The proceedings at large on the trial of John Donellan, Esq. for the wilful murder (by poison) of Sir the Edward Allesley Boughton, Bart., late of Lawford-Hall, in the county of Warwick tried before Mr. Justice Buller of the assizes at Warwick, on Friday the 30th day of March, 1781 / Taken in short-hand by permission of the judge by W. Blanchard.

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

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The proceedings at large on the trial of John Donellan, Esq. for the wilful murder (by poison) of Sir the Edward Allesley Boughton, Bart., late of Lawford-Hall, in the county of Warwick tried before Mr. Justice Buller of the assizes at Warwick, on Friday the 30th day of March, 1781 / Taken in short-hand by permission of the judge by W. Blanchard. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    to the fervnr.t, he conceived it to be necefiary to make fome excufe and fome apology for his ftiil, and there- fore he made that excufe. Lady Boughton when fhe returned again into the room to her Ion. was {truck with furprize and aftonifh- ment at the fituation in which he lay, and {lie imme- diately aifpatched a.fervantfor Mr. Powell, the apo- thecary, and for Mr. Donellan. The prifoner Donelian arrived firlt, and here let me beg your attention to his conduct and behaviour. Upon coming into the room, the moment he entered. Lady Boughton, who imputed the death and the fituation of her fon to the draught that he had fwallowcd, immediately laid to Mr. Donellan, good God ! what medicine can Mr. Powell have lent ? I am fatisfird it would have killed a dog if he nad {'wallowed r. Upon that, the prifoner anlwers, why the Devil did Mr. Powell fend luch a me- dicine !—Where is the bottle ?—She pointed to it as it was {landing upon the mantle-piece. The prifoner took the bottle down immediately, poured water into the bottle, he {hook it, he rinced it, and he threw the contents of it into a balon of dirty water that was {landing in the room. Lady Boughton, aftonifhed at his conduit, remonftrated at it, and faid, good God ! what are you doing ? Let every thing remain juft in the fituation in which it is, kill Mr. Powell, the apo- thecary, arrives. For God’s fake, don’t touch the bottle ! The prifoner, notwithftanding that remon- ftrance, fearing left by accident he might have taken up the wrong bottle, reaches down the other from the fhelf, pours water into that fecond bottle; foe you will learn that there never were but two draughts of this fort fent by Mr. Powell. Fearing, therefore, he might have miftaken the bottle, as both had labels upon them, he takes the fecond bottle and pours water into that, he rinces it well, and throws the contents of that alfo’into a bafon of dirty water. How is this to be accounted