Milford chronicle., 1919-07-04
R. c. WHITE DIES
OF HEART DISEASE
He READ LAW IN The OFFICE OF WILL
LARD SALISBURY AND WAS AD-
MITTED TO The BAR IN 1880.
WAS ATTORNEY GENERAL
WAS PROSECUTOR OR DEFENDER IN
SEVERAL NOTED MURDER CASES
DURING HIS CAREER.

Robert c. White, dean of the Sus-
sex County bar and former Attorney
General of the State. died at his home
on South Race street late last Satur-
day night of heart disease. The fu-
neral will be held at 1.30 o'clock next
Saturday afternoon and interment will
be made at Milton.
Mr.. White was widely known as a
criminal lawyer of ability, and during
his term as attorney general, which
started in 1895, he successfully as
sisted in the prosecution of some fam
Gus murder cases. Peter L. Cooper,
now deceased, was his deputy attor-
ney general and Bernard ]. McVey
and Walter Witsil, State detectives.
Probably the most noted case that
Mr.. White assisted in prosecuting was
that of Ada c. BOtkin, of San Francis
co, who was convicted Of poisoning
Mrs. ]. P. Dunning and Mrs. ]. ID.
Deane, of Dover, daughters of the late
Congressman John B. Pennington.
Mrs. Botkin, actuated by jealousy, sent
poison candy from California to Mrs.
Dunning at Dover through the mail.
Mrs. Dunning and. Mrs. Deane, her
sister, who ate some of the candy,
died, and several others were critic
ally i'll for a time but recovered.
Mrs. Botkin was tried in San Fran
cisco, convicted and sent to prison for
life. Mr.. White and State Detective
Bernard ]. McVey attended both Of the
Botkin trials in San Francisco, the
jury having disagreed in the first trial.
Mr.. White assisted in the prosecution
in the western city.
Another noted murder case that he
successfully prosecuted while attorney
general was that of James GOrdy.
Gordy was convicted at Georgetown
for the murder of his wife, a New
York woman, the day after he married
her.
After his term as Encouragement
expired Mr.. White was counsel for
the defense in a number Of more noted
murder cases. He represented Elmer
Collins, who was acquitted on the
charge of numbering his wife.
The deceased was born July 16, 1852,
near Milton, Sussex county, son of
and Harriet Hopkins White.
His great-grandfather. Paul White,
was born, lived and died in Lewes, and
his only son, Robert, grandfather of
Robert c. White, spent his entire life
in Sussex county, as did his father,
White.
Robert c. White received his educa-
ton in the public schools OF Sussex
living with his father on the
old homestead until he was II years
Of age, when he secured a position in
a store at Drawbridge, this county.
When he became of age he went to
Harbeson and engaged in business for
himself. Three years later he aban-
doned mercantile pursuits and read
law in the office of the late Willard
in Dover.
He was admitted to the bar April
Is, 1880, and at once began his prac-
.ice From 1898 to 1895 he was coun-
sci for the Levy Court of Sussex
county, and on November %, 1895, he
was appointed attorney general by
Governor Watson, being the last at
-orney general to be selected that way.
The new State Constitution was pro-
claimed in 1897, and provided that the
attorney general should be elected by
The voters of the State. Upon his re-
-irement from the office he returned
10 his practice, which grew rapidly.
and he was associated with many i'm
Dortant cases. He was regarded as
1ne of the leaders of the Sussex bar.
On February 16, 1881, he was mar
lied to Laura, daughter of John T. and
Susan Conwell. He was a member of
he PRESBYTERIAN Church and an elder.