James Beddall was a farm labourer employed by John Casewell who lived at Goldstone Bank Farm, Cheswardine, Market Drayton.
He died in suspicious circumstances on Sunday 5th November 1871.
Attached below is the record of the coroner's inquest as related in the Newport & Market Drayton Advertiser on the 18th November 1871.
Newport & Market Drayton Advertiser
Saturday 18th November 1871
CHESWARDINE
The SUPPOSED CASE OF POISONING.
NO POISON FOUND.
We published las week the full particulars of this shocking case, and the evidence then given before the coroner’s jury. We shall only need, therefore, to give a brief summary of these facts today.
James Beddall, waggoner to Mr Casewell, Goldstone Bank, went in to his lunch at eleven o’clock in good health, and at two o’clock was a dead man. Mr Clendinnen, surgeon, of Cheswardine, was called in and suspected poison – as the poor fellow had himself done. The contents of the stomach were therefore placed in the hands of Dr . Johnson, the county analyst. The case was at once brought to the knowledge of the police, who apprehended a servant girl (Harriet Woodcock) who drew Beddall’s beer at lunch. The coroner (J Allen Walmsley, Esq.,) ordered an inquest on Monday, 6th inst., at the Fox and Hounds Inn, Cheswardine. A large and respectable jury was sworn, and Mr T Beeston chosen foreman. It was given in evidence by Mrs Casewell that deceased came in to lunch in good health, that the girl Harriet Woodcock drew his beer out of a room where Mr. Caswell (who is a farrier as well as a farmer) kept his drugs and that some of these drugs were poisonous. –A lad named William Gregory deposed to being with deceased at lunch, that shortly after Beddall complained of being unwell, that he had heard Woodcock ask Beddall the night before to meet her on her return from Hinstock, that he promised to do so, but did not go,, that deceased referred to this, saying she had threatened to poison him if he did not meet her, that he repeatedly said the girl had put something in his beer, as she had threatened to do, that he became worse and died in the road where he had gone with his team. –George Casewell, son of Mr. Casewell, deposed to being summoned to Beddall when he was ill in the road., that he had vomited and felt better, that returning in about twenty minutes he found him dead in the road, and took him up to the house. –Joseph Casewell, veterinary student, said the drugs were near the beer barrel. He had used a bottle of arsenic on the Friday morning and replaced it in the drawer. It was found the next day covered by some packets of cantharides. –Joseph Beddall, brother of the deceased, related a conversation which took place a fortnight before, in which Beddall said the girl Woodcock had threatened to poison him. –P.C Williams deposed to finding a bottle in the milk house (where the beer also was kept) plainly labelled “poison;” to following the girl Woodcock home, where she had gone when the dead man was brought to the Bank ;to apprehending her on her way to her father at Dodecote, and to taking possession of the drugs, &c., on his return.
At this point the jury asked for a post-mortem examination and an analysis of the contents of stomach, and adjourned to Friday. On their reassembling, the Coroner had to inform them Dr. Johnson had not completed the analysis. It was decided, however, to hear what other witnesses were present, and a young man called Richard Simcock was called. He said he had accompanied Beddall with the machine the morning before; that deceased was in good health; that they had a pint of ale each in Hinstock, and no more. In the afternoon he saw the girl Woodcock who said Beddall was dead, and that she was going for her master to Howle.—John William deposed that he also was with the machine, and that he and Beddall had about three pints of beer between them on their return through Hinstock. Both these witnesses swore they felt no ill effects whatever from what they took in company with Beddall, and that Beddall himself was quite well, and di not complain at all. Mr Clendinnen gave the result of the post-mortem examination. He found all the organs of the body healthy, and no natural cause of death visible.
ADJOURNED INQUEST
The inquest was resumed at two o’clock on Thursday afternoon at the Fox and Hounds, by J Allen Walmsley, Esq., and the following jury:-- Mr. T Beeston (Goldstone, foreman), Messrs. Radcliffe, Simkin, Turnbull, Atkin, --Bryan, Jackson, Lee, Hughes, Hale, Whitaker, Pearce, G Beeston, Mate, Cooke, Goodall, Duckers, Steele, Bryan. One or two little things had transpired, from which some persons guessed the discovery of poison was not so easy as had been anticipated; but no one expected the absolute absence of it, which the evidence of Dr. Johnson affirmed. Harriet Woodcock was present. She is a short girl of rather stunted appearance. Her manner would indicate a warm temper, and she appeared rather bewildered by the proceedings, which evidently she did not half understand. When asked by the coroner if she had any questions to put to the witnesses who had given evidence, her constant reply was that she “had done nothing to him”.
The first witness called, Charles Haines, superintendent of police, sworn said: On the 6th inst., I attended at Cheswardine to be present at the inquest on James Beddall. Mr Clendinnen was ordered to make a post-mortem examination. He did so. I accompanied him. He examined the various organs of the body in my presence. He took the stomach out entire, and tied it up; we placed it in a jar, perfectly clean. The jar and its contents I took personally to Dr Johnson. It never was out of my possession till delivered.
Dr John (Shrewsbury), doctor of medicine (Edinburgh), and member of the College of Physicians of London, said he is in practice at Shrewsbury, and county analyst. On Tuesday morning, - November 7th, he received from Superintendent Haines a brown jar, tied over with a bladder, containing a human stomach, which he stated to be the stomach of James Beddall. It was tied at the upper and lower extremities. The next day I received from Sergeant Howells a basin containing what was said to be vomit, and some packets of drugs. After opening the stomach, I examined the internal lining. It was reddish, dark red – no ulcer or disease was visible; there was a slight redness also on the outside. No white powder could be found. The contents of the stomach were about 9 ozs. Of pinkish colour (blood) and numerous masses of cheese weighing 1½ ozs. Mr. Blunt and myself repeatedly tried Reinch’s Test on the contents of the stomach, and with portions cut up, but there was no trace of arsenic. We also examined the same with Marsh’s Test, without any sign of arsenic. The process for detecting all metallic poisons was gone through most carefully with a similar result. We both examined the stomach for organic alcholoids, and found nothing. The acid poisons were out of the question, on account of the alcholoids reaction. (Mr Blunt in a letter which we saw fully corroborated Dr Johnson’s evidence.) He was quite satisfied the deceased did not die from poison.
The Coroner said they adjourned last Thursday for the analysis of the contents of the stomach; and thought they should then have an explanation of the man’s repeated assertions that “Sally” had put something in his beer. They would have to come to some conclusion. Between the evidence of Mr Clendinnen, and that of Dr. Johnson – the one showing that the chief organs of the body were healthy, the other that no poison could be found – they would have difficulty in saying what the cause of death was. Without wishing to dictate their decision, he thought they would probably have to rest satisfied with saying the man was found dead, but the cause they had not evidence to show.
After a short deliberation the jury found the following verdict, which Mr. Beeston, the foreman, announced: “That the deceased James Beddall was found dead in a certain highway, but by what means he came by his death there is not evidence before us to show. The jury also think that Mr Casewell’s practice of leaving his drugs – especially poison – in so open and unprotected a place, is worthy of much blame and they earnestly hope he will in future have them in safer custody.”
Below is the original report of the circumstances as it appeared in newspapers around the country.
Morpeth Herald, Saturday 11th November 1871
On Sunday afternoon, a young man had a glass of ale in a public house at Goldstone, near Market Drayton. It was drawn by a girl about 16 years of age. After taking it he felt ill, and soon died. The girl is in custody, charged with poisoning him. An inquest was commenced on Monday, and the jury desiring a post-mortem examination, it was adjourned till Friday.
James Beddall was buried at St Swithun's Church, Cheswardine on the 14th November 1871. Unfortunately the Reverend George Harding was somewhat imprecise in his record keeping, giving his name in the Burials Register as James Bidwell, although he did correctly identify where he had lived, Goldstone Bank, and his age as 27 years. There is apparently no gravestone recording the burial.