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.
- John Donellan
- Date:
- [1781]
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.
28/172 page 18
![C is ) give the family the fatisfa&ion they required ; he Is j'ent away, and did not fee the body at all—upon that the prifoner writes a letter, in anfwer to Sir William Wheeler’s firft letter. This letter I (hall beg leave to read to you ; it is dated the sth of September, 1780. “ Dear Sir, Give me leave to exprefs the heart-felt fatisfa&ion I enjoyed at the receipt of your letter, as it gave u.s,. “ Lady Eoughton, my wife, and felf, an opportunity “ of inftantly oblerving your advice in all refpeCls : I lent for Dr. Rattray and Mr. Wilmer, they brought 44 another gentleman with them'*, Mr. Powell gave 64 them the meeting; and, upon the receipt of your “ laft letter, 1 gave it to them to perufe, and a€t as it 44 directed” [Mind the fallacy of this.,] tl I gave it “ to them to perufe, and aCt as it direCtred.” What did he give them ? Did he give them the letter that gave them directions ? Did he give the letter that called upon the medical gentlemen to aCt ? Did he give them the letter that contained the fufpicions of this young gentleman being poifoned ? You will learn from die witnefles, that the letter they faw was the fecond letter^ complimentary anlwer to Mr. Donellan’s note, contain- ing no directions or inftruCtions for them to aCt; and, unpn the perufal of which, they were furnifhed with no ideas for their conduCt. The letter goes on thus:: 44 The four gentlemen proceeded accordingly, and I “ am happy to inform you, they fully fatisfied us.’*' Good God ! in what did the fatisfa&ion confift ? What enquiry was made ? What inveftigation of the death ? What opinion was a£ked ? Or what opinion could be- formed ? Not a firtele circumftance was ever mention- rd—not a lingle enquiry was ever made—no opinion ever exprefied to the prifoner—yet, upon this, he writes back to Sir William Wheeler, that they have fully fatisfied us. In my apprehenfion, if there was no ather faft in this ca«fe but this lingle letter, it fpeaks as](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b28741444_0028.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
