The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1883-04-03 00:00:00

Shocking Wife Murder in Somerset.

A horrible larder was committed on Wednesday night,
▪ Heastridge Ash, shoot hilt • mile from Hastridge,
Somerset, and the dried:el affair has caused much
constersetios la the locality. Is the allege of Heastridge
there lived a rasa named George White. • labourer. IS
years of age, who in May Mat was married to • young
imam nosed Elisabeth Berge. Dos 7 did not lies
happily loather. aad about de weeks after the marriage
they separated. Oa Wednesday evening last. White
went to the hoses of William Kellett. a ganger, with
wham his (Whiteie) wife !dad. end said her to
socotp.ny lare for a walk. She tonssated, and the pair
wanproceeded lna at Heastridge. where they drank •
pint of beer hawses them. They left the Inn about
eight o'clock. Shortly after/wird' they were seen together
Dear 'Atwood Lndge. but the actual spot where the murd,r
was tommitted was in • rather lonely place bet east
thwart Lodge and Heastridge Leh. It appears that
several men saw White sparently beating the woman
twirlilia, iliarthrook. al 8111 b ldge, =ponied
'es Brockway and John Brockway. keeper and
forams* respectively for Kr. Merthyr Guest, of
Inwood Hoak saw White kick the poor woman. Kr.
fitanbeook jumped forward and knocked Walla down.
They that eased him, and Yr. 8 anbrode went to the
assielmase of the women, who was lying in the road. Bhe
died almost Immediately. Wit he was seared until the
arrival of P.C. Oelliford, of 11-netridge, who took him
Into costody. The body was than to • °Mtge at Hen.
stride* Lg. It prthented • horrible spectate. being
coveted with wounds, •pparsntly caused by • knife and
the murderer's boot. Wb.n PC. °Wilford charged White
het " Yes 1414 11.' Calif ord took the men to Win.
canton. It la surmised that Waite first stabbed tee
woman in the breast with a knife, and that they struggled
together for some ooneidertble thalweg before the Pow
women fell, when White oompleted the horrible dead.
Tee men is d dad to bare been of • quiet, though **llea
dieposition It is rumoured that he had on previous
°amanita endeavoured to induce his wife to go for • walk.
but that the had &died to do en The knZwhieth I.
In the poeseadon a the yolk*, is an ordinary et knit
to blade bane about le lathed long.
woman has no father or mother Ilan& but has an uncle
sad an ant residing at Henetrage. White has • father
sad either living.
The impost was opened on Setarday. before W. Keller.
• Gessiy Cormier, in the Schoolroom, at Heiestrida
te. whole village seemed to have tuned out, ani the
speciosa roam In which the enquiry was held wee more
than half Ailed dories a period of nearly flee kours.
The following were sworn up • Jury :—Kr. J. Piokford
(foreman), Kemal. Georg. &es James C. Hatt, Lobs
Bishop, James Hakes. James Reed, Thomas Lon Jo,
Henry Lela, William HooAser, Thomas Verirove, W. a
Medal. Josiah Coombe. Haines bees briedy addressed
by the Osroner. they prooseded to view the body. which
was lying In one of three twitched cottage' running at
right eagles of the main street of the village. In •
&mat oaf& lay the remains of • young sad sooterhat
delitate woman, who, before her fano was bettered. mart
have bees pommeled of mese ettradloss, but her features
bare the woks of ileadialt violent*. Her eyes were
blackest/4 her nom sad face cut and Woody. • tremendous
mai in the upper jaw had leid bare the teeth. On the
left of the heal were numerous bruises but no fractures,
but os the right .4th. neck was a fatal stab which ba
severed the carotid artery, and this slope it seed, kerne
be said, lames death.
William Kellett: I am a ginger on the railway sad
live at Heastridge. Tb• d with tao ante
last September ; the was living apart from hair husband.
whom same Ls George White. -I know from my own
kaowlerictitat thermihad differenom On Wedn
swven esday
sard
railer km= the kdoelite ; IlthoofiEnt child and
did not go ; is about three Wattles it was reclanid, and
gang to the door saw George Mae there; it was not
then dark. lie mad if Clara wes la. I said she wee no'.
she was was for • bucket a water is the well in !err
leas. Es rad me how I was getting cm, where I wee
woc sad if there was thy camas for him to work
there. silid sot for • day or two, and he add he would
come down there again. I stood at the ketch, and he
walked down towards the well. which is about ISO yards
eff. She proem ly Mama with • b mlcet, and taking
al her shawl lota jacket aa I went out. She seemed
to go out &sepOite—userilling. She left shout hal.
put elves and was brought back a corp. at tee mine,
to nine. I went to the @net about quarter toll
The flaroser asked the jury to put any qoestioe, but
mentioned the.. that whet was said to witness in the
abeam of the husband was not widows
The loran :Do you imasider she spent a ameistent
life as • married woman
Witness: Tee.
The Cream : Ido not think you eta ask that. You
are simply here to amain how she nuns by her deeds.
He added that be naval questions become tat Jury from
their letal knowledge might know meteors which be did
not.
The Tortoise said he put the question for his sandal:o-
- and he was meth plena
Las o.llllard : I koo. • beerhouer. On Wednesday
maths laid George White and his wife tease into my
bat,., little before eight o'clock. He called for • pint
of boor: he !waled it oat, sad said "Clara (Irish." and
the replied ' How you ruts it. (hone; how your hand
do shake." He said "Never mind." They did not drink
half the beer. Timmy sat together as comfortable as
possible, side by side. They wore not in the house more
than tea minutes.
Hz.. &dal, of Tension, was called to state that she
paned • young man on the night is question, but her
aldose, eta! not thee takea.
. _

-17ib—u-,:r7b.-17Z1 I:Zs wheelwright, sod live at
Stall:rides. On Wednesday I was coming Irons Temple-
weals In company with Weibel\ Ti., Kiwis Haan, end
Illisbetti Pallier. I think it was about eight or • little
after. Biters we got to la wood Lodge on the tip of ,
Teuton Hill I heard sonwind I Gould not tell whether
of • man or woman. We thought it warn children, sad
walked os fast The actreandas ceased. We met Mn.
Bolen, and I remarked to my companion "There is no
one sow, else she would kayo told us of It." We fantod
we heard blow!, and walked on es fart is we could.
o dog on shout 30 yards we cams epos • man
basting
WO MAL It was dark, sod! could not sae themuit
got right up to Wis. I pared them sad tben rdurned
to them. The woman out lying down on the trim by
the dde of the toed. Ti. man was beside her. L did
sot boar theta spook, sot did I low any (roma I pawed
them and loft my companies. I west beck sad salted the
man what be was at. g. was about three Yards from
Iww I did not ownignias him, it wet too dark to dio
Mannish their feed They were sear the ditch on the
left bawd aide as you some from Temploanabe. The mut
said it war no business et mine :II was Ina wit sand ita could
do as Its Iliad with ker. I law him whoa I hist came up
her with his hod Is OEi Lb. dde of bee head. tie
kicking
skilNag on her left side with her heed towards the
ditch. I saw him kick her three dais I tidied out to
Ltwerd Haan, who ears. rmi.g up with Idea Palmer.
The min bad this stopped kioking. Hass celled him a
drawl's& aak few beatiss a woman like that. He said
dm was all right end could got awl 0000 ow The
maa tune let 114 road and *eked what we want by it'
I we were ad to sell hiss drunk. for be tranat Ho said
, whet has she dose to met Hnquomdupk oi wad
U we did sot mind what we were at he would do tor us.
We took An ends end gave them to the young woman,
sad mat than if ter astialusee. He was walking towards
me when the womea_got up, dentend to the I• of tn.
Iwo& Ltd title's's. The woman said to me, "don't leers
me I dea't Ism ci. r H. visit bar* sad kicked her aid',
Haan west straight 01l for the polieersan, end I picked
up
swan sad Roast at him ai bard as I could. He came
out after me, sod went beak win- 1 aontinued to Shag
stemma at him to ears it lux Wootton till some ono cam
up. He Mug somothipg at me and ran if ter me. He
than went beck Wan. I was about to Slag sesta when
num root eine Mk Kr. Dreekway. I believe. caught
the ass the elerte. Wlth hlas was Beesesate