Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-02-03
any PaRrNER. >,


l o0s S0me y ms DOotns
The Hounslow TRAGEDY. which has caused 20
much excitement In London. arose out of the sui
eide of DR.. William Whitfield Edwards. Il ap-
peared that one morning the deceased came
nome nom an interview with his partner. DR..
Whitmarsh, in q very depressed state of mind,
ana soon afterward his wife found him lying In
| an armchair unconscious, an empty bottle being
found near him. A doctor was sent for. but Dr.
Edwards died In a few minutes. The same
morning servant found In q drawer letter In
the deceased's handwriting, addressed to the
M.ddteser Mercury and marked important" 1t
was as follows:
STANLEY HOUSE, BATH ROAD,
HouNsLow, Dec. q, 1ss2-la:40 a.m}
SRA most foul and horrible charge has bee q
Drought against me by wicked, designing woman.
what the motive was God only knows, unless we
except the devil. Probably at first She had no
thought OF the awful consequences OF the accusa-
lying statement she fe.t bound to stick &c it, How
ever that may be there is only one result for me
rum: such charge against medical man does
not require substantiatng. 1t is altogether enough
10 make 1t and the man is lost forever, as far as
this world is concerned. should have stood my
firmly believe have satisfied the jury OF my in
noccnce ana have put the woman on her trial for
my partner. DIR. whitmarsh. This vile wretch
whom may God yet torment with all the fortunes OF
hell, both In this world and the next-glad of
gains, brought pressure to bear upon me to
ieave the practice and run away from the Nigh
S Dor offered mean $500 out OF cls paid
nun fourteen months ago, he to retain all book
deOts, valued bv myself, before Mr. Garrett and
mt: Lay, at 81 900 merely mention this to show
native! He offers that unless go he will himself
appear as witness against Inc, thus assuring nv
Ss 0cu as what Jury could acgut man that
am now about to appear before my Maker. I
cannot live disowned and dishonored, as 1 shall
"a hnP
1 stay to confront the per1ured witness At this
awful moment sOlemnly declare that am limo
cent OF the charge which has been brought
against me-a charge which has its origin In the
morbid Imagination OF a licentlous- minded, hys-
tericai woman May God bless and keep my dear
wife and little boys, my mother and all, for whom
WILLIAM WHITFIELD EDWARDS,
NJ. d. BruX., NJ. X. c. s, L. g. A.
Ior my dear ones; ana would wish to leave every
ming 10 my Wife, but perhaps that is impossible
WITHOUT q formally witnessed will.
WILLIAM WHITFIELD EDWARDS.
Besides this letter there was apaper on which
was written the following words, which were
also read:-"The last words of William Whit
field Edwards. May God curse Michael Whit
marsh"
At the inquest evidence was adduced to the
effect that the wife OF laborer whom the de-
ceased had been attending for hystera had
brought charge of indecent assault
against HIM: This charge the woman
atterWard withdrew in letter signed bv
herself, her husband and Dr. Whitmarsh At
the same time the woman persisted in saving
that the charge was true. and that she had with
drawn 1t only because she did not wish to iniure
DIR. Edwards or his wife. 1t appeared how
ever. that prosecution was to be instituted
and that DIR. Edwards became aware of this and
that Dr. Whitmarsh had resolved to give evil
dence against him, late on the night before he
committed suicide. There was also proposal
by DIR. Whitmarsh that DIR. Edwards should &C
cept 95OO and leave the business. which is ex-
planned in the letter which DIR. Edwards wrote
before his death.
Since the circumstances Of the death of Dr.
Edwards became known there has been consid-
cradle excitement in the locality. and Dr. Whit
marsh. with whom the deceased was in partner
ship, has been the object Of much animosity On
the night of the funeral about two thousand
persons assembled round Albemarle House. the
residence of DIR. Whitmarsh and. notwitlstand-
ing the efforts OF forty policemen. smashed all
the windows and did other damage besides
burning DR.. Whitmarsh in efffgy DR.. Whit
marshs surgery was also broken into, and his
carriage was dragged out and broken into
splinters. Next night in front of Albemarle
House. and tor quarter of a mile
on either side of it. there was a dense crowd
wandering, as If aimlessly to and fro: but in
truth only kept from wantOn mischief by the
police force, powerfully strengthened by contin-
gents from neighbOring towns. The widest re-
ports were i'm circulation to what was in
tended to be DONE Between. eight and nine
o'clock some stone throwing was attempted, but
1t was promptly checked by the mounted police
At the same time the officers on foot formed a
Gordon. and kept the road clear by compelling
the crowd to ''move on" Two efifgies pre-
sumably intended to represent DIR. Whitmarsh
and Mrs. Bignel were paraded about the thor
Oughfares in cart.
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