w with her two children, and a third, which
it would be idle affectation to suggest was the offspring of her late
husband, went to reside at St. Neots in a cottage rented at about L8 a
year. The prisoner wrote to Annie Holmes on at least two occasions.

Towards the close of the year Annie Holmes suspected herself to be
pregnant. She was anxious not to bring another child into the world,
and had some communication with the prisoner on the subject.

On January 5 he wrote to her that he would come and make some
arrangement. The woman was deceived as to her condition, but that made
no difference with regard to the crime. The letter went on to state:
"You must remember I paid you for what I done.... Don't write any more
letters, for I don't want Bessie to know."

On December 28 he purchased from a chemist to whom he was a stranger,
and who lived at Thrapston, a quantity of poison, alleging that he
wanted to poison rats. Prisoner called in a gentleman as a reference
to his respectability, as the chemist had refused to sell him the
poison without. At last a small parcel was supplied. It was entered in
a book with the prisoner's name, and he signed the book, as did also
the gentleman who was his introducer. The poison was strychnine,
arsenic, prussic acid, and carbolic acid. No less than 90 grains of
strychnine were supplied. He had written to say he would come over on
the Friday which followed January 5. There is no reason to suppose he
did not fulfil his promise. On the Friday the woman was suffering from
neuralgia. In the evening, however, she was in her usual health and
spirits, and did her ironing up to eight o'clock. She went to bed
between half-past nine and ten, and took with her a tumbler of water.
In ten minutes the little girl and her brother went upstairs. They
went to the mother, who was in bed with her child. The tumbler was
nearly empty. The mother asked for a "sweet," which the little girl
gave. After this Annie got into bed; the mother began to twitch her
arms and legs, and seemed in great pain. Dr. Turner was sent for, as
she got worse. His assistant, Dr. Anderson, came, and, watching the
patient, noticed that the symptoms were those of strychnine poisoning.
She was dying. Before he could get to the surgery and return with an
antidote the woman was dead. She who had been well at half-past nine
was dead before eleven!

The police were communicated with, and a constable searched the house.
Turning up the val