The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-03-14 00:00:00

IfORRIBLE CASE.

Philip White, aged 45, the bill against whom for murder-
ing Mary White, his wife, has been thrown out by th
grand jury, was arraigned on another charge of an almost
equally atrocious character—that, namely, of administer-
ing an obnoxious drug called hicra picra to Ann Seaward,
on the 3rd and 7th of December last, with intent to procure
a miscarriage. As this charge arose out of the inquiry
into the cause of Mary White's death, and but for that
would, in all human probability, never have been brought
to light, it may be desirable that the whole history of the
nrisoner should be disclosed. It appears that Philip White,
who was a shoemaker by trade, lived in Chesham, where,
having married early in life, he brought up a large family.
Unfortunately his wife died, and, at the invitation of
his eldest daughter, Ann Seaward, a girl of twenty,
was induced to take up her residence in his house, in
order that she might discharge the household duties in
the intervals of her attendance at the silk mill in the
town. This took place about 16 months back, and in a
short time after the prisoner seduced his hoesekeeper.
Indeed, report said that he had made improper attempts
on the honour of his own child. Be that as it may, he
succeeded but too well with the prosecutrix, and continued
his connection until he took a second wife at Whitsun-
side, 1856, the woman selected for that honour being the
mother of three illegitimate children by other men, the
youngest being an infant, all which facts were well
known to the prisoner, who undertook to support this
ourden. He seems, however, as might well be expected,
to have grown tired of this charge and of his poor wife
also, for he was often heard to wish himself unmarried,
and as he was a year ago. About October or November
last his wife went out to nurse at Chesham Bois Common,
in order to gain the means of supporting her dhild ; and
during her absence the prisoner induced Ann Seaward,
with whom he had not ceased to carry on his illicit
intercourse, and even with the knowledge of his wife, to
come again and take care of things. During this visit
the wife used to come home on Sundays and once in the
week, and on the 3d Dec., being at home, she bought a
quantity of arsenic mixed with soot, alleging that she
wanted it to poison mice. What became of that poison
is not known, except by inference ; no trace of the packet
or of its contents was ever discovered; and it was clear
that Mrs. White that day returned to the common, where
she remained till the 14th Dec., when her husband came
and fetched her home, saying he could not get on without
her, Ann Seaward's attendance being uncertain, and her
presence not always pleasurabke The prisoner evinced
feelings of jealousy, and about this time asked Ann Sea-
ward to marry him, saying his wife had told him she should
shortly die. When his wife came home she was suffering
from erysipelas in her face, and after a few days, growing
worse, she took to her bed, and ultimately expired on the
28th Dec. The absence of any doctor till the last moment,
when the poor woman's mother called in one, and some
suspicious symptoms which gradually became known
led to a coroner's inquest. Previous to this the prisoner
had stated confidentially to his sister and a woman
named Mitchell that his wife had been accustomed
to take arsenic, in order to procure a miscarriage, and
when the coroner ordered a post mortem examination the
prisoner frantically rashed out of the room and threatened
to blow out his brains, saying he knew they would find
arsenic, for his wife used to take it for the cause above
stated, and that they would bring it in manslaughter.
Daring the inquest Ann Seaward was an important wit-
ness, and in the course of her evidence detailing her
intimacy with the prisoner and attendance on his wife
during her last illness, She Stated that, having informed
the prisoner of her apprehension that she was in the
family way by him, he said he could give her something to
" set her right,'' and the next day, December 3, he gave
her 3d, with directiotis to buy half an ounce of what he
termed " hicra picra.`' The girl obeyed, and having pro-
cured the drug (which was stated to be in common use
among women as a cordial aperient, a dose being about 10
grains) placed it in the hands of the prisoner, who mixed
a portion of it in gin and something else, and gave it to
her to drink, saying that it world make her poorly and
siek, hut would set her right. The dordner's jury having
returned a verdict of " Wilful murder" against the
prisoner, the present charge was also gone into, and ho
was committed to take his trial on both; but, as has
been already stated the grand jury ignored the bill for
the capital offence. Mr. Dasent now, in opening the
present cases entreated 'the jury to discard from their
selects all that they might have heard prejudicial to the
prisoner in reference to his wife, and td confine their
attention exclueivley to the Charge immediately before
them. The learned counsel then called Ann Seaward, who
repeated her former statement, and added that, by the
directions of the prisoner, she had taken two ddses of the
same mature on the 3-d and 7th of December, and that
oft both occasions she was sick at the stomach, and
rebdel-ed indapable of work during the day ; but
experienced no further inconvenience. She also stated
that, though she believed herself to have been in
the family way when she took the drug, she was now satis-
fied that she had never been.in that situation. A medical
Man proved that the excessive quantity administered to
the girl was her safety, as she had evidently thrown it all
up on each occasion, an 1, in order to show that the pri.
soner knew the nature of the drug, thd keeper of the
Chesham lock-up stated that after the inquest the prisdner
among other statements relative to his wife's case, said—
" I suppose Ann Seaward is the cause of my being here ;"
and afterwards added, "If I had a fast breeder I would
give her some hicra picra if it would not hurt her." Mr.
8. Mills having addressed the jury for the prisoner, His
Lordship left it to them, after having gone over
the evidence in detail, to say whether they attached
credit to the evidence of the prosectitrie, confirmed as
it was in a strong point by that of the keeper of the
lock.up. The jury having without any hesitation returned
a verdict of guilty ; the Chief Baron proceeded to pass
sentence. In so doing he enlarged upon the conduct
of the prisoner, stating that in his opinion this
was the most aggravated cause under ;the Act . which
he had ever met with. Without importing into it the
recollection of the other and more serious charge now
hanging over his head, hvit the bill for which had been
thrown out, he thought the present case Wes rifle to serious
as to call for the infliction of the utm •st sentence
sanctioned by the law, and in accordance with that
opinion, the sentence of the court was that the prisoner
should be transported for the term of his natural life. The
prisoner was then arraighed on, and pleaded "not
guilty" to the coroner's inquisition. Mr. Dasent, with
whom was Mr. Keane, stated that, as the grand jury
had in their discretion thought proper to throw out
the bill Which had been presented to them in
support of the capital charge against the prisener, he did
not think it right, as representing the Attorney-General,
that any evidence should be offered in support of the
inquisition. In his opinion such a course would be both
unusual and disr spectful to the grand jury, and therefore
subject to the sanction of the learned Chief Baron, he
would withdraw from the present charge. The Chief
Baron, having expressed his concurrence in the course
proposed by the learned counsel :on behalf of the Crown,
as one which was both usual and correct, directed the jury
to acquit the prisoner. The jury thereupon returned a
verdict of not guilty on the coroner's inquisition, and the
prisoner was at once removed from the dock.