From the Southeastern Gazette, 22 May 1866 Rochester County PS.bmp"

Petty Sessions, Friday. (Before W. Lambarde, Esq., in the chair, C. R. C. Petley, Esq.)

Attempted Suicide.

Jane Bailey, a young woman of 20, of light character, was charged with attempting to destroy herself by taking the contents of a packet of “Pattison’s magic vermin killer,” on the previous night.

It appeared from the evidence that the prisoner was servant at Dickson’s “shant” or beer-house, on the new railway works, and had got acquainted with a railway man from Portsmouth, who was at school with her. Through some gossip, the young man, whose name was Bartholomew, did not speak to her on Friday and Saturday, which seemed to have preyed on her mind, for on Saturday night she left her situation, and went down to Mr. Goodman’s chemist shop, where she purchased a packet of powder. It was labelled “Poison,” and she was cautioned as to its use, but on her way home she appeared to have swallowed its contents. On reaching the shant she sat down and cried for three hours, but refused to say what was the matter with her, until about half-past ten, when she told a youth named Fordham what she had done, but cautioned him against telling anyone else. He, however, seeing that she was getting worse, told Dickson, the occupier of the shant, and subsequently Dr. Charles, assistant-surgeon to the railway works, was called in, and he successfully adopted the usual remedies. He believed that from the symptoms shown by the prisoner, whilst suffering from the effects of the dose she had taken, that it contained strychnine.

The magistrates felt disposed to liberate the prisoner, if any of her friends could be found to take charge of her, but her young man said that he knew her father, who was a ferryman at Portsmomth, would not fetch her, if she was remanded for that purpose. Dickson, whose servant she had been kindly offered to pay her fare to Portsmouth, but as the magistrates could not trust her alone, they had no alternative but to commit her for trial.