Old Workhouse

Children that could work were expected to earn money towards their keep and many local businessmen profited from their cheap labour.
In 1869, one such lad called Charles Grit had been removed from the workhouse to take employment up as an errand boy with an oil merchant, Mr Collier of Dock Street. Mr Collier was dissastisfied with the lad and he was sent back to the workhouse where he threatened to saw off the porter's head with a razor.
Fears were entertained as to his sanity, they said, but he was examined by the workhouse doctor and deemed alright.
In the meantime a tragedy had happened in the Collier household. Emily, the young daughter, had died under mysterious circumstances.
Young Charles returned to see Mr Collier to ask for his job back. However, he was out so asked if he could leave a note. Mrs Collier left him to it and when her husband returned home he read the note.
In it he confessed that when Miss Emily was hanging out her stays he gave her some grain which was laced with rat poison which he'd stolen from the workhouse.
The police immediately applied for Miss Emily to be exhumed. During a sensational case which lasted almost a month during which the body of the poor girl was subjected to a number of tests for poison, Charles further confessed that he'd made the story up.
The tests collaborated this. Emily had died from natural causes and Charles walked free from the court.