MILLS. A friend of mine: a labouring man of some thirty perhaps. I
have known him about two years.
SERJEANT SHEE. Is there a Mrs Dutton?
MILLS. Yes, his mother. She lives in the cottage.
SERJEANT SHEE. How many rooms ?
MILLS. Two down and two up.
SERJEANT SHEE. His mother slept in one of the upstairs rooms?
MILLS. Yes.
SERJEANT SHEE. Where did you sleep?
MILLS. In the bed with her.
SERJEANT SHEE. Will you swear that you always slept in that bed ?
MILLS. Yes.
SERJEANT SHEE. Why did you leave Dolly's?
MILLS. I did not like the place; it was of my own accord.
SERJEANT SHEE. YOU can read newspapers, I suppose?
MILLS. Yes.
SERJEANT SHEE. Have you read the case of a Mrs Dove?
MILLS. I do not remember; I may have done so.
SERJEANT SHEE. It is a case that lately occurred at Leeds, of a lady who
was said to have been poisoned by her husband.
MILLS. NO, I did not read it; I heard it spoken of.
SERJEANT SHEE. By whom?
MILLS. By many. I cannot mention one more than another.
SERJEANT SHEE. By Mr Stevens, or Mr Gardiner, or Captain Hatton?
MILLS. No, by no one belonging to this trial.
SERJEANT SHEE. Were you told what the symptoms of Mrs Dove were?
MILLS. I think not; I merely heard it was another strychnine case.
SERJEANT SHEE. Were the symptoms of strychnia ever mentioned to
you by anyone?
MILLS. NO, never.
SERJEANT SHEE. When and to whom did you first use the expression ' twitching', which, with 'jerking', occurred so repeatedly in your evidence yesterday?
MILLS. To the Coroner, I did. Or, if I did not mention 'twitching', I mentioned something to the same effect.
SERJEANT SHEE. It is fair to tell you, as I have the deposition before me, that you did not.
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL. If you do so, I shall show how these depositions were taken.
SERJEANT SHEE. I intend to put them in. When did you first use the word 'twitching', which you used so frequently yesterday?
MILLS. I cannot remember when first I used the word, but I believe it was in Mother's house before I came to London.
SERJEANT SHEE. Will you swear to that?
MILLS. Yes; and I described the symptoms the young man died under.
SERJEANT SHEE. Will you swear you used the word 'twitching'?
MILLS. Yes; at Mother's.
SERJEANT SHEE. IS your mother here?
MILLS. No, she is not.
SERJEANT SHEE. Have you ever been asked by anybody if there were
not 'twitchings'?
MILLS. I cannot remember.
SERJEANT SHEE. You stated yesterday on oath that on the Saturday between twelve and one o'clock some broth was brought to The Talbot Arms Hotel in a breakfast-cup; that you took it up into Cook's bedroom; that you tasted it, and drank about two tablespoons; that you were sick; that you were sick the whole afternoon, and vomited at least twenty times ?
MILLS. I do not remember that I used the words 'twenty times'.
SERJEANT SHEE. Had you said one word about this sickness in your depositions before the Coroner?
MILLS. It never occurred to me then; it occurred to me three days afterwards.
SERJEANT SHEE. Did you state this before the Coroner: 'I tasted the broth on the Sunday before Cook's death; it was not made in this house; I thought the broth very good after I had tasted it; I believe some broth had been sent over on the Saturday; nothing peculiar was in the taste of the broth'?
MILLS. No, I could not taste anything peculiar.
SERJEANT SHEE. If you tasted it, and if it made you sick, and if you vomited frequently in the course of the afternoon, why did you not mention that to the Coroner?
MILLS. It never occurred to me; I did not think it was the broth at the time.
SERJEANT SHEE. You stated yesterday you saw a pill-box in the Hotel on the Monday night, which was sent over there about eight o'clock, wrapped up in paper?
MILLS. Yes.
SERJEANT SHEE. And that you placed it on the dressing-table of Cook's
bedroom?
MILLS. Yes.
SERJEANT SHEE. And that on that same evening you saw Palmer in Cook's room between nine and ten o'clock?
MILLS. Yes.
SERJEANT SHEE. Did you say a word about that before the Coroner? MILLS. I might do.
SERJEANT SHEE. Don't you remember that you made no such statement before the Coroner?
MILLS. Perhaps I was not asked the question; I did not say anything, only when I was asked.
SERJEANT SHEE. Will you now swear he was there between nine and ten o'clock ?
MILLS. Yes; he brought ajar of jelly and opened it.
SERJEANT SHEE. About how long after nine will you swear to his presence there?
MILLS. I cannot remember; I should fancy it was nearer to ten than nine.
SERJEANT SHEE. You say it was half-past ten when you left Cook, but
you cannot recollect whether Palmer was still there?
MILLS. I cannot.
SERJEANT SHEE. Then you have no certain recollection of seeing him
after that time?
MILLS. Not until he was fetched over about midnight.
SERJEANT SHEE. Do you know when Cook took the pills?
MILLS. I do not.
SERJEANT SHEE. You stated yesterday that you asked him on the Tuesday morning what he thought the cause of his illness was. Did he reply: 'The pills which Palmer gave me at half-past ten'?
MILLS. Yes.
SERJEANT SHEE. Did you tell the Coroner that?
MILLS. No.
SERJEANT SHEE. Since Mr Cook's death, have you been questioned by anyone respecting what you said about these pills before the Coroner?
MILLS. Yes, by a Dr Collier. He came to see me at Hitchingley.
SERJEANT SHEE. Did you tell Dr Collier that the gentlemen in London had altered your evidence on that point, and that it was now to be: ' Cook said the pills which Palmer gave him at half-past ten made him ill'?
MILLS. I did not tell him that the gentlemen had altered my evidence. SERJEANT SHEE. Did you say that the evidence had since been altered by anybody?
MILLS. It had been altered by myself since; because Mr Cook's words
had occurred to me.
SERJEANT SHEE. Did you say to what gendeman you had given this
information?
MILLS. No, because I did not remember, except that I met him at Dolly's.