Ann Price - Baylis, Convict "Earl Cornwallis" 1801

DREADFUL OCCURRENCE. On the evening of Thursday, the 21st of December, Ann Bayliss, of Windsor, wife of Joseph Bayliss of that place, left her home to peform some household work in a respectable family; her daughter, a girl about 13 years of age, accompanying her. She had not been away ten minutes when they returned, both very ill, retching with excessive violence, and almost incessantly, for a few hours. She immediately said to her husband, "O! Joe, I'm so sick I am sure I shall die." In answer to his interrogatories as to what she had taken to drink, she replied, "nothing but a little punch." Bayliss went soon for the servant, and de- sired him to show what his wife had partaken of; and when the man poured some of the contents out of a bottle he brought with him to satisfy the husband's curiosity, she glanced upon it, and said that is not the same of which I drank." The man recollected himself, and fetched another bottle, from which he poured a whitish sediment; and it was from this bot- tle she had drank. The persons present tasted thereof, and did not discover any thing particular thereby, further than they were aware the liquid was not punch; but what it was they could not conceive; it had rather a sweet flavour. The gentleman in whose house this had transpired, had that day caused his wine cellar to be cleared out, as it is said, to have it white-washed, during which job he had kindly given the servants a bottle of wine, and part of another bottle of the same sort, as was at the time supposed. The servant had good naturedly laid these aside, in- tending to share with the others in the kitchen, and when Mrs. Bayliss went over in the evening, as before described, they had in company drank the same. The part bottle was poured out first; and using a tea cup for the purpose, Mrs. B. drank first, and then the daughter, neither of them making any observation; but when the man was about to drink, he tasted, and said "this is dead," and put it aside, drawing the cork of the full bottle; of this he drank, and then handed it round to his associates, all drinking out of the tea cup, and Mrs. B. and her daughter partook of this also. The girl was immediately seized with a retching, and had some water handed to her, but could not drink; the mother was also soon affected, and then they retired home. These particulars being communicated to the husband, he sent after, and found the gentleman at the house of a friend; and a ques- tion was asked touching the probability of some poi- sonous liquor having been left in the same place with the wine bottles; the gentleman never had any poi- sonous mixtures in his house, unless "the fly water" had been put into the cellar; he though it had, and possibly a mistake had been made. The two medical Gentlemen residing at Windsor, were immediately in- formed of the fact, and let it be recorded to their credit, they gave the most prompt assistance, and paid the utmost attention to the unfortunate sufferers. It was the opinion of the surgeons that the liquid which had been mistaken for wine, was a deleterious mix- ture, intended for the destruction of bugs and flies. The mother died in a few hours; but the daughter, we are happy to say, is expected to recover, although it was for sometime imagined that she would fall victim also; they both endured the most severe afflic- tion; and although the most humane and unremitting attention was bestowed by the gentlemen of the faculty above alluded to, nevertheless the effects of the poi- son were too powerful to be subdued for a considerable time, and all expectation of recovery was destroyed; at length, however, the destructive consequences were overpowered by the antidotes administered, and gradual recovery has announced the patient out of danger. If this melancholy accident be not sufficient to caution fathers of families, or heads of households, to deposit "fly water" beyond the possibility of chance, then the intention of writing this will be treated too coolly. We will mention, that the reason for employing Mrs. Bayliss at this house, was owing to the recent removal to the Factory of the female servant for drunkenness, a propensity in which she indulged. Now had not this woman been discharged, it is more than probable, that she would have fallen a sacrifice to her habits of intoxication, by the casualty to which the deceased was exposed. Mrs. Bayliss and her daughter were invited to drink first, merely out of respect to their sex, and the same compliment would doubtless have been shown towards the servants that had been discharged, and her desires for the bottle would have placed her under the peril of misfortune. Besides, it was supposed, this same servant had pur- loined a bottle of wine, although the fact was not ascertained to establish an undoubted proof, and if it really were the case, she might just as readily have taken "the fly water" as any other bottle. In the absence of the Coroners of Windsor and the districts adjacent, William Cox, Esq, J. P. summoned wit- nesses and took depositions regarding the whole acci- dent, and, we believe, the same were transmitted to the Acting Attorney General, as the papers of a Coroner's Inquest would have been. Zoomplus thumb minus left thumb right up thumb down Show/hide Article text, suitable for copy and pasteDREADFUL OCCURRENCE.

On the evening of Thursday, the 21st of December, Ann Bayliss, of Windsor, wife of Joseph Bayliss of that place, left her home to peform some household work in a respectable family; her daughter, a girl about 13 years of age, accompanying her. She had not been away ten minutes when they returned, both very ill, retching with excessive violence, and almost incessantly, for a few hours. She immediately said to her husband, "O! Joe, I'm so sick I am sure I shall die." In answer to his interrogatories as to what she had taken to drink, she replied, "nothing but a little punch." Bayliss went soon for the servant, and de- sired him to show what his wife had partaken of; and when the man poured some of the contents out of a bottle he brought with him to satisfy the husband's curiosity, she glanced upon it, and said that is not the same of which I drank." The man recollected himself, and fetched another bottle, from which he poured a whitish sediment; and it was from this bot- tle she had drank. The persons present tasted thereof, and did not discover any thing particular thereby, further than they were aware the liquid was not punch; but what it was they could not conceive; it had rather a sweet flavour. The gentleman in whose house this had transpired, had that day caused his wine cellar to be cleared out, as it is said, to have it white-washed, during which job he had kindly given the servants a bottle of wine, and part of another bottle of the same sort, as was at the time supposed. The servant had good naturedly laid these aside, in- tending to share with the others in the kitchen, and when Mrs. Bayliss went over in the evening, as before described, they had in company drank the same. The part bottle was poured out first; and using a tea cup for the purpose, Mrs. B. drank first, and then the daughter, neither of them making any observation; but when the man was about to drink, he tasted, and said "this is dead," and put it aside, drawing the cork of the full bottle; of this he drank, and then handed it round to his associates, all drinking out of the tea cup, and Mrs. B. and her daughter partook of this also. The girl was immediately seized with a retching, and had some water handed to her, but could not drink; the mother was also soon affected, and then they retired home. These particulars being communicated to the husband, he sent after, and found the gentleman at the house of a friend; and a ques- tion was asked touching the probability of some poi- sonous liquor having been left in the same place with the wine bottles; the gentleman never had any poi- sonous mixtures in his house, unless "the fly water" had been put into the cellar; he though it had, and possibly a mistake had been made. The two medical Gentlemen residing at Windsor, were immediately in- formed of the fact, and let it be recorded to their credit, they gave the most prompt assistance, and paid the utmost attention to the unfortunate sufferers. It was the opinion of the surgeons that the liquid which had been mistaken for wine, was a deleterious mix- ture, intended for the destruction of bugs and flies. The mother died in a few hours; but the daughter, we are happy to say, is expected to recover, although it was for sometime imagined that she would fall victim also; they both endured the most severe afflic- tion; and although the most humane and unremitting attention was bestowed by the gentlemen of the faculty above alluded to, nevertheless the effects of the poi- son were too powerful to be subdued for a considerable time, and all expectation of recovery was destroyed; at length, however, the destructive consequences were overpowered by the antidotes administered, and gradual recovery has announced the patient out of danger. If this melancholy accident be not sufficient to caution fathers of families, or heads of households, to deposit "fly water" beyond the possibility of chance, then the intention of writing this will be treated too coolly. We will mention, that the reason for employing Mrs. Bayliss at this house, was owing to the recent removal to the Factory of the female servant for drunkenness, a propensity in which she indulged. Now had not this woman been discharged, it is more than probable, that she would have fallen a sacrifice to her habits of intoxication, by the casualty to which the deceased was exposed. Mrs. Bayliss and her daughter were invited to drink first, merely out of respect to their sex, and the same compliment would doubtless have been shown towards the servants that had been discharged, and her desires for the bottle would have placed her under the peril of misfortune.

Besides, it was supposed, this same servant had pur- loined a bottle of wine, although the fact was not ascertained to establish an undoubted proof, and if it really were the case, she might just as readily have taken "the fly water" as any other bottle. In the absence of the Coroners of Windsor and the districts adjacent, William Cox, Esq, J. P. summoned wit- nesses and took depositions regarding the whole acci- dent, and, we believe, the same were transmitted to the Acting Attorney General, as the papers of a Coroner's Inquest would have been.

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