THE WHITELEY MURDER.

~■:;,,;■ .iri, m ....,.■:;■■■■■ • i.f'V. 4* '&'*•''' ■■>•'' ■*• ■■ •' '"'*'"' • VEIL LIFTED. . ;.'■■> - ■-■-.;. I , ;: ;V >vr,„y, .;.•■/ REMARKABLE CAREER OF THE ":•■' '■' ACCUSED MAN. [FROM OX7B own, CORRESPONDENT.] London, February 1. Judging by popular feeling and accepting public action as the gauge of public feeling, the great shopkeeper .'recently deceased, the late Mr. William Whiteley, should occupy the highest place in the world's notice next ; to '"'. Royalty.;? His funeral' the day before I yesterday : was of quite royal dimensions, so ; far as concerned the public interest taken in the. event and the public attendance, I either as mourners or as spectators of the function. The ecclesiastical ceremonial took place at Christ Church, Lancaster Gate, where the " universal provider" has been a frequent worshipper, and the ceremony,was attended by very beautiful musical accessories, exquisitely contributed by the perfect choir of that popular church. They included, almost as a matter of course, the delightful ; quartet and chorus, "Blest* are the' Departed," from Spohr's oratorio, " The Last Tilings"—commonly mistranslated as "The Last - Judgment," which Spohr himself did not call it. The interment took place at Kensal Green Cemetery, and more than 150 carriages fol- \ lowed the hearse, which was accompanied -1 by; several other glass hearses filled with the flowers which had been sent by friends - or admirers of the deceased; - : '"'"•

, v What little "mystery"' could even Iby the most vivid .'stretch of imagination .. be { | associated "■ with -the murder of Mr. Whiteley has been speedily dispelled. i : As a matter of fact there never was any real "my6-J tery" at all, except in the newspaper headings..; But the story, although in no re- j »pect mysterious, is sad and tragic enough.: I Few people j doubted that •- the V murderer i spoke the truth when he proclaimed himself the son of the man-he had murdered. Few j also, failed to guess the general outlinesl of. .the story, which had culminated, so tragically. • The late Mr. Whiteley, although ; always • regarded"' and respectedl believe justly—as a straightforward and honourable, 'as well, as. most capable, man of business, had in his more youthful days been what is politely and somewhat euphe-.. mistically termed.'," rather gay ;','.' probably, judging ■ from frequent revelations • afford- j ed; by the: law ! courts, present-day society. would be disposed to^ regard his conduct as r . very;. venial in its sinfulness. But, ; as is so often . the case, whatever people may, j say, "his sin found him out." So far as I can be ascertained he provided most gener- j ously for the • son who could not lawfully i bear his name, establishing. him in business ! and helping him in every possible way, al- ] though without definitely,; recognising any i claim «or admitting relationship. But the j young man seems to have been a thoroughly ."bao lot." His life-history, is by no means, an interesting one, except to , those who.; enjoy reading about sins of the host sordid; kind. Whether or "not he were the real, originator of a blackmailing plot, which for more 'than twenty years is said to "have made .his late father's life a burden, or whether, he were a leading actor in a nefarious; scheme hatched by abler and even more unscrupulous heads, than his own, has not been discovered up to the: time at. which: I am writing. V But that such a plot was organised and carried out 'with \ relentless ".. persistency has been definitely ascertained.

More than twenty years ago Mr. Whiteley and his wife were separated; a scandal had arisen, and the circumstances are stated as follow by one who is in a position! toT know the truth:—"About the # time when Mrs. Whiteley was separated from her husband Mr. Whiteley was—or apbeared, or believed himself to beinvolved s in a scandal.- It was a scandal *of a kind that would probably have little effect' on some consciences, but in the mind- of the wealthy „ and v respectable .'universal pro- . vider* it assumed terrible dimensions. ■■ In many ways a man of firm and determined , 111)11(1. he was peculiarly sensitive as to anything I calculated to besmirch his J fair fame. Then, too, there were bis'; two sons to /consider. y His warm affection for them, his fear lest anything should be divulged to decrease their respect for him or to throw:. a■; shadow over theirs lives, laid him open to the attacks lof j the stealthy,, blackmailer. / Those attacks were; not •_,long: in coming. - Mysterious « visitors, .began .to ■■■■ make their, Appearance at the great shop in Bayswater. ' Personal business -.was the ; only explana- • tion ; they i made for wishing to occupy the time .of-; a \ ven- : busy man, who ~i was not ordinarily prolix in his interviews- ;, * Mr.; Whiteley's ;i trusted business : lieutenants sometimes marvelled ; at .these interviews,, and the kind of despair which was momentarily visible, in Mr, Whiteley's demeanour after them." But none of' their suspected the'real truth, though it was apparent he concealed something which,was causing him profound misery, v One friend describes him , as.; occasionally - almost mad with worry. Had -{ Mr. Whiteley been a worse man he might have acted more'decisively. Had.he been gifted with a callous nature he would / have faced all and given his persecutors in. charged Being, as he was, sensitive to the slightest suspicion of scandal, he, met i, the incessant : demands of the ; voracious band, and .-' suffered in K secret far more than he would have done had the whole storytrue false—been published to the world. It is '; a pathetic figure to anyone with a touch of imaginative sympathy, this of the sturdy,; middle-aged : Yorkshireman, : who had so, pluckily .fought his way up to wealth with no " other A ally j than Ids native shrewdness and tireless 'energy. . To the ; WQrJd lie was 'the] great Whiteley, the man who", in business, knew not the meaning ■ of the word impossible, the man on whom thousands'. of ? people : depended for their daily bread.:" In private this sturdy, firmfaced old gentleman was often another person—harassed with a care he could confide to, s no friend, however intimate, haunted by vague fears, and a, prey .to the men who knew his secret, /The. hist two years of Mr. Wliiteley's life were probably the most peaceful he bad passed since the blackmailing band first selected him as a victim. For some reason /.the persecution,, which had been constant' and unrelenting for so many... years, v died away- The old gentleman was a calmer and happier man.'] His natural cheeriness of disposition asserted' itself.- without restraint..' Then cniiuv;thfi : interview.'with: 'Horace'/. George ■"; Ravher. What that .unhiippv young man had to do with Mi* Whiteley's secret it is not necessary to inquire. The man who is at the head of the conspiracy Of which Mr. Whiteley was the victim is no novice in black-' mail.' He has J for years lived' on money extracted from the fears of wealthy men. Blackmail as, a a means of subsistence' is commoner in London than most people imagine."

: c MR. whiteley's W11.1.. Although : the total value of the late Mr. William Whiteley's estate is not ' yet known, it is safe" to sav that it will contribute at least £150,000 to the death ; duties. •".""•:;:•'"•' ■■/.-/■ y-.-'; •?•■'--"--.'•■- The chief bequest is one of £1.000,000 for the provision of homes for the aged poor. We aire now authorised to publish the following, further details of Mr. Whiteley's will, which is dated May 20, 1904, The testator appoints his two sons,' William Whiteley. and Frank Ernest Whiteley, his brother, Thomas Rowlandson Whiteley, his brother-in-law. Henry Mason, and Charles St. "-'-John K. ; Roche executors "and trustees for "general" purposes of his ■will, and bequeathed to each of them who should act the sum of £1000 free of duty. The testator then bequeathed various pecuniary legacies-'to nephews,' nieces, and , other members of the family, also to the servants in his employ at the time of his death. '/ ;.„.'-.' .:''....'.'.■'*. '"■'..''." UPWARDS OF £1,000,000 FOI*. THE POOR. The testator .bequeathed the following charitable legacies, free: of duty, viz.: — St. : Mtary's ; Hospital, Paddington, £2000; . London Fever : Hospital, Islington. £1000; Paddingtmi Green n. Children's! I Hospital, £500"; : Cancer Hospital, £500; Hospital for Consumption. Brompton, £500; Middle- ', sex Hospital, £500; West London Hospital, Hammersmith ; Road, £500; Chelsea Hospital K; for- Women/ " £500 Nazareth House; Hammersmith Road, £500; Little

Sisters i- of , the Poor,' St. Joseph's House, Portobeflo Road, £500; National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, £500;" Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. £500; Royal Hospital, Richmond,'"£loo; Hayes Cottage Hospital, Middlesex/ £100. ... • V To ■;.' his sister, > Maria Whiteley, ,;he bequeathed an annuity of £1000 for life, free of duty, with the right to use and enjoy as her residence during her life'Beechroyd,' Finchley, as now held by her. : To each of his daughters, Ada Florence and ' Clara Louise, he gave ,an annuity -of £1000 for life, free, of duty,- to commence from the death of his widow. Harriet Sarah Whiteley, whom he'J declared was otherwise adequately provided for. £50,000 EACH FOB. SONS. . The testator, then '■> bequeathed £50,000 in trust for his son William and! a similar sum of £50,000 in trust for bis son Frank Ernest. " ..*.,, r_ ,:„_ c . ~.:\. ,• The, testator further directed two sums of £5000 to be set apart, the income thereof to be applied as follows, viz.:—Paid to the ,Mayor and aldermen of Paddington and the* vicars of ': certain named churches, to be distributed, under certain restrictions therein set forth, to poor people at Christmas, and to be called "The Whiteley Christmas Gifts." • The income of the other £5000 to be { mid to certain trustees called " The Whiteey Sports Trustees," who are to apply the same for prizes to encourage cricket, football, rowing, and swimming, under certain conditions, one being residence within five miles of Westbourne Grove. 7-1 With regard to the £1,000,000 bequest, the testator directed that, his trustees should hold a sum as nearly as may be to, but not exceeding, £1,000,000, and pay the' same over to certain special trustees, called " The - Whiteley Homes " Trustees," upon trust to found; provide, and maintain homes for the aged V poor, to be called " Whiteley Homes for the Aged Poor," and also to assist in the maintenance of the inmates, and elaborate provisions are made for carrying out the bequest. ' The testator bequeathed the ultimate residue (if "any) in trust for his two sons equally. \ Mr. Roche's firm act for William Whiteley, Limited, and the sons of the deceased.