Delphi Complete Works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Illustrated) (1241 page)

COURT.
Q.
That must, of course, depend upon the instrument?
A.
It would depend upon the instrument.

MR. CLERK.
Q.
What sort of person was the deceased?
A.
A young woman in good animal condition, I think — in no way emaciated, but healthy — she was anything but weak; I think she was healthy and strong — I then examined the body of the elder woman; she had three stabs altogether, two over the left shoulder-blade, one over the sternum or breast- bone, and a deep cut or stab behind the left side of the neck, which divided the carotid artery and jugular vein on the left side down to the cervical vertebra — that wound would have caused almost immediate death, perhaps not so instantaneous as with the other, who had her throat cut — I should not think it possible that the wounds either upon the young woman or the elder woman could have been inflicted by themselves, particularly upon the elder woman; it would be an impossibility — the elder woman seemed to be a person in tolerably good health, not particularly bulky or muscular, but tolerably healthy, I thought — she was not particularly strong certainly, rather inclined to be stout than thin — I did not discover any injury about the hands of either of the women — I then examined the body of the younger boy, Charles, who was lying on the bed in the front room — I discovered one wound over the chest-bone, and two small incised cuts on the left upper arm, and there was one deep plunging cut or stab through the back of the neck, which divided the bones of the neck and cut right through the spinal cord — that wpund would have caused immediate death — a part of the gullet and windpipe was likewise wounded in the sweep of the knife; that would have quite prevented the child from crying out — I then examined the body of the elder boy, which was lying on the stairs; he had two cuts, one on the right angle of the lower lip, and one cut all round the throat, merely dividing the cutis, not the skin positively, but the small enveloping membrane — there were six stabs altogether, one on the right side of the neck and half way between the ear and the right shoulder, one over the left breast, another over the left breast about an inch and a half below the former, and more to the left side, and three stabs on the left side over the ribs — the three first fingers of the right hand at the extremities were cut through to the bone; the third finger of the left hand was likewise cut at its extremity quite into the bone — those were all the wounds — the one that entered the chest was the cause of death — there wore two wounds on the chest; both were fatal wounds; one entered the pericardium, the enveloping membrane of the heart, that would be necessarily fatal, the other penetrated the lungs — both wounds entered the lungs, the top as well as the bottom plunge, and both would be fatal — if the child had grasped a sharp instrument, the hands would have presented exactly the appearance that I discovered, if the weapon had been drawn through the hands — I see the knife that has been produced; the marks I saw were just such as I should have expected to find from such an instrument — all the wounds upon all the four bodies were inflicted with a sharp instrument; it must have been a very sharp, powerful instrument — I have seen this knife before; the point of it is broken — I apprehend that it was originally a sharp pointed instrument; such an instrument as that, if the point had been sharp, might have inflicted all the wounds I saw upon all the bodies — there was no mark upon any of the bodies of a struggle having taken place during life, except upon that of the child that was lying near the stairs; his were the only hands that were wounded.

Cross-examined
,
Q.
If I understand you rightly the mother had one wound in the chest?
A.
Yes — if that wound had been inflicted first I think she would possibly have screamed; I think it is more than probable she would — she had four wounds — I think the mischief that was product on the boy’s hand was from an attempt in struggling to relieve himself from some injury that was being inflicted upon him; the cuts presented the appearance as if they were inflicted when struggling with some person, putting his hands up to prevent his throat being cut — if those wounds on the boy had been inflicted with great rapidity he would have died almost immediately — the two in the chest would have caused nearly instant death — I think he might have had time to scream out; death would not have followed so rapidly as that; there would have been some moments between the infliction of the wound and death — I have had very little experience in cases of cancer of the womb — I have never known it to create delirium; it produces a great deal of emaciation if it is of long continuance — it is an extremely painful disease — I should not think the pain would affect the brain; it might occasionally, but not as a general rule — it is not taken as a symptom or consequence of disease of the womb — supposing that Mrs. Youngman had been in a state of delirium I think she was strong enough to have inflicted these blows.

MR. CLERK.
Q.
Had there been an attempt to cut the throat of the boy that was lying on the stairs?
A.
Yes.

COURT.
Q.
That was the wound on the throat you have described?
A.
Yes, the superficial cut — that led me to suppose that there had been an attempt to cut the throat; the mark was very defined all round the throat — I did not distinguish much difference as to size and bulk between Mrs. Youngman and Mary Streeter; the elder woman was the fatter of the two I think — there was no appearance whatever of any struggle on the part of Mary Streeter.

MARY ANN WOOTTON. I am in the service of Dr. Duncan, of Henriettastreet, Covent-garden — I know the prisoner; he was there a week before me — he left on 16th July last — he had been in Dr. Duncan’s service three months, I believe; during that time I have seen him writing frequently — he used to write letters and poetry — the date of the letter I am looking at is the 21st June; I believe it is the prisoner’s handwriting — this one of 18th Juue is his writing, and this of the 21st — I believe this letter of 13th July is in his handwriting; also these two on 16th, and this one of the 19th — to the best of my belief this one without a date is in his haudwriting — this letter of 21st is his, and also the one of the 28th.

JAMES ANDREW DUNCAN. I am a physician, residing at Henrietta-street, Covent-garden — the prisoner was in my service as a footman; he came to me on 18th April last, and quitted on 16 th July — I was in the habit of seeing him frequently; it was the greater part of his duty to wait on me.

Cross-examined
.
Q.
Have you had any experience in cases of cancer?
A.
Yes: cancer in the womb is a most painful disease; it generally makes a patient very irritable — I should not set down delirium as one of its symptoms; it may come up as an accidental symptom — if there has been mania in a family and a disease is acting upon a person, it would be more likely to bring it on — I know a mania, described as homicidal mania, especially among women — one of the great features of that mania, is, that persons afflicted by it, most frequently attack those to whom they have the greatest affection — it generally occurs after confinement, where the mother, although she has the greatest affection for her child, cannot resist destroying it — I have read Dr. Taylor’s work on homicidal mania — I agree with him when he says that individuals are liable to be seized by a sudden impulse, when they will destroy persons to whom they are most strongly attached; but it is impossible to define what madness is; that is to say a person may have reason and know the wickedness of what he is going to commit, but yet be unable to resist the animal part of the functions, of the brain.

MR. CLERE.
Q.
Does cancer in the womb, where it exists, produce emaciation of the body?
A.
Yes; that is how the patient dies, from being completely worn out.

COURT.
Q.
Supposing a person not to be emaciated, does that indicate anything with respect to the state of the disease?
A.
That would show it was merely beginning, not advanced; that the disease had made but little progress — it might or it might not be attended with pain, then it would not necessarily follow the patient would be made more irritable — in my judgment if the disease had not got so far as to emaciate the patient, I don’t think the pain would be such as to bring on delirium — the patient might, possibly have taken opium as a remedy for it, which would perhaps cause it.

EDWARD SPICE. I keep the Green Dragon public-house, Bermondsey-street, in the Borough — I knew the deceased Mary Streeter — on Monday, 23d July last, she came to my house on a visit; she came with the prisoner — she came in the afternoon and stayed there all night — on the next day, the 20th, the prisoner came, as near as I can recollect, about half-past
6 in
the morning — Mary Streeter stayed four days at my house on a visit — she was an old friend of mine; I and her father Were brought up together — after partaking of breakfast on that morning, they went away together and returned again about 9 o’clock in the evening — he came down at half-past 5 the next morning — it rained on that day, and they stopped till 9 o’clock — on Thursday morning I called her out at 5 o’clock, and the prisoner came in about five minutes past 5 — I had some conversation with him about the girl — I spoke to her first in the tap-room — I saw what I did not like in the man, and said to her in his presence, “Mary, I would sooner see you take a rope and hang yourself in the skittle ground, than marry a man like that” — I said to the prisoner, “What means have you got to support my girl? “I called her my girl — he said, “I am independent” — I said, “What is your independency, was it left by a legacy? have you got anything to show me, any paper?” — his reply was, “In houses” — I then asked him if they were in the country or London? “Various places in London — he said — I said, “Well, you must be a rich man,” and said to deceased, “Now, Mary, take my advice, give him a total denial, have no more to do with him; go and seat yourself in my bar parlour, and I will take you home safe to your father” — the prisoner made no remark on that — he said he intended to take her either to Hastings or Brighton; I think it was Hastings he said.

Cross-examined
.
Q.
He did not say to reside there?
A.
He said he was going to take lodgings there to keep her independent — I said, You must have a good income to support a young woman like this” — he said, he was a retired tailor — I did not know anything about his being a valet.

SAMUEL WELLS STREETER. I am a farmer in Essex — the deceased young woman was my daughter — the prisoner came to my house on Sunday, 8th July last, and stayed there one night; I had never seen him before — my daughter had never mentioned to me that he was paying his addresses to her — the prisoner had not mentioned it to me — when Inspector Dann came down to my house I gave him some letters that were locked up in my daughter’s writing-desk.

Cross-examined
.
Q.
I believe you had the misfortune to lose another of your daughters some time before?
A.
Yes; in May last — she was not married, she died of consumption — this girl had not been subject to any disease of the chest or anything of that kind.

THOMAS TANNER. I am clerk in the office of the Argus Insurance Company — on 19th July last I saw the prisoner at that office (he had had a form previously) — he brought a form of application with him; I have it here (
produced
) — this is one of the forms issued by our office; the name of William Godfrey Youngman was signed in my presence by the prisoner — he wrote the answer to question No. 18, it is “William Godfrey Youngman, 16, Manor Place, Newington, London, retired from the business of a tailor” — that is written opposite the question “Name and place of residence” — before he signed it I asked him what he was — he said he was no trade — he came again on the following day, the 24th, accompanied by a young woman — she was examined by the medical officer, and a policy on her life was prepared — that is the policy (
produced
) — there is no attesting witness; that is the policy that was effected on that day — the premium was paid on 25th, 10s. 1d. for three months — the premiums are according to the wish of the parties; if they wish they can pay quarterly or half-yearly — in this case the prisoner expressed a wish to pay quarterly — I gave a receipt for the premium; I have it here, this is the first receipt — I believe the young woman paid the money.

(
The following letters from the prisoner to the deceased were read; the first was dated 18th June, from Henrietta-street, Covent-garden; it contained some allusions to his long silence, and expressed a desire to renew his former intimacy with the deceased; the second was dated 21st June, acknowledging a reply to his first letter, and expressing a wish to see her when she came to town. Editor’s note: Spelling errors in these letters are italicized.)

“8, Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, July 13th, 1860.

“My dearest Mary. — This comes with my kindest love to you, trusting you are well and happy; myself I am pretty well in health. Now, come to London, dear girl, on Monday next, the 23d, and stay till Mrs. Walker leaves her situation, then go back home again and come up again on Friday morning, 10th August, and I will come on 10th Augnst to meet you, and shall stay at the lodgings I shall take for you and myself. I shall engage furnished lodgings for a week only, when I shall be able to settle all things and go down to your father and stay with him a day or two. You can lodge somewhere on the Friday you come up, and I, at our lodgings, so be ready for Saturday morning, when we will be married at St. Martin’s, Charing Cross, on Saturday, August 11th next; I have published the banns of our marriage, last Wednesday, and it will be asked in church on Sunday next, and Sunday, 29th, for the third time. I gave warning to leave on Wednesday hist, 11th, can leave on 10th ef next mouth having a day’s wages less; now you will have quite money enough, my dear, till after we are married, when I shall have plenty, but not till then; but you need only wear your black clothes, my dear girl, at our wedding. I shall only wear black things and have no white gloves at all dearest; our coachman will stand as father for you, and I shall not require a bridesmaid unless you like, if so, our housemaid will come if she can, and we will go after we are married to Kew Gardens or somewhere, and breakfast before we are married, by ourselves. I think I want to assure your life when you come up on Monday week; it will be settled in the time you are here, two or three days; bring all your things when you come on 10th August; say to your mother you are going to stay with my Mends a fortnight and then look for a situation in the time. After we are married you can have all you wish for, so you will have enough money for the present time, as you do not want to boy anything; all the clothes you have will do for the present, till we are married, and on Wednesday, after we are man and wife for life, I shall take money enough to supply all your wants and wishes, so rest happy till then, my dearest girl. I will expect to see youthen in London on Monday week, to assure your life and buy you the wedding-ring to give you to keep till the day 1 put it on your finger; the 11th August next must be the day, I cannot wait another day longer than that my dearest girl Buy nothing except you want it very much indeed, as I will buy you all you want the Wednesday after we are married on a certainty, but at the same time remember all I have told you. I am now awaiting to hear from you again; say you will do as I write by return of post — I am, dearest Mary, your ever affectionate lover, W. G. YOUNGMAN. — Kind respects to all friends, remember, do not forget what I have said; be careful keep all your letters looked up, so your mother and no one can see them, and bring them when you come here.”