Water gruel

This night Mrs. Clarke, of the Castle public house at Tooting, feeling herself indisposed, desired to have some water-gruel made. It was then too late to send out for oatmeal; but there was some found in the bar, wrapped up in paper. It was tasted by Mrs. Clark and her husband; it was also examined by her sister and daughter, and they all concluded it was fit for use. Of this oatmeal some water-gruel was made by the daughter. Mrs. C. after taking a little of it, became very ill, and continued so till the following Sunday the 24th, when she died. Her daughter partook of some of the gruel, became ill, but soon got better. Nobody knew the cause of her illness. On the night of Tuesday the 19th, a woman of the name of Gaston sat up with Mrs. C. who, the next morning desired her to take home to her family the remainder of the water-gruel, in which wine and brandy had been mixed. Mrs. Gaston warmed it up, and drank some of it, together with her mother and daughter. The latter soon recovered, but the mother died on the following day. Mrs. Gaston Was not expected to recover. On Monday the 25th a coroner’s inquest sat on the bodies of Mrs. Clarke and Mrs. Gaston senior; - when the jury took all possible pains to investigate this most melancholy and mysterious business, but could ascertain nothing. It is supposed that arsenic had been mixed with the oatmeal in question, some time or other, for the purpose of destroying rats; but how it could get into the bar of Mrs. C.’s house nobody could tell. The affair has excited a great sensation at Tooting.