Report of the trial of Madeleine Smith : before the High Court of Justiciary at Edinburgh, June 30th to July 9th, 1857, for the alleged poisoning of Pierre Émile l'Angelier / by Alexander Forbes Irvine, advocate.

  • Madeleine Smith
Date:
1857
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the trial of Madeleine Smith : before the High Court of Justiciary at Edinburgh, June 30th to July 9th, 1857, for the alleged poisoning of Pierre Émile l'Angelier / by Alexander Forbes Irvine, advocate. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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    no appearance were made for hiixi, it would be visited as contumacy and contempt of Court.] Examination resumed.—I don't know when that was; it was a good long time before Miss Smith was apprehended. It was weeks before. I don't recollect whether it was two months before; it might be about two months. It was at night—I think past ten—that she asked me to open the door. I was in her room when she asked me to do this. Her room was down stairs, on the same floor as the kitchen. I slept in a back room next to the back-door. The cook, Charlotte M'Lean, slept with me. At the time I speak of, Charlotte M'Lean was in the kitchen. I opened the back-gate into the lane. I saw no person there. I left it open and returned to the house. I left the back-door of the house open, and went into the kitchen. Miss Smith met me in the passage ; she was going towards the back-door. I heard footsteps coming through the gate. 1 went into the kitchen. I did not hear where Miss Smith went to. I did not hear the door of mj room shut. I don't remember how long I remained in the kitchen ; I think it would be more than half-an-hour. Charlotte M'Lean was in the kitchen with me during that time. I think I remained longer than usual in the kitchen that night. Miss Smith had told me to stay in the kitchen. She asked if I would open the back-door and stay in the kitchen a little, because she was to see her friend. She did not say where she was to see her friend. While I stayed in the kitchen I did not know where Miss Smith was. I did not know that she was in my bed-room. I had no doubt that she was there, but I did not know it. When we heard Miss Smith go to her room I left the kitchen. We heard the door of Miss Smith's bed-room shut; I did not hear the door of our room open. I did not hear the back-door of our house shiit. I am not certain, but I think I found it shut when I went to my bed-room. My bed-room is next to the back-door. There is a low door in the front area. The key was left sometimes in the kit- chen, and sometimes in the boy's room. I heard that Miss Smith was to be married shortly before her apprehension. Mrs Smith told me of it. I don't remember the time; it was a good while before her apprehension. In consequence of that, I asked Miss Smith what she was to do with her other friend, and she told me then, or some time after, that she had given him up. I asked if she had got back her letters. She said, No, that she did not care. I recollect refusing to receive letters for her in India Street; that was after I had received some; in Blythswood Square, also, I re- fused to receive letters for her; I don't remember her saying anything. She said she would receive letters in at the window; that was before I had refused to receive letters for her. I have seen L'Angelier in Mains Street, close to the house, at night. He was walking sloAvly. That was in the beginning of the winter. At night, when we were in bed. Miss Smith could have passed from her bed-room to the kitchen, or upstairs, without being overheard by me. The stair leading up to the dining- room floor is very near her bed-room door. I never saw any rats in the house in Blythswood Square. We were not troubled with rats. I re- member Sunday, 22d March. I was not well that day, and kept my bed in consequence. 1 got up between five and six o'clock in the afternoon. I saw my present husband that evening. He came between seven and eight o'clock. There was family worship that evening at nine o'clock. I was present. Miss Smith was present, and the rest of the fjimily.
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