The trial of John Donnellan, esq. (late master of the ceremonies at the Pantheon of Oxford-Street) at the assizes holden at Warwick on Tuesday the 27th of March, 1781, before Francis Buller, esq., one of the judges of the Court of King's Bench, for the wilful murder of Sir Theodosius Boughton, bart / Taken in shorthand by a barrister at law attending the Midland Circuit.

  • Donellan, John, -1781.
Date:
[1781?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The trial of John Donnellan, esq. (late master of the ceremonies at the Pantheon of Oxford-Street) at the assizes holden at Warwick on Tuesday the 27th of March, 1781, before Francis Buller, esq., one of the judges of the Court of King's Bench, for the wilful murder of Sir Theodosius Boughton, bart / Taken in shorthand by a barrister at law attending the Midland Circuit. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    ■f ( 4° ) ^Ebotuld by chance midake any part of it. He repro¬ bated the method of inferting in news-papers reports previous to a trial, as they undoubtedly were means of prejudicing people’s minds, but he ftriCtly charged the Jury not to pay any attention to the reports they had heard but adhere to the evidence that had beta given. His Lordfhip particularly advened to the rineng of the bottles *, the dill being filled with lime the prifoner having mentioned that Sir Theodofius had got wet in the feet; the letters to Sir William Whee¬ ler, &c. and defired the Jury to find, if they could, anfwers to thofe facts* The indictment, he faid, pointed out tnat arfenic had been ufed ; that was per¬ fectly immaterial whether it was arfenic, laurel water, or any other poifon, if it appeared to them that the deceafed had been poifonea it was fufficient, the next cafe for them to confider, was, whether the priloner was the perfon who had poifoned him, and in cafes of poifon a drong chain ot circi rnftancial evidence was as full proof as could poflihiy be expefted. The Jury v/ent out of Court, and in about ter? minutes time returned with a verdiCt, That he was GUILTY. The clerk of the arraigns then afked the prifoner what he had to fay why fentence of death fhould not on receiving no aniwer, his cap, and addre/Ied him as John Donnelmn, You now Hand convicted on the cleared evidence that could be produced,of the crime of murder, which,, of all crimes next to thofe againft the date, the go¬ vernment, or the conditution, is the mod atrocious. Of all murders, poifoning is the mod horrible •, and if there may be degrees allowed in that fpecies of guilt, that of which you are now convicted furpaiTes all others of the kind that went before yours, as much as murder itfelf furpafies other crimes. The place, be palled upon him, and Lordfhip arofc, put on his follows: