The Sun.
London, England, 1844-04-12 00:00:00

HORRIBLE OCCURRENCE lii
NORFOLK,
On Monday morning last the parish of Whitwell,.
this county, and the neighbourhood, were thrown into It
state of excitement and consternation;in consequenelP or,
a man, generally accounted honest and respectableer•
named William Frost, having murdered four • of his,
children in his cottage. He is a journeyman tanner, and.'
has worked for Mr. Leamon, of Whitwell, for the last
thirteen years. He had killed his three elder children -
by beating them on the back of their heads with a large
heavy hammer. The youngest, an infant, he put head
first into a large earthern pot full of water. The names
and ages of the children are as follows :—Harriet Frost,
five years ; Charlotte Frost, three years ; Eliza Frost,
eighteen months; and Louisa Frost, only ten weeks. The
father (William Frost) is only about thirty-six years of
age, and was taken into custody immediately after the
horrible occurrence, by Samuel Parker, an inspector of Ii
police, residing at Reepham.
Notice was soon after given to Mr. Pilgrim, one of the
county coroners, who instructed the constable to em-
pannel a very respectable jury from different parishes.
On the following morning the Coroner arrived, and held
an inquest at the Falgate public-house, occupied *by
Samuel Vyall. The jury having assembled and been
sworn, proceeded to the cottage to examine the bodies,,
and when they arrived there they were shocked at the
deplorable spectacle of dead bodies. The Coroner and
jury having returned to the public-house, the following
evidence was given:—
Sarah Allen, the wife of Thomas Allen, of Whitwell,
deposed as follows :—I live in a cottage adjoining that
in which William Frost resides. I have known him
about twenty years. I have always considered him a
very steady man, and he always, as far as I have seen,
conducted himself very respectably. I knew his four
children well. Their names are Harriet Frost, about
five years of age; Charlotte Frost, three years old; Eliza,
eighteen months; and Louisa, ten weeks. I saw them
all on Friday or Saturday last, in the morning. They
were then in good health. Yesterday morning, about
nine o'clock, or a little after, I saw Martha, the wife of
William Frost, go out of her own gate adjoining her
cottage. She told me she was going to Mrs. Wilkins for
a shilling owing to her. She then walked on towards
Mrs. Wilkins's, and very, soon returned—l think in
about five minutes—and I saw her again by my gate,
which is very near her cottage. She told me she was
disappointed, as Mrs. Wilkins had gone to Reepham.
We stood together some little time, and she then went
into her own cottag-, and I went into mine. I said to
her as she was going into her cottage, " How is your
husband—is he got to work?" I was aware he had been
rather unwell for some days. She said he was not gone
to work. Immediately after she had gone into her cot-
tage, I heard Mrs. Frost call out violently, as if some-
thing was the matter. I ran into her house as fast as I
could. Mrs. Frost was calling out, " Oh, my chil-
dren !" I took hold of her, and asked her what was
the matter. She was unable to explain what had oc-
curred. I turned round, looked into the pantry, and there
I saw Eliza Frost lying dead. I then went up stairs,
and there I saw Harriet Frost and Charlotte Frost lying
on the floor quite dead. I saw there a quantity of blood.
I then went down stairs and looked for the other child,
but I could not find it. I called out violently at the
door for some one to come; and I sent my child, who
was by my door, to ge:, a neighbour to come in. Wil-
liam Frost, the father, was all this time sitting by the
fireside, in his kitchen. I took hold of him, and said,
" Oh, man! what have you done?" Ido not recollect
that he made any reply. I then took hold of his wife to
comfort her all I could; she was very much distressed.
I went into the pantry to show Elizabeth Yarham, why
was just come into the house, the child Eliza Frost,
which I had previously seen lying dead, and as I was
going into the pantry I turned my eye and I saw the
babe Louisa Frost standing in an earthen pot, which was
partly filled with water, with its head downwards. I
lifted the child up. It was dead. I laid it on a basket.
A Mr. Savory, who was at this time present, made an
observation that I ought not to have taken the child out
of the earthen pot. I was so much alarmed that I can-
not say whether I put the child into the pot again, or
whether Mr. Savory put it in. lam quite satisfied the
child was dead. There was no person in Frost's house
when I first went in but Frost, his wife, and the children.
No person lodged in the house with Frost and his wife.
I have since heard Mrs. Frost say, when she went out
after the shilling, that she left the three elder children
at breakfast with her husband, and the youngest in the
cradle, and they were then all well. William Frost has
lived under the same roof where I reside for four or five
years, and I have had every opportunity of knowing how
he conducted himself, and I believe he has been a good
husband and a tender father.
Several other of the neighbours who had been called
in at the first alarm, corroborated this evidence, but
wttnout analog any ...a-era 375. e z ; and Robert Lemon.
of Whitwell, was then called. He said—l am a tanner
and farmer at Whitweli, and William Frost has worked
for me, in my tan-yard and on my farm, about thirteen
years. He has during that time been a very steady, so-
ber, and well-behaved man. He was unwell four days
last week and not able to work, but he was at work on
Friday and Saturday last ; he was then much better.
Frost had previously told me that he thought he had got
a rupture coming. I advised him to see Mr. Hirsant,
the surgeon for this district, and I offered to give him a
note. I saw Frost on the Saturday afternoon. I saw
no more of him till after the alarm was given that his
four children were dead. I was informed that he had
killed them. I went to his house yesterday, imme-
diately on my hearing what had occurred. When I got
to his house, I found him in custody of Parker the police-
officer. He was sitting, handcuffed, by the table. I
drew a chair and sat by him. I asked him a few ques-
tions with a view to ascertain his state of mind, and not
with a view to criminate himself. I asked him what
could possibly induce him to commit so horrible a deed?
He remained silent. Some one said, " It's of no use
asking him any questions, he will not answer any one."
The house being very full, I asked the police-officer
to clear the house. I think about half-a-dozen persons
remained with me. I then repeated my question, how
could he possibly commit such a horrible deed ? He
shook his head, and groaned. I said, " Frost, you are
the last person in this parish I should have thought
could have committed such an act as this." I think
Parker at this time came up with the hammer, and said,
" This is what the children were killed with ; here is
blood upon it now, and the handle has been washed."
My eyes are weak, and I did not see any blood upon the
hammer. I did not think it had been washed so recently.
I cautioned Parker, the policeman, to remember what
Lord Abinger said at Norwich respecting the police. I
don't think Frost saw'tbe hammer ; his face was quite to
the table. I said, "Frost, you hear what is said about
the hammer ; was this dreadful deed done with the
hammer ?" He answered "Yes." I then asked him
if he washed the hammer afterwards ? He said "Yes."
I asked him if such a thought as this had ever entered
his head before ? He said " Yes." I asked him if he
thought, by destroying his innocent children, it would
be the means of getting them to Heaven ? He said,
he hoped so. I then ask, d him if he had any intention
of destroying himself ? He said " Yes, he intended to
have done so." I advised him to listen to the Rev. Mr.
Blyth, the minister of our parish, who was then in the
room. I saw Frost again in the afternoon. I advised
him again to have some spiritual comfort, and I inquired
if he would like to sea Mr. Blyth again ? He said he
had no objection. He said Mr. Blyth had read and
prayed to him. I said " William, did you join with Mr.
Blyth in prayer ? " He groaned and said, " How could
I ? I saw him again in the evening, and then I advised
him to have Mr. Blyth. I considered that Frost an-
swered all the questions very rationally.
The evidence of the surgeon, IValter Harsant, of
Reepham, was as follows:—I was requested yesterday
morning to attend at Whitweli, to examine the children
of William Frost, who ha.' been murdered, as repre-
sented to me, by their lather. I went over immedi-
ately, and examined the four children lying in Frost's
house. I found the two youngest children in the
pantry; one lying on the floor, and the other in a
basket, both quite dead. The two elder children were
upstairs, both lying on the floor dead. I first examined
Eliza, who was lying in the pantry on the floor. I found
d There
there was a fracture on the back of
lthe This was not
was a little laceration about the p
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child
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od
the been
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discovered no external marks o jur
injured
t thehb) .'r
some
basket.
been • -
in water. I think it
to account for death. The clothes were wet and ap-
peared to me as if they had
had the appearance of having. been drowned. I then
proceeded upstairs, and examined the two elder chil-
dren,
ewho were lying dead there on the floor. I found
more extensive fractures on the back part of
or
the head of
both these children than upon the child below stairs, and
these fractures were quite sufficient to cause death. I ,am
quite satisfied that these fractures were given by some
blunt instrument. lam certain there must have been at
least two blows given to each of the two elder ( hi'dren
upstairs.
The Coroner then directed the policeman to produce
William Frost, and the Coroncr cautioned him against
saying anything to criminate himself, informing him
that all he said would be taken down in I writing, and,if
necessary, would be given in evidence against him ; but.
if he wished to make any statement, he, the Coroner,
was ready to receive it. The Coroner then read all the
depositions over, to which the prisoner paid marked
attention, occasionally correcting the statements of the
witnesses.
The several depositions having been read over,
The prisoner said—With regard to Sarah Allen's de-
position, it is perfectly correct, with the exeeption that I
think my wife was gone more than five minutes. I have
nothing to say against the evidence of Elizabeth Yar-
ham. I have nothing to say against the evidence of
Mary Allen. I had plenty of victuals in my house. I
have no observation to make to the evidence of Mary
Rye. I have no observation to make to • Robert Rye's
evidence. The evidence of Alfred Savory appears pretty
right. The evidence of Samuel Parker appears to me to