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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    ( *3 ) accounted for? By what ingenuity ? What glofs can be put over this tranfa&ion ? How can it be reconciled to any poffiBle idea of innocence ? Nay, that is not all, he made the fervant who came up ' and who, unfortu- nately is dead fince, therefore we fhall lofe the benefit of her evidence upon this profecution, but in fome mea- lure it wi 1 be fupplied: while this young man was laying in the agonies of death, take down the bottle, and in- filled upon her taking away the dirty things, and clean- ing the room •, to this Lady Boughton objected, (he begged every thing might be fullered to continue jult in the Hate in which it was till Powell the apothecary came there. The prifoner Donellan was warm upon the occafion, he infilled upon it, andprelfed the woman to take them down; he prevailed, the room was cleared, the bottles removed, and every circumltance that could lead to fufpicion was taken away. Gentlemen. When Mr. Powell came, obferve what was the prifoner’s condudl.— When Mr. Powell, the apothecary, was Ihewn into the room, inllead of the prifoner enquiring what medicine he had fent, inllead of his making any obfei vation upon the effedl of the medicine, not a word is faid to the apothecary, not an exprelbon is made ufe of that the draught could by the moll dillant probability have occafioned the horrid litu- ation in which he was then lying, but the prifoner, upon the contrary, took great pains to explain to Mr. Pov/ell that Sir Theodofius Boughton had taken a cold, that he had been out late the night before filliing, and that .that cold had occafioned his death. Mr. Powell was differed by the prifoner to depart from the houfe without having the quellion put to him about the medi- cine, and without having the bottle fhewn to him, without having any means ufed of explaining or clearing up his own conduct relative to the medicine which had produced thefe fatal effedls ; that is a circumltance, that if