One hundred years ago
The Rev John Henry Timins, Vicar of West Mailing, the clergyman who was found to have poisoned Sarah Ann Wright, by administering to her a teas- poonful of bitter almonds by mistake for sweet oil of almonds, was acquitted of all criminal liability on Wednesday by the jury at Maidstone. Mr Justice Day, who tried the case, seems to have summ- ed up with great impartiality, pointing out that the chemist had warned Mr Timins of the dangerous nature of the drug, and that it was for the jury to say whether his negligence in administering it had been criminal. The jury decided, after five minutes' consideration, in the negative, and every one will rejoice that Mr Timins, who has long held a high character in a parish where he has been vicar for nearly a generation, was so le- niently dealt with. Nevertheless, negligence of that kind is hardly ex- cuseable, especially in one who, like Mr Timins, had studied medicine in his youth, and must have known the terrible danger of confusing a very poisonous with a somewhat similar, though perfectly harmless drug. If you take pains to interfere in the struggle between life and death, but interfere on the side of death after all, the recklessness had better have come a stage earlier, and prevented the in- terference.
Spectator, 21 June 1883.
Previous page
