The Poisonous Seed (45 page)

S
trychnine, first isolated in 1818, is a highly poisonous alkaloid extracted from the seeds of the
strychnos nux vomica
tree. It has a very bitter taste. As little as half a grain has been known to be fatal. Medical professionals and pharmacists would have called it by its Latin name,
strychnia
.

In apothecary’s measure, one fluid ounce was the equivalent of 29.6 ml, and there were eight drachms to the ounce. One grain was 1/480 of an ounce.

While William Doughty’s chemist’s shop is fictional, as are most of the characters in this book, many of the people and locations including the public buildings, streets in Bayswater, the Redan public house, and Paddington Green police station, are real.

William Whitely, a Yorkshire draper, opened his first shop on Westbourne Grove in 1863, and by 1880 his empire had expanded to a row of ten shops, the frontage lit by bright blue lamps known as Jablochkoff candles, with further large premises around the corner in Queen’s Road (later renamed Queensway). In January 1880, he was locked in a dispute with Paddington Vestry regarding the conversion of eight houses on Queen’s Road into warehouses and shops.

In 1880 many Paddington inquests were held at Providence Hall. Dr William Hardwicke (1817–1881) was the coroner for Central Middlesex.

Benjamin Day was a Paddington curate who looked after the parish of St Stephen’s for the vicar, Revd T.J. Rowsell whose court appointments meant he had duties elsewhere.

Isabella Skinner Clarke, who lived in Paddington, became in December 1875 the first woman to pass the major examination of the Pharmaceutical Society, although she was not admitted to membership until 1879.

Sam Lynn, chemist, appears in the 1881 census at 123 Queen’s Road.

William Powell Frith (1819–1909) was a popular artist.

The tragic death of Lilian Selina Holt was reported in the January 1880 edition of
The Chemist and Druggist
.

Dr John Whitmore (1821-August 1880) was the public analyst for Marylebone.

John Sadleir (1813–1856) was a Member of Parliament, banker and property dealer. He suffered massive losses, raised money on forged papers, and milked the Tipperary Bank of funds. When his crimes were exposed he committed suicide.

Leopold Redpath (1816–1891) was a clerk who defrauded the Great Northern Railway of some £220,000 by falsifying the books and selling fake stocks. He was transported for life in 1857.

Albert de Rutzen, (1831–1913) was for many years the chief magistrate of the London police courts. He was knighted in 1901.

Harry Benson was part of a gang of fraudsters who induced people to place enormous wagers on fake horse races. In 1877 he received a sentence of fifteen years, but was released on licence in 1885.

Chas and Barstie are of course fictional characters, although they may bear a slight resemblance to two people of similar name who are brilliant sports!.

Linda Stratmann is a former chemist’s dispenser and civil servant who now writes full-time. She lives in Walthamstow, London.

Chloroform: The Quest for Oblivion

Cruel Deeds and Dreadful Calamaties: The Illustrated Police News 1864–1938

Essex Murders

Gloucestershire Murders

Greater London Murders: 33 True Stories of Revenge, Jealousy, Greed & Lust

Kent Murders

Middlesex Murders

More Essex Murders

Notorious Blasted Rascal: Colonel Charteris and the Servant Girl’s Revenge

The Crooks Who Conned Millions:True Stories of Fraudsters and Charlatans

Whiteley’s Folly: The Life and Death of a Salesman

This book is dedicated to the two people who inspired ‘Chas’ and ‘Barstie’ with appreciation and affection, and my thanks for taking it in such good part!

First published 2011

The History Press

The Mill, Brimscombe Port

Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 2QG

www.thehistorypress.co.uk

This ebook edition first published in 2011

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© Linda Stratmann, 2011

The right of Linda Stratmann to be identified as the Author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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EPUB ISBN 978 0 7524 6391 9

MOBI ISBN 978 0 7524 6392 6

Original typesetting by The History Press