THE HORSFORD CASE
TOWARDS the close of the year 1897, a Mrs. Holmes, a widow, was living
with her three children at Stoneley, near Kimbolton. She had a cousin
named Walter Horsford, a well-to-do young farmer who occupied a farm at
Spaldwick about twelve miles away, and who frequently came to Stoneley
to visit her.
A romantic attachment eventually sprang up between them, which resulted
in a too intimate acquaintance.
After a while Horsford's affection began to wane, and in the end he
married another lady.
Shortly afterwards Mrs. Holmes left Stoneley and took up her residence
at St. Neots.
About December of the same year she wrote a letter to Horsford,
informing him of her condition, a piece of news which appears to have
greatly upset him, as he was in fear the information might reach his
wife.
On December 28 he called at a chemist's shop in Thrapstone, a
neighbouring town, and asked for a shilling's worth of strychnine, some
prussic acid, arsenic, and carbolic acid, which he stated he required
for poisoning rats. The chemist, to whom he was a stranger, requested
him to bring a witness, which he did, and the chemist's poison register
was duly signed by Horsford and a man who introduced him. He took the
poisons, which consisted of ninety grains of strychnine, one pound of
arsenic, and some prussic acid and carbolic acid, away with him.
About a week afterwards Mrs. Holmes received a letter from Horsford. It
was taken in by her daughter, who recognised his handwriting, and the
envelope is also supposed to have contained two packets of strychnine.
On the evening of January 7, 1898, Mrs. Holmes retired to bed,
apparently in her usual health, about half-past nine. The only other
persons in the house were her daughter Annie, her son Percy, and her
infant. The daughter noticed that her mother took a glass of water
upstairs with her, which was an unusual circumstance. On going to her
mother's bedroom shortly afterwards, she found her suffering great
pain, and she saw the glass, now almost empty, standing on a chest of
drawers.
Percy Holmes ran out and called in the assistance of some neighbours,
and then went for a doctor. When medical aid arrived, the unfortunate
woman was in convulsions and died shortly afterwards.
The day after her death the police searched the house, but failed to
find any trace of poison, and an inquest was held on January 8, which
Horsford was summoned to attend.
In his evidence before the coroner, he swore that he had neither
written to nor seen the deceased woman. The medical evidence proved
that death was caused by strychnine.
The inquest was adjourned for a week, and in the meanwhile Mrs.
Holmes was buried. From information received by the police, a further
search was made in the house, with the result that two packets were
discovered under the feather bed in Mrs. Holmes' bedroom. One packet of
buff-coloured paper was found to contain about thirty-three grains of
strychnine in powder, on which was written the words, "One dose. Take
as told," in Horsford's handwriting. On the second packet, the contents
of which had been used, was written, "Take in a little water. It is
quite harmless." This was also in Horsford's handwriting.
On January 10, Walter Horsford was arrested on the charge of perjury
committed at the inquest, and it was resolved to have another
examination made of the body of the deceased woman. On examination of
further documents and letters discovered by the police, the charge of
wilful murder was added to corrupt perjury against Horsford, and he was
committed for trial.
The trial took place on June 2, 1898, at Huntingdon, before Mr. Justice
Hawkins.
Dr. Stevenson stated in his evidence, he first made an analysis of a
portion of the body of Mrs. Holmes on January 19, and extracted 1·31
grain of strychnine, but no other poison. Subsequently he examined
the two packets discovered under the bed, and found one contained 33¾
grains of powdered strychnine, and the other, which presented the
appearance of having had the powder shaken out, a few minute crystals
of strychnine. In each case it was the pure alkaloid. The body was
exhumed nineteen days after death, and he then made an analysis of all
the chief organs, and obtained therefrom a total quantity of 3·69
grains of strychnine. Death usually occurred about half an hour after
the commencement of the symptoms. He judged there could not have been
less than ten grains of strychnine in the body at the time of death.
The jury found Walter Horsford guilty, and he was sentenced to death.