Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-01-29
any
How Or. Edwards, a Physician,
CaE,s =. ais Death at HOuns-
low.

Nnc lttBtuyi WHICH mas
caused SO much excitement 10 London,
arose out of the suicide of DR.. Will.
liam Whitfield Edwards. Itappeared
that one morning the deceased came
home from az interview with his part
ner, DR.. Whitemarsh, in q very de-
pressed state Of mind, and soon after.
ward his wife found him lying In q
chair unconscious, an empty bottle be-
ing found neal him. A doctor was sent
for. but DR.. Edwards died in a lew
minutes. The same morning a ser.
want found in a drawer a letter in the
deceased's handwriting, addressed to
the Middlesex Mercury and marked
important" 1t was as follows:
STANLEY House, BATE ROAD,
HOuNsLow, Dec, "a, lSS2-l2s0 am
SRA most foul and horrible
cihsrge hss been brought against me by
a wicked, designing woman. What
the motive was God only knows, IN
less We except the devil. Probably at
first she had no thought Of the awful
consequences of the accusation she
was making, and once having made
her lying statement she felt bound to
stick to it. However that may be
there is only one result for me-ruiu
such a charge against a medical man
does not require substantiating. 1t is
altogether enough to make it and the
man is lost forever, as Tar as this world
is concerned. | should have stood my
ground and faced the consequences
Of a trial, and firmly believe have
satisfied the jury of roy innocence and
nave put the woman on her trial ioi
perjury, il it were not for that fend IN
human form, my partner, Dr.. Whit
marsh. This vile wretch-Whom may
God yet torment with all the tortures
Jfhell, both in this world and the
next-glad Of any pretext for adding
to his store of ill-gotten gaios, brough
pressure TO bear up0u me to leav
the practice and run away
from the n~eighDornood, oiterco
a mean $500 out Of elS00 l 'paid
him fourteen months ago, he to retain
all book debts, valued by myself. be
tore Mr.. Garrett aud Mr.. Lay, at
el000. | merely mention this to show
the motive of his conduct. What is
the ~alternatiye2 He offers.that unless
| go he will himself appear as a wit
ness against me, thus assuring my con
v%iction, as what jury could acquit q
MAJ that his own partner pretends to
believe in his guilt? | am now about
to appear before my Maker. | cannot
live disowned and dishonored, as ]
shall be whether / leave the neighbor-
hood, or whether | stay to confront
che perjured witness. At this awful
moment | solemny declare that | am
innocent Of the charge which has been
brought against me-a charge which
has its origin in the morbid imagina
ton Of liceutious minded, h~ysterical
woman. May God bless and keep my
dear wife and little boys, my mother
and all, for whom | shall pray. Amen.
WIN WHITFIELD EDWARDS.
P. ST. hope Mr.. Barber will do
the best he can for my dear ones; and
[ would wish to leave everything to
ny wife, but perhaps THAT is impos
Iible without a formally witnessed
will. WIN. WHITFIELD EDWARDS.
Besides this letter there was a paper
n which was written the following
words, which we're also read: "The
asst words Of William Whitfield Ed
yards: May God curse Michael Whit
marsh"
At the inquest evidence was ad-
luced to the effect that the wife o.
laborer whom the deceased had beer
attending for hysteria had brought a
charge Of indecent assault against him.
This charge the woman afterwards
withdrew in a letter sigued by herself
her husband and DR.. Whitmarsh. AT
the same time the woman persisted 10
saying that the charge was true, and
that she had withdrawn it only because
she did not wish to ipjare either
DR.. Edwards himself or his wife. II
appeared, however, that's prosecution
was TO be instituted, and that DR.
EDWARDS became aware of this, and
hat DR.. Whitmarsh had resolved /
give evidence against him, late on tn.
+ light before he committed suicid
, There was also a proposal by DR..
Whitmarsh that DR.. Edwards should
accept $500 and leave the business,
: which is explained in the letter which
DR. Edwards wrote before his death
Since the circumstance ofthe death
Of DIR. Edwards became known there
} has been considerable excitement in
the locality, and DIR. Whitmarsh, with
whom the deceased was in partnership
has been the object ofmuch luminosity.
IN the night of the funeral about two
thousand persons assembled round
Albemsrle House, the residence OF
DR.. Whitmsrsh, aud, Notwithstanding
, the efforts Of forty policemen, smashed
ali the windows and did other damage
: besides burning DR.. Whitmarsh in
efigy. DR.. Whitmarsh's surgery was
4 ,lsO broken into, and his carriage was
dragged out and broken into splinters
. Next night in front Of AlbemarlC
! House, and for a quarter OF a mile on
! either side Of il, there was a dens,
crowd wandering, as if aimlessly, L
and fro; but in truth only kept iron
wanton mischief by the police force
n powerfully strengthened by contin
! gents from neighboring towns. Th,
a widest reports were in circulation g.
! to what was intended to be done
Between eight and nine o'clock som
|, stone throwing was attempted, but i
was promptly checked by the mounte,
police. At the same time the officer
on foot formed a Gordon, and kept tn
!, road clear by compelling tho crowd t,
move on" Two eiigies, presumabl
intended to represent DR.. Whitmars
and Mrs. Brignsll, we're paraded abou
the thoroughfare in a cart.
= Arlksnsaw Timber.