as she was busy ironing; to which she
answered that it was stale, if there was enough of it; that it would
not take much time, and she would make fresh, and accordingly did so;
that she had the evening before taken up the pan, and disliked the
taste, and thought it stale, but was now willing to taste it again;
that she put the pan to her mouth and drank some of it, and then
observed some whiteness at the bottom, and told Betty Binfield that
she never saw any oatmeal settlement so white before, whereupon Betty
Binfield looked at it, and said "Oatmeal this! I think it looks as
white as flour"; she then took it out of doors, where there was more
light, and putting her finger to the bottom of the pan, found it
gritty, upon which she recollected that she had heard that poison was
white and gritty, which made her fear this might be poison; she
therefore locked it up in a closet, and on Thursday morning carried it
to Mrs. Mounteney's, where Mr. Norton saw it. She tells you that about
six weeks before Mr. Blandy's death she was not very well herself, and
Miss Blandy then asked her what was the matter with her, and what she
had eaten or drank; to which she answered that she knew not what ailed
her, but she had taken nothing more than the rest of the family; upon
which the prisoner said to her, "Susan, have you eaten any water
gruel? For I am told it hurts me, and may hurt you." To which she
answered, "Madam, it cannot affect me, for I have eaten none." She
then mentions a conversation that Betty Binfield told her she had with
the prisoner on the same subject, but that you will hear from Betty
Binfield herself. She then tells you that on the Wednesday morning,
after she had given her master his physic, she saw Ann Emmet, the
charwoman, and said to her, "Dame, you used to be fond of water gruel;
here's a fine mess for you which my master left last night"; and
thereupon warmed it, and gave it her; that the woman sat down on a
bench in the kitchen and drank some of it, but not all, and said the
house smelt of physic, and everything tasted of physic, and she must
go out and reach before she could finish it; that she went out to the
wash-house, as she believes; that in about half an hour she followed
her, and then found her in the necessary-house reaching, and, as she
said, purging; that the old woman stayed there an hour and a half,
during which time she went frequently to her, and carried her surfeit
water; she said she was no better, and desired some fair water, upon
which she persuaded her to come into the house, but she said she was
not able without help; that then she led her in and put her in a chair
by the fire, where the coughing and reaching continued; that she
stayed in the house half an hour, and grew worse, and she thought her
in a fit or seized with death; that about nine of the clock that
morning she went up to Miss Blandy and acquainted her that her dame
had been very ill and complained that the smell of physic had made her
sick, and at the same time told her that she had eaten nothing but a
little of her master's water gruel, which could not hurt her, to which
the prisoner said, "That she was glad she was not below stairs, for
she should have been shocked to have seen her poor dame so ill." She
tells you that sometimes the prisoner talked affectionately of her
father, and at other times but middling, and called him an old villain
for using an only child so. Sometimes she wished for his long life,
and sometimes for his death, and would often say, "That she was very
awkward, and that if her father was dead she would go to Scotland and
live with Lady Cranstoun; that by her father's constitution he might
live twenty years, but sometimes would say she did not think he looked
so well." She remembers Dr. Addington being sent for on Saturday
evening, and tells you that the prisoner was not debarred going into
her father's room till Sunday night, when Mr. Norton brought her down
with him, and told this witness not to suffer any person to go into
her master's room except herself, who looked after him. That about ten
of the clock on Monday morning the prisoner came into the room after
Mr. Norton; that she then fell on her knees to her father, and said,
"Sir, banish me where you please; do with me what you please, so you
do, but forgive me; and as for Cranstoun, I will never see him, speak
to him, or write to him more as long as I live if you will forgive
me." To which the deceased made answer, "I forgive thee, my dear, and
I hope God will forgive thee; but thee shouldst have considered better
before thee attemptedst anything against thy father; thee shouldst
have considered I was thy own father." That the prisoner then said,
"Sir, as to your illness I am entirely innocent." To which the witness
replied, "Madam, I believe you must not say you are entirely innocent,
for the powder left in the water gruel and the paper of powder taken
out of the fire are now in such hands that they must be publicly
produced." The witness then told her that she believed she had herself
taken, about six weeks before, a dose in tea that was prepared for her
master. To which the prisoner answered, "I have put no powder in tea;
I have put powder in water gruel. If you have received any injury I
am entirely innocent; it was given me with another intent." The
deceased hearing this turned himself in his bed, and said, "Oh, such a
villain! Come to my house, eat of the best and drink of the best my
house could afford, should take away my life and ruin my daughter. Oh!
my dear, thee must hate that man; thee must hate the ground he goes
on; thee can'st not help it." That the prisoner replied, "Sir, your
tenderness to me is like a sword to my heart. Every word you say is
like swords piercing my heart, much worse than if you were to be ever
so angry. I must down on my knees and beg you will not curse me." To
which her father answered, "I curse thee, my dear! How shouldst think
I could curse thee? No; I bless thee, and hope God will bless thee,
and amend thy life. Do, my dear, go out of the room; say no more lest
thee shouldst say anything to thy own prejudice. Go to thy Uncle
Stevens; take him for thy friend. Poor man, I am sorry for him." And
that then the prisoner went directly out of the room. This witness
further tells you that on the Saturday before she was in the kitchen
about twelve o'clock at noon, when the prisoner having wrote the
direction of a letter to her uncle Stevens and going to the fire to
dry it, she observed her put a paper or two into the fire, and saw her
thrust them down with a stick; that Elizabeth Binfield, then putting
some fresh coals on, she believes kept the paper from being consumed,
soon after which the prisoner left the kitchen, and she herself
acquainted Betty Binfield that the prisoner had been burning
something; that Betty Binfield asked where, and the witness pointed to
the corner of the grate, whereupon Betty Binfield moved a large coal
and took out a paper and gave it to her; that it was a small piece of
paper with writing upon it, viz., "The powder to clean the pebbles,"
to the best of her remembrance. She did not read it herself, but Betty
Binfield did, and told her what it was; that about eleven or twelve
o'clock that night she delivered this paper to Betty Binfield again,
but it had never been out of her pocket till that time. She tells you
that before this, upon the same Saturday morning, she had been in her
master's room about seven o'clock to carry him something to drink, and
when he had drank it she said to him, "Sir, I have something to
communicate to you which nearly concerns your health and your family,
I believe you have got something in your water gruel that I am afraid
has hurt you, and I believe Miss Blandy put it in by her coming into
the wash-house on Monday and saying that she had been stirring her
papa's water gruel and eating the oatmeal out of it." Upon which he
said, "I find I have something not right. My head is not right as it
used to be, nor has been for some time." This witness told him that
she had found a powder in the pan, upon which he said to her, "Dost
thee know anything of this powder? Didst thee ever see any of it?" To
which she answered, "No, none but what she saw in the water gruel." He
then asked her, "Dost know where she had this powder, or canst guess?"
To which she replied, "I cannot guess anywhere, except from Mr.
Cranstoun. My reason to suspect that is, Miss Blandy has lately had
letters oftener than usual." Her master then said, "Now you mention
it, I remember when he was at my house he talked of a particular
poison they had in his country. Oh! that villain, that ever he came
into my house." She likewise told him that she had shown the powder to
Mr. Norton, but he could not tell what it was, as it was wet, but
whatever it was it ought not to be there. Her master expressed some
surprise, and said, "Mr. Norton not know! That's strange. A person so
much used to drugs." She told him Mr. Norton thought it would be
proper for him (her father) to seize her pockets with her keys and
papers. To which he said, "I cannot do it; I cannot shock her so much.
But canst not thee take out a letter or two which she may think she
has dropped by chance?" The witness told him, "No, sir, I have no
right; she is your daughter. You may do it, and nobody else." She
tells you she cannot say how long before this it was that Ann Emmet
had been sick with the tea; that Miss Blandy then sent her whey and
broth, a quart or three pints at a time, once a day or every other
day; that she herself once drank a dish of tea on a Sunday morning out
of her master's dish, which was not well relished, and she thought
somebody had been taking salts in that cup; and this was about six
weeks and three days before her master's death; that she found no ill
effect from it till after dinner that day; she had then a hardness at
her stomach, which she apprehended was from eating plentifully of
beans at dinner; that afterwards she seemed to have some indigestion,
and had a remarkable trembling upon her; that she had no other
symptoms for three days, but afterwards, for about three days more,
she was troubled with a reaching every morning. She says she tasted
the water gruel twice, once on the Tuesday, when she was mixing it for
her master, and again on the Wednesday, but found no remarkable
disorder till about two o'clock on the Wednesday morning before her
master's death, when she was seized with convulsions. She says that
her throat continued troublesome for six or seven weeks after she had
drank the tea, and continued ill for three weeks after her master's
death. She remembered once that the prisoner had a large box of linen
and some pebbles from Mr. Cranstoun in the spring, before her master's
death, and a small box of Scotch pebbles afterwards, about three
months before his death; that the prisoner showed the pebbles to many
of her acquaintance, but the witness never heard of powder to clean
them; she tells you that about a year before his death her master had
a cold, but she does not remember he was so ill as to send for the
apothecary; that he used to be equally complaining of the gravel,
gout, and heartburn for twelve years; knows nothing particular of any
complaint but the heartburn, and that he may have complained of all
the time she has lived in the house, but she is not positive.
She says the prisoner's behaviour to her father, in general, seemed to
be dutiful, but she used undutiful expressions in her passions; that
there had been no conversation between her master and the prisoner
before her asking forgiveness, but a message sent by him to her that
he was willing to forgive her if she would bring that villain to
justice; in all he said afterwards he seemed to speak of his daughter
as if he believed her innocent of any intention to hurt him, and
looked on Cranstoun as the first mover and contriver of all, and had
said, "Poor, unfortunate girl, that ever she should be led away by
such a villain to do such a thing!" She believes he thought his
daughter unacquainted with the effects of the powder; that the
prisoner during his illness kept him company and directed everything
for him as for herself; the prisoner knew her father was ill on Monday
and Tuesday nights, but would not take upon her to say that she knew
what was the cause of it, but she knew that the charwoman had been ill
on the Wednesday morning before she told the witness that the old
water gruel would serve for her father.
The next witness is Elizabeth Binfield, who tells you that she was a
servant to the deceased almost three years before his death; that he
first complained of unusual pains and prickings about a fortnight
before his death; that she has often heard the prisoner mention
walking and music that she had heard in the house; that she thought it
to be her mother; and three-quarters of a year before her master's
death the prisoner told her that the music presaged his death, and
continued talking in the same way to the time of it; that she has
often heard her say he would die before October; that the prisoner
told her that Mr. Cranstoun had informed her that a famous woman, one
Mrs. Morgan, who lived in Scotland or London, but which the witness
cannot say, had said so; that the prisoner used to appear glad when
she spoke of the prospect of her father's death, for that then she
should be released from all her fatigues and be happy. She tells you
she heard the prisoner say that her father complained of a ball of
fire in his guts before the Monday on which he took the water gruel;
she tells you that she remembers that Ann Emmet, the charwoman, was
ill about five or six weeks before this time, and that the prisoner
ordered her white wine, whey, and broth; that she herself made the
broth two or three times, two quarts at a time. She says that on
Saturday, the 10th of August, the paper was taken out of the fire by
herself, which she looks upon, and says she really believes it to be
the same which she gave to Susan Gunnell, had again from her, and then
delivered to Dr. Addington and Mr. Norton. She tells you that, when
Susan Gunnell was ill, the prisoner asked this witness if Susan had
taken any of her father's water gruel, and upon her answering, "Not
that I know," the prisoner said, "If she does, she may do for herself,
may I tell you." With this conversation she acquainted Susan Gunnell
about a month or six weeks before her master's death, in which
particular she is confirmed by Susan Gunnell. She says, further, that
she heard the prisoner say, "Who would grudge to send an old father to
hell for £10,000?" And this she introduced by talking of young girls
being kept out of their fortunes. She has heard the prisoner often
curse her father and call him rascal and villain. She says that Mr.
Cranstoun had been at her master's about three-quarters of a year
before his death, and she believes her master did not approve of his
being so much with his daughter, as she judged by his temper; but she
does not believe he debarred his daughter from keeping him company.
She says that, upon Saturday, the 10th of August, she was in the
kitchen when her master was shaving, and the prisoner was there, and
her master said he had once like to have been poisoned at a
public-house; to which the prisoner answered that she remembered it
very well. Her master said that one of the company died immediately,
the other is now dead, but it was his fortune to be poisoned at last;
and then looked hard at the prisoner, who appeared in great confusion,
and seemed all in a tremble. Her master said further that it was white
arsenic that was put into their wine. This witness then tells you that
she sat up with the prisoner the night her father died till three
o'clock, but the prisoner went to bed about one; that they had no
discourse at all of her father. But the prisoner asked her if she
would go away with her, and offered, if she would go to the Bell or
the Lion and hire a post-chaise, she would give her fifteen guineas at
getting into the chaise and ten guineas more when they got to London;
that, on the witness refusing to comply with this request, the
prisoner burst into laughter and said she was only joking. She tells
you further that she heard the prisoner tell Dr. Addington that she
had given the powder to her father before, and then it was in tea;
that she was afraid of a discovery, so flung it away, and filled the
cup up again, which Susan Gunnell drank, and was ill for a week after.
She says that upon Monday, the 5th of August, the prisoner came into
the wash-house and said that she had been in the pantry eating oatmeal
out of her father's gruel, which she little regarded then. But the
same day, in the afternoon, she saw the prisoner in the pantry, take a
teaspoon, and stir the water gruel, which was in a pan, and then
rubbed it between her fingers; that on the Tuesday evening the
prisoner came into the kitchen to her and said, "Betty, if one thing
should happen, will you go into Scotland with me?" To which she said,
"Madam, I do not know." "What," says the prisoner, "you are unwilling
to leave your friends?" To which the witness replied that, if she
should go there and not like it, it would be expensive travelling. She
says that on Monday morning, the 12th of August, she went on a message
from the prisoner to beg of her father that she might speak one word
with him, which, being granted, the prisoner went up; and that she
afterwards met the prisoner coming out of her father's room, when she
clasped the witness round the neck, burst out a-crying, and said to
her, "Susan and you are the two honestest servants in the world; you
deserve to be imaged in gold for your honesty; half my fortune will
not make you amends for your honesty to my father." She tells you that
her master had been out of order about twelve months before this time,
and that it was at the time when Susan Gunnell was ill by drinking the
tea that the prisoner cautioned her about Susan's drinking her
father's water gruel.
Dr. Addington having been appealed to by the last witness, in the
course of her evidence, is again called up, and confirms all that this
witness has said, except he does not remember the circumstance of
Susan Gunnell's being ill with the tea.
He says that the prisoner always told him she thought it an innocent
powder, but said it was impossible to express her horror that she was
the cause of her father's death, though she protested that she thought
it innocent when she gave it, for Mr. Cranstoun had assured her that
he used to take it himself, and called it a love-powder; that she had
a letter from him directing her to give it in gruel, as she had
informed him it did not mix in tea; that "for her own part she desired
life for no other purpose than only to go through a severe penance for
her sins"; that, on her being pressed by him to discover all she knew
relating to Cranstoun, her answer was that "she was fully conscious of
her own guilt, and would not add guilt to guilt, for she looked on
Cranstoun as her husband, though the ceremony had not passed between
them." He tells you further that he does not remember that she gave
him any satisfactory answer to any of the questions which he put to
her, which he has repeated to you, and which are very material ones,
but always persisted that she was entirely ignorant of the effects of
the powder till she saw them on her father; and often said, "Pray God
send it may not kill him," after he had told her, and her father too,
the danger of her father, and that he apprehended her to be undone. He
then tells you he attended Susan Gunnell, who had the same symptoms
with the deceased, but in a less degree. He also attended Ann Emmet,
who had the same symptoms, and told her that she was poisoned.
Alice Emmet is then called, who is daughter to Ann Emmet, the old
charwoman, who gives you an account that her mother was charwoman at
Mr. Blandy's in June last, in the time of hay harvest; that she was
then taken sick, was seized in the night-time with a vomiting and
purging, and this witness went in the morning to the prisoner, by her
mother's desire, and acquainted her with the condition she was in;
that the prisoner said she was sorry, and would send her something to
drink, which she did in about an hour or two afterwards.
The next witness is Mr. Littleton, who had been clerk to the deceased
about two years, and tells you he came home from his father's, in
Warwickshire, upon the 9th of August last; that the next morning the
prisoner, her father, and himself were at breakfast together; that
they stayed for the deceased some time; that when he came he appeared
to be ill and in great agony; that he had always a particular cup to
himself; that he tasted his tea and did not like it, but said it had a
gritty, bad taste, and asked the prisoner if she had not put too much
of the black stuff in it (meaning Bohea tea). The prisoner said it was
as usual. He then tasted it again and said it had a bad taste, and
looked very particularly at her. She seemed in a flurry, and walked
out of the room. The deceased then poured the tea into the oat's basin
and went away. Soon after the prisoner came into the room again, when
he told her that he thought the deceased was very ill, for that he
could not eat his breakfast; on which she asked what he had done with
it, and, upon his acquainting her that it was poured into the cat's
basin, she seemed a good deal confused; that the next day, being
Sunday, Mr. Blandy, of Kingston, came to their house, and went to
church along with him; that after they returned from church the
prisoner desired this witness to walk with her and Mr. Blandy in the
garden, when she put a letter into his hand and bid him direct it as
usual, which he understood to be to Mr. Cranstoun (having been used to
direct others before), to seal it, and put it in the post. He tells
you he had then heard so much that he opened the letter, transcribed
it, carried it to Mr. Norton, and read it to the deceased, who only
said, "Poor, love-sick girl! what won't a girl do for a man she
loves?" This letter he has now looked at, tells you that it is written
worse than usual, therefore he cannot swear whether it is her hand or
no, but he can swear it is the same she gave him. The letter itself
has been read to you, and I will make no remarks upon it. He tells you
that after Mr. Cranstoun was gone from Henley, in August 1750, he has
often heard the prisoner say that she heard music, which portended
death in the family, and sometimes thought it might be herself,
sometimes her father, because he was so much broken; that he has heard
her say death would happen before October; that he has often heard her
curse her father, damn him for a rogue and a toothless old dog, within
two months of his death and a great while before; that he has told her
himself that he thought Mr. Blandy seemed broken, upon which she said
she thought so too, and that the music portended his death.
Robert Harman is called next, who tells you that he was servant to Mr.
Blandy at the time of his death; that the night his master died the
prisoner asked him where he should live next, on which he told her he
did not know; and she then asked him if he would go away with her,
and, upon his saying he did not care to do so, she told him no hurt
would come to him, but it would be £500 in his way, and wanted him to
go away then immediately. He says the prisoner behaved well to her
father and all the family, as far as he knows, and never heard her
swear about her father.
The next witness is Richard Fisher, who was one of the jury on
inspection of the body of the deceased. On Thursday, the 15th of
August, he was informed that Miss Blandy was gone over Henley Bridge,
and went to her at the Angel. When he came into the room he told her
he was sorry for her misfortune, and asked her if she would not be
glad to go home again. She said she should, but could not get through
the mob, upon which he got a covered post-chaise and carried her home.
As they were going she asked him if she was to go to Oxford that
night; that he told her he believed not. When he brought her to her
father's house he delivered her up to the constable; that after this
he was upon the jury, and when he went to her again she asked him how
it was likely to go with her, upon which he told her he was afraid
very hardly, unless she could produce letters or papers of consequence
to bring Cranstoun to justice. Upon which she said, "Dear Mr. Fisher,
I have burnt those letters that would have brought him to justice,"
and gave a key out of her pocket to search a drawer for letters; but
none being found, she said, "My honour to him (meaning Cranstoun) will
prove my ruin."
Mrs. Lane is then called, who says she went to the Angel along with
her husband, when the prisoner was there. The first word she heard her
husband say was, if she was guilty she would suffer according to law;
upon which the prisoner stamped on the ground, and the first thing she
heard her say was, "O that damned villain!" then paused a little and
went on again, "But why do I blame him? I am more to blame myself, for
it was I gave it him, and know the consequence." Upon being asked
whether she said "I knew" or "I know," the witness tells you that she
will not be positive which, but the prisoner was in a sort of agony;
whichever way it was, it may make some little difference, but nothing
material.
Mr. Lane, the husband of the last witness, is then called, and tells
you that he went into the room before his wife; that the prisoner rose
and met him, told him he was a stranger to her, but, as he appeared
like a gentleman, she asked him what they would do with her; that he
told her she would be committed to the county gaol, and tried at the
assizes; if her innocence appeared she would be acquitted, if not, she
would suffer accordingly. Upon which she stamped with her foot and
said, "O that damned villain! But why do I blame him? I am more to
blame"; that then Mr. Littleton came in, which took off his attention;
that he did not hear what followed so as to be able to give an account
of it.