Mr. Baron Alderson.—“Did the animal bolt it or bite it?”
Witness.—“I opened the mouth and put it into the throat. About half an hour elapsed before the symptoms appeared in one case in which half a grain had been given. In another case death took place within thirteen minutes. I have noticed twitching of the ears, difficulty of breathing, and other premonitory symptoms. There are little variations in the order in which the symptoms occur. I have known frequent instances in which an animal has died in the first paroxysm. I heard the evidence of Mrs. Smyth’s death, and I was surprised at her having got out of bed when the servant answered the bell. It is not consistent with the cases I have seen. That fact does not shake my opinion. I have no doubt that Mrs. Smyth died from strychnia. Cook’s sitting up in bed and asking Jones to ring the bell is inconsistent with what I have observed in strychnia cases.”
Question.—“If a man’s breath is hurried, is it not natural for him to sit up?”
Answer.—“It is. I have seen cases of recovery of human subjects after taking strychnia. There is a great uniformity in its effects; that is, in their main features, but there is a small variation as to the time in which they are produced.”
Question.—“What do you attribute Cook’s death to?”
Answer.—“It is irreconcileable with everything with which I am acquainted.”
Question.—“Is it reconcileable with any known disease you have ever seen or heard of?”
Answer.—“No.”[58]
Re-examined by Mr. Serjeant Shee.—“We are learning new facts every day, and I do not at present conceive it to be impossible that some peculiarity of the spinal cord, unrecognisable at the examination after death, may have produced symptoms like those which have been described. I, of course, include strychnia in my answer, but it is irreconcileable with everything I have seen or heard of. It is as irreconcileable with everything else; it is irreconcileable with every disease that I am acquainted with, natural or artificial. Touching an animal during the premonitory symptoms will bring on a paroxysm. Vomiting is inconsistent with strychnia. The Romsey case was an exceptional one, from the quantity of the dose. The ringing of the bell would have produced a paroxysm. I am still of opinion that the evidence I gave on the trial in 1851 is correct. I am not aware that there is any ground for an imputation upon me in respect of that evidence. I have no reason to think Government was dissatisfied with me. I have been since employed in prosecutions, where I very much think the Crown was the prosecutor. After that case Dr. Pereira came to my laboratory, and asked me, as an act of mercy, to write a letter to him to show to the Home Office, admitting the possibility of the poison which I found in the stomach having been administered longer than four hours before death. I wrote the letter, drawing a distinction between what was possible and probable, and the woman was transported for life.”