The Sun.
London, England, 1857-03-12 00:00:00

SPRING ASSIZES.

NORFOLK CIRCUIT.—AYLESBURY, March 11.
CROWN COURT.
(Before the Chief Baron.)

Philip White, aged 45, the bill against whom for mur-
dering Mary White, his wife, was yesterday thrown out
by the grand jury, was arraigned this morning on an-
other charge of an almost equally atrocious character—
that, namely, of administering an obnfixious drug called
hiera picra to Ann Seaward, on the 3d and 7th of Dec.
last, with intent to procure a miscarriage. As this
charge arose out of the inquiry into the cause of Mary
White's death, sad but for that would, in all human
probability, never have been brought to light, it may be
desirable that the whole history of the prisoner should
be disclosed. It appears that Philip White, who was a
shoemaker by trade, lived in Chesham, where, haviob
married in early life, be 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 housekeeper.
Indeed, report said that he had made improper attempts
on the honour of his own child. Be that as it may, he
succeesled but too well with the prosecutrix, and conti-
nued his connection until he took a second wife at Whit-
suntide, 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
burden. 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 child ; 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 c ear
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 with-
out her, Ann Seaward's attendance being uncer'ain, and
her presence notalways pleasurable. The prisoner evinced
feelings ofjealousy, 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 mo-
ment, 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 wo-
man 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 rushed out of the room and threa-
tened to blow sat 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 man-
slaughter. During the inquest Ann Seaward was an
important witness, and in the course of her evidence de-
tailing her intimacy with the prisoner and attendance
on his wife during her last illness, she stated that, hav-
ing informed the prisoner of her apprehension that she
was in the familyway by him, he said he could give her
something to "set her right," and the next day, Dec. 3,
he gave her 3d., with directions to buy oz. 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 would make her poorly and
sick, but would set her riglst. The coroner's jury having
eturned a verdict of " Wilful murder" against the pri•
sonar, the present charge was also gone into, and he was
committed to take his trial on both ; but, as has beea
already stated, the grand jury ignored the bill for the
capital offence.
Mr. Dasent now, in opening the present case, en•
treated the jury to discard from their minds all that they
might have heard prejudicial to the prisoner in reference
to his wife, and to confine their attention exclusively to
the evidence which he would adduce in reference to the
charge now 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 dozes of the same mixture on the 31 and 7th
of Dec., and that on both occasions she was sick at the
stomach, and rendered incapable of work during the day;
but experienced no further inconvenience. She also
stated that, though she believed herself to have been in
the familyway when she took the drug, she was now sa-
tis ed that she had never been in that situation.
A medical man proved that the excessive quantity ad-
ministered to Cie girl was her safety, as she had evi-
dently thrown it all up on each occasion, and, in
order to show that the prisoner knew the nature of the
drug, the keeper of the Chesham lock-up stated that
after the inquest the prisoner, among other statements
relative to his wife's case, said—" I suppose Ann Sea-
ward is the cause of my being here ;" and afterwards
added, "If I had a fast breeder I would give her some
bicra picra if it would not hurt her."

Mr: H. Mills having addressed the jury for the pri
Boner,

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 prosecutrix, c'nfirmed 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 aggra-
vated case 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, but
the bill for which had been thrown out, he thought the
present case was one so serious as to call for the inflic-
tion of the utmost 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 arraigned 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 bad been presented to them in
support of the capital charge against the-prisoner, he did
not think it right, as representing the Attorney• General,.
that any evidence should be offered in support of the in-
quisition. In his opinion such a course would be both
unusual and disrespectful to the grand jury, and there-
fore 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, Eli one which wai both usual and correct,
lirected 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.

George Dixon, 22, and George Hearn, 21, were in-
dicted for night poaching at Ellesborough, and also for
feloniously assaulting the keepers of Lady Frankland
Russell on the B.h of December last,

Mr. Stephenson was counsel for the prosecution, and
called the two keepers, who stated that on the night in
question, being out watching with a large muzzled mas
tiff, near a wood in which was a great store of " long
tails," they distinctly heard the report of three guns dis-
charged ira rapid succession. On entering the wood they
saw some men running down aglade, and, unloosing their
friend the dog, they set off in pursuit. The dog soon
overtook the poachers, who wore four in number, and
knocked over three of them, ono after the other, by
jumping upon them, but without injuring them, being still
muzzled. By the time the keepers came up the poachers
had recovered their legs, and then a " battle royal" en-
sued, which resulted in divers broken heads and guns.
_ .

The odds being so decidedly in favour of the poacher; the
keepers, after sustaining an unequal contest for some
minutes, at last cried, " Hold, enough !" and the
poachers, taking them at their word, cased from fur-
ther molestation, and all marched out of .the wood,
while the keepers and their quadrupedal ally wended
their way homewards. The question, under those cir-
cumstances, was whether the prisoners were clearly
identified as having participated in this affair. On this

theme
Mr. Mills addressed the jury, who, after a brief deli-
beration, returned a verdict of Not Guilty.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT.—.Yong, March 10,
CIVIL COURT.

(Before Mr. Baron Martin.)
ADAMS V. LONGBOTTOM.

Mr. Knowles, Q C., and Mr. Cleasby appeared for the
plaintiff ; Mr. Jones for the defendant.
This was an action for a breach of promise of mar-
nae. The defendant denied the promise.
The plaintiff, a young woman of 23 years of age, was
one of a large family, and carried on the business of a
dressmaker in the neighbourhood of Leeds. The defen-
dant was a young man, son of a person who was said to
have made money as a railway contractor, and the defen-
dant hims'lt was engaged in collieries. The parties ap-
peared to have become acquainted two or three years ago,
and the promise to marry was clearly to be inferred from
several lstters of the defendant, abounding in the most
fervent, amatory expressions and aspirations of a lover.
A brother of the plaintiff was called as a witness, and
spoke to the visits of the defendant to the plaintiff, and
to his being received byher family as an accepted suitor.
Suddenly his visits for some came or other ceased, and
ho nf used to pf rforrn Lis engagement, although he de-
clared that he bad no complaint whatever to make as to
the plaintiff's conduct.

Ou behalf of the defendant Mr. Jones urged that this
was the case of two young persons, after a short court-
ship, quarrelling, and finding that their tempers did not
harmonise. Under such circumstances it was perhaps
best for both parties that matters had not gone further.
The learned Judge, in summing up, observed that the
promise on the part Of the defendant having been proved
the plaintiff was best able herself to determine whether
the performance of it would be to her advantage. The
jury, taking all the facts into their consideration, would
give such temperate damages as they thought just.
After a abort consultation the jury returned a verdict
for the plaintiff—damages, 250/,