The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — 1826-01-02 (London, England)

THE BRITISH PRESS.  FATAL EFFECTS OP SEDUCTION.  On Saturday evening an inquisition was held at the Maid and Magpie public-house, Stepney•. on the body of Louisa White, a young and lovely girl, the green eldest daughter of a respectable tradesman in that neighbourhood, who bad poisoned herself, under the intolerable pressure of shame, In consequence of her seduction by a married man, named Hughes, a pilot residing at I Mill-wall, near the City Canal. The jury having viewed the mese, Mr. John Bailey White, the father of the deceased, was examined. ()n Thursday morning, about half-past four o'clock, I was called up to attend the deceased. She was then sensible, but did not appear to he in' very great,paln. I asked—" My dear Louisa, have you taken any thing P' She replied that " she had taken arsenic." I was aware that she was pregnant. I knew it for about ten days. I think she took the poison about ten o'clock on Wednesday night,in her own room. There were the remains of a white powder, resembling tobacco ashes, on a chair in her bedroom, when I went to see her on the morning of her decease. On Wednesday evening she wax much disturbed in her mind. and extremely low-spirited. I endeavoured with her sisters to cheer her, and told her we would do the best we could for her. She asked what was she to do 1 " I shall be a complete outcast ; no one will ever look on me." When I found her mind so disturbed. I seat for her aunt, thinking that, Na a female who had a family of her own, she wax the best person to speak to her. The unhappy parent, while giving his testimony, was in a state of the greatest anguish of mind. Thomas 11'ebb examined—f am a pupil of the Borough Hospitals, and was formerly engaged with 3lr. Duck, of Stepney. On Wednesday evening I was in the shop when the deceased asked for a pennyworth of arsenic; I refused serving her; lam confident she was not served with the article at our shop. Juror—You can only answer for yourself; but it le impossible for you to say what Mr. Duck or others might have done in your absence. The witness handed in a letter from Mr. Duck to the Coroner, which stated that he, assisted by Dr. Ramage, of Ely-place, Hol. born, opened the body of the deceased, the intestines of which ex• hibited a very inflamed appearance, and contained a quantity of white powder, which, on being submitted to site usual analysis., proved to be arsenic, and was no doubt the cause of her death. Mrs. Ann Harden examined.—l am aunt to the deceased, and went to see her on 11'ednenday evening. She was then alive, and had not, in my opinion, at that time, taken poison. From her discourse she appeared deranged. lin consequence desired her sister Ann to look after her. She owned her pregnancy to me, and told me of the entire connexion. The witness was about giving the account as stated to her by her unfortunate neice, when she was stopped by the Coroner, who said he wanted none of these private details. One of the Jury, however, seemed to think theni necessary to a proper developement of the case, and as accounting for the insanity of the deceased. Ile also met with a similar interruption, and the Coroner said that he could not allow his office to be made a vehicle for the circulation of calumny. A Jury, impanelled as they were, vstoosshledit Grand Inquest, which could only take cognizance of a prima fie case. They had evidence enough before them without going into extraneous matters. One of the Jurors replied that he did not think it by any means irrelevant or extraneous to ascertain the cause of the deceased's insanity. The person who occasioned it should, in hie mind, be exposed to public obloquy. The Coroner said, that in all probability that exposure would be attained ; and then, siter briefly summing up the evidence, the Jury returned a verdict of "Suicide, while labouring under mental derangement."  COROYER'S INQUEST OV Tlik: