npedrazzini/19thc_murder_suicide_news huggingface dataset:
The Sun. — 1827-03-27 (London, England)

LENT ASSIZES-(RECEIVED THIS DAY), LANCASTER, SATURDAY MOWING. HORRID MURDER OF A CHILD BY ITS MOTHER,  Raelutel _Bradley, aged 27, stood indicted for the wilful murder of her own child, at Ashton-under-Lyne. Hannah Meigall lived at Ashton-under•Lvue at Midsummer last. The prisoner went to lodge at her house, at which time she was in a state of pregnancy ; she remained thereabout parish, ai• e whiche was Thurston. About Christmas shek , and then left, saying she was going to her came back again, and brought with her a very fine female child, to which she had given birth ; she called it her darling, and said its name was Mary. She remained this time about a month, and, on the 16th of January, she again went away, taking the child with her, saying she should again apply to her parish. On the 18th she returned again, but without the child. Witness asked her where the her she must infant was ? and she replied that she bad left it with a woman to nurse. James Har.,p, constable, on the 18th January, apprehended 17 Witness ‘t‘o-l'dl l she was in bed, it being twelve o'clock hended the prisoner; go till' come to takeher on a charge her child - she said, I not go with thee, I of murdering, windy on Tuesday morning, have not murdered at night ; he toldlieirt. the child it ; and, without any promise of pardon, she said " I will and I was going along the canal with the child h my arms, when we were blown in, and I lost it."—Witness said, ~ You never fell in yourself, but you threw the child in, now tell me where you have put the poor infant, tell thee the truth ; it was very in order that it may be found and buried." She studied a little while, and then said, " I threw it into the tunnel, just at the end of the rails, and I saw it struggle in the water, and it then sunk before me." Witness then conveyed her away in custody. Thomas Higham, constable, went to the canal to search for the child, he was at work two days; he saw it picked up on the Sunday, and carried to the workhouse ; witness fetched the prisoner to look at it ; he held it in his arms and asked her if it was her child but / . she never answered. He asked her again, and received no answer ; some per_ son standing near said, " Can't you speak, woman ?" She then said it was her child. Witness then said, " You bore this child did you." She said, "Yes." The prisoner said nothing in her defence, and the Jury without hesitation pronounced her Guilty. When Mr. Justice BATLIT was about to pass sentence on the wretched woman she was seized with a fainting fit, but through the aid of restoratives was in a short time so far recovered as to enable his Lordship to proceed. He then pronounced the awful seatenca of the law, and ordered her to he executed on Monday, and her body to be delivered over to the surgeons to be anatomized. The wretched woman was carried from the dock in the chair in which she had eat during the
The Sun. — 1827-06-01 (London, England)

CLARKSON—Had had no acquaintance with her himself, but only knew that she had gene by that name, by report. Prisoner had been, up to that time, a dutiful son. He had been a humane, hardworking, and well-conducted lad. n (On leaving the Court, this witness shook hands over the bar with his son, and both burst into tears. The prisoner, till this time, had been unmoved, but he now hid hieface in his handketchief, and sobbed like a child.) Robert Davis, the officer of Lambeth-street police—Went to the prisoner's room after Dalton, and gave the same description of it. He found a fustian coat on the floor, towards the back of the room, opposite the window. It had blood upon it. (It was here produced, and caused an universal shudder throughout the Court.) The blood was on both sleeves, and on the front, the sleeve was soaked, and other parts splashed; knew the prisoner before this happened ; had seen him often, and observed his dress ; had seen him wear such a cent as the one produced ; had seen the prisoner- two or three days before the 10th May ; could not say what-sort of coat he had then ; bad even him wear such a coat about- a week before. Witness had marked the coat, and locked it up in the Police Office, and it was the same; looked at the child's head as it was on the table, and examined it; found a mark on it, a sort of dent, and a little bruise on the front of the scull. In consequence of instructions, witness went in pursuit of the prisoner, and found him at a farm-house called "the Lane House," in Radnor. shire, in Wales. It was on Thursday the 17th May. He was in the lower room of the house in the chimney corner. Had searched the same house at three o'clock on the morning of the same day; could not find him then, but found him at a little .before ten o'clock in the morning. When the prisoner saw witness, he said, " Oh, Davis, is that you will go away. with you." Witness took him to an inn in Penny pond ; took him to Radnor; while taking him there heard an old lady, who appeared to be the landlady of the house, say to the prisoner, " In God's name, how could you do such a cruel thing ?" Prisoner replied. "It was not God, it was the devil." When on the road from the farm house to Penny Bond, witness asked him how he came to be guilty of such a thing, and he did not give me any answer. Witness told him,. when be had . got out of the farm-house, that 'he . took him in custody on suipicion of murder. He eaid, "Very well, Mr.,Davis." That was before the landlady said anything to him. At Kingston; Herefordshire, witness saw the prisoner change his shirt ; .the shirt was bloody.; it was stained with blood on the left sleeve and on the, breast ; it seemed:to have been worn a long time ; did not, during the journey, make any threats or promises. Witness heard him say, " Oh, mji poor mother, when. she knows I'm taken, it will break her heart."  Cross-examined by Mr.
The Sun. — 1827-07-17 (London, England)

LAMBETH. STREET  S"}:" AGAINi--- On his discharge a regular Ball was given by Old Sheen, whose -apartment is directly over a stable, and which is reached only by a step ladder, and a mass of the vilest of human beings, congregated to celebrate the fortunate escape. Out of this several complaints arose, but the one which is the more immediate subject of this report was the only one which can be considered as having arrived at maturity, and last night came under the notice at this office of John Curtis, Esq., one of the county magistrates. An elderly woman, named Sarah Roberts, was brought in by Norris, one of the officers, who having inforMed Mr. Curtis of the nature of the charge about to be preferred—" that of threatening to murder, and putting her in bodily fear of her life," the learned Magistrate closely investigated the complaint, prefacing his after observations by saying that there was considerable obloquy attached to Sheen, and great public irritation against him, notwithstanding his acquittal, and that perhaps the present charge originated in Mrs. Roberts having in some manner excited his ire by throwing out insinuations or reproaches against him.  Airs. Roberts denied that she had done so. Mr. Ceti:Ns—You may now be sworn, and state the nature of your complaint; but be particular. Airs. Roberts—Why, Sir, I am a hard working poor woman, and sell things at the corner of the street, which I did for many years. I was sitting there attending to my business, and my daughter-in-law was with me, when Sheen came out.  Mr. CU/MS—WI:LS her a mob ? Mrs. Roberts— There was, your Worship. _ _  Mr. Cui.tris—What Caused it' Mrs. Roberts—Wm. Sheen and his bands of music, drums, and fifes ; he was marching about in his shirt sleeves, like any Lord. When my daughter, Sir, made the remark, he turned at her and said what I don't like to tell you, Sir. Mr. Curms—But it is necessary that you should. Mrs. Roberts—Well, then, be said she was a --, and that he would prove her se, for that lie had made her so himself. A neighbour came to me and told me what was going on, and 1 went to him and asked why be had called her such names ? Ile, on that, attacked me, and said I was an old and he would he but he would give me a pill for it. Mr. Cußrts—Do you ❑nderstand by that that be will murder you?  Mrs. Roberts—Nothing else, your Worship, 1 ens sure of it ; my life is not safe, unless be is bound by the laws. Mr. CunTis..--You know you have sworn this.—Mrs. Robert:._l know I do.  3lr. ConT►s.—Then you shall have a warrant, and this Sheen shall be held to lba►i.  The warrant then received the magistrate's signature, and was placed in the hands of Norris, an intelligent and vigilant officer. If apprehended, Sheen will be examined this day.  tiPORTING
The Sun. — 1827-05-30 (London, England)

UNION-HALL.—Yesterday, an elderly female, named Afeirguret Trout, was brought before the sitting Magistrate, Ai. SWABZY, Esq., charged with committing so violent an outrage on her husband that his life is deepaired of. From the evidence of a roman named Susannah Smit: who is a lodger in the same house with the prisoner as,,T, her husband in Kent-street, it appeared that on the v-e-ceding night she was awakened by hearing a consicluable noise in the room immediately over her, which was inhabited by the female at the bar and her husband. The voice of the latter she distinctly heard calling out, " Fors God's sake do not murder me, you have stabbed me." Witness, who is a single woman, Was so much terrified that she was rendered incapable of proceeding up stairs to see what was the matter. The noise continuing, and the cries of the man for help being incessant, witness at length. threw up her window, and called aloud for assistance. After having communicated to the watchman the disturbance, the prisoner was heard to leave the room in which her husband was lying ; and while on the stair-case to nx... claim, "D— you, I have ham-stringed you, and there you may lie," while the former was imploring her to come to his assistance, saying that she had cot him, and that he should bleed to death if she did not stop the wounds which she had inflicted. The prisoner, however, regardless of what had occurred, vocifer.ted that she should not help him; adding, that the next time she would cut his windpipe, and put an end to his noise far ever. ti this time the watchman got into the house, and on proceeding up stairs to the second floor, he observed the 'unfortunate man lying on the bed, with blood flowing profusely from a wound in his throat, and also from a w,-,,und near the calf of his leg. He stated that his wife had inflicted them both with a case-knife, which was subseqneutly found near the bed-side, on the floor, covered with blood. The ',wounded man was c iuveyed to ono of the Borough Hospitals. and prisoner was secured and taken to the watch-house, from whence she was brought up to this office. Hammond, the officer who apprehended her, produced a certie fixate from the Hospital, describing that the prisoner's hose band was considered in a dangerous state. The prisoner was therefore remanded until the fate of her husband is. known ; and the Magistrate directed that in the event of the man's death the officers ;I the parish in which the out-. rage was committed should be informed of it, in order that the circumstances should undergo an investigation before a, Coroner's jury. _ .  The prisoner was described as a woman of the most violent temper ; that she and her husband were in the ha. 141 of quarrelling ; and that on the night in question, kieiT irritated with one another while in bed, the tonics out, and in the heat of the moment seized a dap_knif.,,n, inflicted the desperate wounds above desctib-,:d I. the thr"o7t, and on the leg of her husband.  LOSS OF TIIIRTEP_S
The Sun. — 1812-07-15 (London, England)

MIN MASON.  Mr. SHERIDAN observed, it gave rise to an afflicting consideration to hear it said, that they should not'continue to inflict on a man more cor poral punishinent than human nature could bear at one time.  The &TAXER here interrupted the Right HOn. Gentleman, and reminded him, that there was no question before the House. Mr, SHERIDAN then proceeded to call the attention of 'the House to the case of Mr. St. John Mason, parsuant to the-notice be had giveti, Ailer stating the perseverance of 'Mr. Mason to arise from his feeling himself to have been unjustly.injarcd in his fortune, andin his profession, but above all, in his' character, the -Right Hon. Gentleman-, to show that this was not a casd  which others would not have taken up, read a copy of a letter from Mr. William Hoare Hume, M. P. to Mr. Mason, in which the Honourable Member gave it as his opinion; that he (Mr. Man) had been most cruelly treated; as he (Mr. . :1* wire) had told the Duke of Bedford, and Mr. G. l!ousonby. He (Mr. Sheridan) also read the.  - - cTy of a" letter froni Mn: Hoare to Mr. Grattan, in which he expressed himself to'bc sAtisfied.of Mr. lasbn's innocence, and believed him to have been 0 maned only because he was Emmett's first cousin. 11! (Mr. Sherifilan) had never known Mr. Mason, (tirectly or indirectly; but his' attention. had been directed .through him to the abuses in the Irish gaols,_ where persons had been murdered; starved, and scourged, and treated with the greatest barbarity that inhumanity and personal malignity (supposing the latter to have any'connectfon with hose atrOcities),.'cOuld'have induced any men to ekercise. Herhad seen a copy of a Coroner' Inquest held on the body of a man of wttom he ould say; ang,he would provb it, that he had een, murdered in Kilmainharn gaol. Much to the 1 °nom' of Government,' he -had to state that they had paid proper attention' to the subject witen,he lad once brought it forward. - He described the A' ruched state- of the prisons in ~Treland as -set for* in the Report made. by the'Commission ap. pointed by Government to inquire into the alleged bUses, The Right Honourable Gentleman next yroduced a letfei: from the Duke of Richmond on the subject of the arrest and, detention of Mr.Maton, with a copy of a letter from J. S. Towns(nd, Esq.. which contained the whole of the evidence 'against Mr., Mason: From this letter it a; eared to him, that he really did not wish to exaggerate; or to place the-subject in a ludicrous point of view,-that Mr. Mason-was detained, first,. because he ~was the cousin of Emmet,'• and second, because he bad one day come _too late for. din LONDON: prillted by THOMAS WOOD,-of N 0.33, Maiden-hoe, Covent-garden; and PubV:.r;bed by WILLLVM AFMIGER SCRIPPS, Sou'llboo-Arca, Grosvenor-square, M tile-SUN OEFICk, Nu, 112, Strand, where :Idvertivainent4 Orclars for the Pape'', Letters fuli the..Eliter, &C. '{puss pair(), must be addressed.
The Sun. — 1812-01-14 (London, England)

FURTHER PARTICULARS.  It appears that the house was entered by two desperate villains, though by what means is nut yet discovered, but certainly within intent to rob the premises > While employed in packing up several pairs of boots in a large skin of leather which they found in the shop, the servant went down'stairs to the cellar; 'on her•way thither, though she passed through the shop, she did not observe any person, but on her return she perceived two men, one of them packing up boots, and the other coming as from.the back Part of the premises, to whom she said, " What ! are you going to take boots away to night ? it is Sunday I" thinking they were some of her master's journeymen. At this instant one of the villains made up to her, and threatened her, that ilshe uttered a word he would instantiy murder her. On looking round, she discovered the other to to have,a black crape over his face, which so alarmed her that she screamed out " murder ! murder !" several' times, and ran towards the shop-door, which was then open, 'and which in her fright she shut, and thereby inclosed herself with these rnonsters.--T, She continued to scream, thoughone,of them had levelled-a blow at her head which knocked her down. - On her rising, and not ceasing to call out " 'murder ! thieves !" one of the wretches seized • her by her hair, and ,with a sharp instrument, cut '. her throat right across the wind-,ripe. She then tell to the ground, and remembered no farther of what passed.  - The screams of the girl had by this time alarmed the family up stairs, wifich consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Pryor, and thrte young men, lodgers. Mrs. Pryor then went down st,firs, and on her reaching Lire bottoin, aetually fell-uvc-r her wounded servant, as she lay senseless on t e floor. The terror of Mrs. Pryor may be better conceived than described. Notwithstanding her fright, however, she got up stairs; but it was not a matter easy to 'determine in the minds of those above who should venture down to attack what they supposed a banditti of murderers. Mr. Pr) or and his l.fdgers at last went down, and found the servant as we have before described, the shop door being- wide open; and, we are sorry to say, that the peipetsators of this horrid crime escaped, leaving behind them the skin of leather, tied up, full of new boots and shoes. Medical aid was instantly sent for, and the wound on the neck was pronounced not mortal. What adds to the daring atrocityof this act is, that it • was committed so early as beßveen tight and nine o'clock, and the premises of Mr. Pryor are as public as any situation can be, being situated in the Hign-staet of Southwark, not many yards from the Town Hall, which is as great a thoroughfare as the Stand or Fleet-street.
The Sun. — 1803-02-07 (London, England)

KINGSTON, NOV. ±9.  PTIVIStIAy evening last, a negro man stave named Ajax, the property of Mr. Peter Duffus, who a few weeks past murdered two of his master's negroes and absconded, was apprehended at the bottom of the Long Mountain liy a party sent out for that purpose. He was the next day lodged at the Guard. House, and on- Saturday ,taken before the sitting magistrates, a►id fully Committed to the gaol of. this city to await his trial.  Saturday last Captain Trood was committed to gaol by the sitting' magistrates, on a charge of having struck on board his vesael, on the evening before, with a handspike, a negro man, who fell overboard, and is supposed to be drowned. Dtzo.-,—ln Spanish• Town, on the z7th instant, after: a short illness, Mr. Thomas Briscoe, mer. chant, of the house of fiance, Briscoe, & Co. of this town.-•-At Port-Henderson, Mr. Robert Romanus.  A farmer and dealer in hogs, named Henegan, who resides in the County of Kildare, was stopped on Thursitty, at noon, at Cherryfield-hill (so cele. braced for Mail.robberies), by a person dressed like a sailor, who presenting a case olpistols, took from him half a guinea in silver. ,Hcrtegan, however, saying that this was all the money he had, the other returned to him ZS. and offered to accompany him part of the way towards Dublin, whither, h,: said, he was going, to prom& him. from furth,l attacks. This being declined, they patted ; the robber tak. ing the road to Monastereven, and Henegan struck iv«) the fields, keeping the robber in view. In a little time he met a person whom he dispatched to Mr. Cassidy, a magistrate at Monastereven with some of his people armed, joined Henegan, and overtook the robber, who, finding he was pursued, took shelter in a bog. Here they surrounded him. He declared be. would nut surrender his arms but with his life, upon which he was fired at with shot. This he laughed at, and persisted in saying he would shoot the first man:that approached. Some balls wete fired at him, one of which broke his right ann.,. when the pistol falling, he took it up with the greatest ,composure, still calling to. his assailants to approach. Other balls (af►er Isis having again been ineffectually called upon to surrender), broke • his thigh, when he fell ; but instantly contriving to sit, he snapped one of the pistols at the persons who rushed on him, and expired. In his pockets were found a tiowder.horn and ammunition, and some papers, by which it' appeared that his name was Lawlor, a native of Stradbally, in the Queen's County, and lately discharged from the Navy, in which he had served for eight years. His body, which .indicated uncommon strength, Was conveyed on a car to Monasterevenovhere, it appears, he had been for two days, associating with men of must obnoxious charaders.—The same 9dive. Magistrate has since examined hottses which the deceased was said to frequent, in the chimnies of which lie found concealed a French, and some' other muskets.
The Sun. — 1818-10-21 (London, England)

CONFESSION. During the time the Inquest was being held at the Rockingham Arms, Dean was pladed in a private room with May, and several other officers. Dean whispered to May, that if he were left alone .with him he would _ relate to hint the whole particulars of the dreadful transaction. May requested every person present to leave the room, and the prisoner then matle.the following confession, which we give verbatim :—" On Friday evening last, 1 met a young,man named Joseph Williams, with whom I. bad long been intimate at Mrs. Halbert's house, in Jaques-court, Thomas-street. I had long been acquainted with a young woman, named Sarah Longman, daughter of Mr. Longman, at the Grapes, Church-row, Aldgate ; nty aflection,for her was extremely great ; I had for some time past corresponded with her. A dispute unhappily arose ; I wrote to her upon the subject, expressing my regret at the unfortunate ,rupture ; described the very great regard which I tentertaint4 fOr her ; implored her to consent to a reconciliation ; and begged-that she would write me an early answer. She never replied to my ' letter. Her father called upon me, and wished  that the connexion might be discontinued, These circumstances had an indescribable effect uP(' my mind ; I was miserably unhappy, "116 inceacf pable of attending to any business, and gave entirelyup to despair. I endeavoured to prevail te, her to renew the correspondence. I Celt that lover could be happy in this world without her, anddeter• mined to leave it. Thoughts of a dreadfuldescripti°l3 entered my mind, and must have proceeded front the devil. I felt that I should leave the work' in a state of happiness if I could murder her, and. termined to perpetrate the deed. .1 had been Troia home two days, business not being very brisk and on Friday evening I called to see llows, at Mrs. Halberts, and we both came out together, and walked in company as far as the Surrey Tfjearre ; we did not go in. I told Williams tll6t d wanted to see a Gentleman in the Borough, fin should go that way. We parted, and I returned to Mrs. Halbert's. After talking in a very fric""l manner with the family, I asked for a knife, an; they supposing that I wanted to cut some Veal gave me a case knife. I took an opporuniti concealing it unperceived in my pocket. shortly after went out with tite child to buy he some apples, which having done, I retnrned the court. A sudden thought came over tol • Wa to mind, that if I murdered the child, who o'Bs in; Docent, I -should not commit so. great a crime a in murdering Sarah Longman, who was older; and as j imagined bad sins to answer for. 19 'Li moment I pulled the kniie, out of my pocket, re, the child down out of my arms, held her hesback, and cut her throat ; in an instant I tuna; wined that I was in the midst of flaming fi'e, the court appeared t,o me like the entrance of I ran away, not knowing- where I went, or %,'"a I did : 1 wandered abot;t in a state of distractiPn,: until 1 surrendered myself up at thewatch-louse: