<h2>CHAPTER VIII</h2>
<p class="center"><small>THE CASE OF MADELINE SMITH</small></p>
<p><span class="smcap">The</span> case of Madeline Smith,
who was charged with causing
the death of L'Angelier by the
administration of arsenic at
Glasgow, in 1857, excited universal
interest. Owing to the
social position of the lady, the
trial was a <em>cause célèbre</em> of the
time, and the circumstances of
the case were of an extraordinary
character. Miss Smith,
who was a young and accomplished
woman at that time,
and who resided in a fashionable
quarter of Glasgow, got
entangled with a French clerk
named Pierre Emile L'Angelier.
L'Angelier died very suddenly
in an unaccountable manner,
and suspicion falling on Madeline
Smith, who was frequently in
his company, she was arrested
and charged with the crime.
The Crown case was, that she
poisoned her lover that she
might be betrothed to a personage
of high social standing.
That L'Angelier died on March 23
from the effects of arsenic was
amply proved, but while suspicious
acts were alleged against
the accused woman, no direct
evidence was adduced to show
that she administered the drug.
The worst point against her was
the fact of her having possession
of the poison; and, irrespective
of two previous purchases of
coloured arsenic for which she
had given false reasons, it was
proved that the accused had
purchased one ounce, as she
said, "to kill rats," on March 18,
only five days before the death
of L'Angelier. The arsenic sold
was coloured with indigo, according
to the Act of Parliament.
When charged with the
crime, and required to account
for the poison, she replied she
had used the whole of it to apply
to her face, arms, and neck,
diluted with water, and that a
school companion had told her
that arsenic was good for the
complexion. From the post-mortem
examination and subsequent
analysis <em>eighty-eight</em> grains
of arsenic were found in the
stomach and its contents. Dr.
Christison, the greatest toxicological
expert of the time,
was called, and stated he knew
of no case in which so much as
eighty-eight grains of arsenic
had been found in the stomach
after death.</p>
<p>This was made a turning-point<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_54" id="Page_54">54</SPAN></span>
of the defence, and it was
contended that so large a dose
of arsenic could not have been
swallowed unknowingly, and,
therefore, suicide was indicated.
The jury accepting this view of
the case, returned a verdict of
"not proven," and Madeline
Smith was liberated, the trial
having lasted ten days.</p>
<p>Some interesting particulars
concerning the subsequent life
of this lady were published some
time ago. After the trial she
decided to go abroad; but before
starting she is said to have
married a certain mysterious
individual named Dr. Tudor
Hora. With him she lived for
many years in Perth, but few
people ever saw her, and the
doctor always declined to divulge
his wife's maiden name.
He kept a small surgery, and is
said to have been in receipt of
about £400 a year from an
unnamed source. Some years
after, believing that his wife had
been recognized, he bought a
practice at Hotham, near Melbourne,
and they sailed for
Australia. Shortly after their
arrival, Mrs. Hora left her husband,
and remained absent from
Melbourne until his death. Soon
afterwards she married again,
but it is said her second union
was not by any means a happy
one. She remained unknown,
and sought no society. She
was an excellent musician, and
spent most of her time in reading
and playing. She had no
children, and died at the age
of fifty-five.</p>
<p>Six years after the trial of
Madeline Smith a case was tried
at the Chester Assizes, in which
a woman named Hewitt or
Holt was charged with poisoning
her mother. Although the
symptoms of irritant poisoning
were very clearly marked, the
country practitioner, who
attended the woman at the
time, certified that the cause
of her death was gastro-enteritis.
Eleven weeks after she had been
buried, the body was exhumed
and examined. An analysis
revealed the presence of one
hundred and fifty-four grains
of arsenic in the stomach alone.
The possession of a considerable
quantity of arsenic was brought
home to the accused, and also
direct evidence of its administration,
and she was found
guilty. This case is interesting
from the fact of proof being
obtained of the administration
of so large a quantity of arsenic,
and if it had occurred before
the trial of Madeline Smith it
might have demolished her
counsel's main line of defence.</p>
<hr class="chap" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_55" id="Page_55">55</SPAN></span></p>
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