Coroner’s Inquests 1865 Cases
There were 73 cases in 1865, presented in five sub-pages.
William Storer poisoned Emily Blake, the daughter of a druggist he was assistant to, and in whose house he also lodged. His suite to the daughter of the house was refused by the parents, who seemingly discerned something wrong with this young man, who left behind with Emily a packet of pills she was told by him to take for an illness he apparently had convinced her she had. The pills contained strychnine, from which she died. A subsequent back-story of Storer conning his way into working with various chemists in southern England, and thereby procuring the drugs, told of inherent evil cunning.
When William Storer was arrested, he was kept in remand at Fisherton gaol, where, unfortunately for the processes of justice, prisoners were allowed to take a bath unaccompanied, with full control of the amount of water in the bath!
As Ann Clark lay painfully dying in an upstairs bedroom at Trowbridge, her 12 year old daughter came up and gave her a looking-glass. The woman looked into it and said, “I do look like somebody there; I do look as if I was dying. I can see heaven and hell, and lots of people I do know.” “Mother,” said the child, innocently, “who do you see in heaven?” “Our Sarah and father,” said the dying woman. “Who do you see in hell?” continued the child. “No one,” said the mother, “hell is going away from me. I am now going to give out a hymn, and mind you sing.”
Another extraordinary story is that of the round of deaths in the Watts family, resident in the Melksham Forest area. Some time before, the father was taken ill, died, and was buried. On the return of the mourners from the funeral they found the mother dead. She was buried, and on the return of the sorrowing relatives from the grave they found the daughter dead. Then, at the time of this case, a surviving son died, and on receipt of the news, his sister Jane Watts died.
Unknown female infant – West Grimstead
Stevenson, Horatio – Chippenham
Stevens, Elizabeth – Trowbridge
Alexander, William – Marlborough
Witchell, William – Durrington
Goddard, Emily – Donhead St Mary
Hardiman, John – Teffont Magna
Hulbert, Geofford – Stanton St Quinton
Merritt, Sarah – Orcheston St Mary
Baldwin, John – Wootton Bassett
Candy, Moses – Steeple Langford
Unknown female infant – Chippenham
Howell, Louisa – Maiden Bradley
Lawrence, William – Wootton Bassett
Guttrell, Richard – Fonthill Bishop
Mullens, John – Winterbourne Earls
Cleaver, Henry – Market Lavington
Dowdell, Thomas – Fisherton Delamere
Chapman, Frederick – Trowbridge
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Wiltshire Coroner's Inquests 1801-1920 