The Fishtoft, Boston, arsenic poisoning 1875

The Boston Sessions (in a hearing which lasted seven hours)

Ellen Green and John Bonnett were brought before magistrates charged with wilfully causing the murder of Ellen’s husband Thomas Green, by arsenic poisoning.

Forensics

There were huge quantities of arsenic in Thomas’s liver, kidneys, stomach, spleen and pancreas.

Fragments of paper and also a water bottle were found to have contained arsenic. There was arsenic in the kettle.

The arsenic in the large cup of tea would have been sufficient to destroy Thomas’ life.

Sarah Stopper

At Boston Sessions House, Sarah Stopper told how she worked for her sister and on arriving at her cottage to start the ironing she found her sister, Ellen, Ellen’s husband Thomas and son George all ill vomiting. Ellen sent Sarah for the doctor. Sarah stated that her sister and husband lived happily together.

Ellen was telling people there must have been something wrong with the tea to make them sick.

Esmeranda Rowson deposed that she had seen the Green family who were all 3 of them, quite ill being sick. She had seen Ellen in the company of John Bonnett on previous occasions. Ellen was very sick on the afternoon and night of May 13^th.

George Green

George deposed that he had breakfast with his father. He had part of a small cup of tea, his father had one and a half large cups and his mother part of a small cup but she told George not to drink any more because there was something wrong with it.  They started being sick at about the same time and Thomas died a few days later on May 17^th 1875. George said that his mother often left the tea kettle outside the cottage at night by the water pump.

Dr Tuxford stated that he gave Thomas and George some emetics but he did not give Ellen any as she presented no symptoms. The doctor felt that Thomas had ingested some poisonous irritant. When Thomas died, Dr Tuxford did a post mortem and found the stomach was symptomatic of arsenic poisoning. The water in the kettle was full of arsenic. Ellen told him she had been sick but she had no symptoms and so he did not attend to her.

Thomas Green (the deceased)

During his last few days Thomas declared, “I am done. They have done for me.”

“I can’t understand how I could be poisoned on my own premises. I hope the right party will be found out and justly punished for what they have done for me.”

John Ostler, neighbour deposed that he had spoken to Ellen who told people that she often left the kettle outside at night by the water pump and there must have been arsenic put into the pump nozzle. He said the Green’s had had some arsenic a few months previously to get rid of mice.

Frederick Swain testified that Thomas Green when asked by his wife for a kiss, several times refused to kiss her but then did kiss her.  Frederick said that he had seen Ellen and John Bonnett together on steam boat rides in Boston while Thomas looked on drunk

Police Sgt Henson of Skirbeck took a statement from Ellen on her way to Spalding gaol.

“I saw my husband take a small parcel about two inches long and one thick out of the cupboard a few days before this happened. He said to me, “This stuff has no business here. It is poison.”  I said, “If it is poison you had better take it away or George might be getting it.”

On the Saturday morning before he died, he called her into the room and said, “I have done this to myself. I put the arsenic in the kettle when it was boiling on the fire. I done it once before. I put it in the pitcher but my heart misgave me and I threw it away. I have done it because I heard something at Boston that I could not bear.”

Sgt Henson heard Ellen say to her sister “Mind what you say and say that the kettle was left out every night.”  Similarly, she was overheard telling George, “Mind what you say and say we were all sick in the yard.”

Elizabeth Wood deposed that she had invited Ellen to stay with her over New Year but she came with John Bonnett not her husband. They stayed over night and went home in the afternoon.

Dr George Lowe The Lincolnshire forensic analyst said that several particles of white powder had been thrown down the closet petty and under the flags near the petty were papers which had contained white powder.

After retiring, The Bench returned and John Bonnett was discharged for lack of evidence but Ellen was committed to Lincoln Court for murder.

Result at Lincoln

22^nd July 1875, Ellen Green was tried at Lincoln Assizes for the murder of her husband and after two hours of deliberation, the evidence against her was found to be circumstantial. Ellen was acquitted. 

Did Ellen murder her husband ? Did he commit suicide to try to punish her? or did someone poison their water pump during the night? 

What do you think ?