npedrazzini/19thc_murder_suicide_news huggingface dataset:
The St. Helens Examiner, and Prescot Weekly News. — 1905-07-01 (Saint Helens, Merseyside, England)

AND CRY.  TITERE was little doubt that three of the murderers had escaped in the motor car, and that the fourth was dead. A body, charred and consumed beyond all recognition, had been found by the police in the black ruins of the stables. There was no evidence to show whether it was the body of Jordison or that of One of his three servants. No one knew of Susanson's death, and it was commonly supposed that three people had escaped. Holme, indeed, spoke of only having seen one of Jordison's servants, but it was well-known that there had been tour men in the house, and it was not extraordinary that a person confined to the four square walls of a loose box should only have come in contact with two of them. The Red House had tumbled down like a house of .cards. Scarcely one brick was left st!..nding on another. It resembled a vast rubbish heap, or a building that had gone through the hands of the house breakers. It was no longer the semblance of a house, but a mere pile of brick, timber, and plaster. The police had no hope of finding any bodies in the ruins, for they knew that the house had not been inhabited for some time past, and that jordison and his servants had made their home in the stables and outhouses. But they removed every brick till the surface was level with the garden. They did this as a matter of form, and did not pursue their investigations into the cellars, which were entirely choked up with rubbish. They found no trace of anything, not even of a single piece of furniture. "fhey came to the conclusion that it had all been removed V) the stables and that it had perished in the fire. There was an element of weakness in this theory, for it would have been hard to get a houseful of furniture into the stables, but the theory had to serre in default of a better one. Both Lady Heatheistone and Arthur Hohne were carefully questioned and cross-examined. The former withheld as tin inatll anoiofor Jordison's real name and past history. The latter gave his evidence to the best of his ability, but s lurred over the matter of Arthur Sterious, as an unimportant detail, and some hallucination of Jordison's brain. Other minor witnesses contributed to the general stock of knowledge, and Lord Heatherstone stated what he had seen from the bedroom window. The sum total of it all was that William Jordison and his servants were responsible for the murders of Lord. Oyercliffe and William Outen, and that three of them had escaped from the district on a very powerful motorcar. The tatter had been seen on the old Roman ca„„„,:av by two oyster fishermen, whose boat 'lying up one of the creeks. And then all t: are c.,f it had vanished as completely as though it had been swallowed up in the ooze of the matshes. The Essex papers, in commenting on tile case, said that the only tisfactnr, f'eptvro of the whole affair was the tact (hat three such determined ruffians had escaped from the neighbourhood, and that the fourth was dead. One journal, pro.Lressive and ultra radical. Printed some severo
The Potteries Examiner : — 1876-11-04 (Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England)

THE ATTEMPTED WIFE MURDER AT  HANLEY.  The charge against Alexander Blunt, collier, of shooting at his wife with intent to murder her, again came before the beaky borough magistrates on Tuesday. Mr. E. Tennant defended.—Mrs. Blunt was sufficiently recovered to appear, and the case attracted a crowded court. Mr. Windle, chief constable, said the partias had been married five years, and up to 18 months ago lived comfortably together. Since then the prisoner had left his wife on several occasions, staying from her no long as three or four months at a time. She went with her child, the survivor of two, to live with her mother, in Paddock-street. The prisoner left her again in July, and remained away until October, on the 14th of which month she met him accidentally in the street, and agreed to meet him again later in thoevening. At this second meeting he charged her with intimacy with :tome other man, but he walked with her to her home, and stayed with her a short time. He returned about midnight, and asked for the child, and as he was going away he turned and fired a pistol at his wife. The contents of the pistol were discharged in her face, causing temporary blindness, besides other injuries. It was feared at first that the sight et both eyes was gone, but she was now recovering.—The prosecutrix, Harriet Blunt, a young woman of very respectable appearance, was examined at great length. She said prisoner hail always been very kind to her, except when in drink. His drinking habits had been the muse of frequent quarrels during the last two years, and induced her to separate from him in July last. He then went away, and when he returned he said he was very sorry for his past conduct, and asked her to live with him again. She discredited his professions of repentance, and ret fused to live with him. She then lost sight of him for seven or eight weeks, and on the 10th October she accidentally met him in the street, when he again asked her to live with him, and renewed his promiae of refor. motion. She persisted in her refusal. She met him again on the 14th, and a similar conversation took place then. As they were walking along he said to her, "Harriet, I love the ground you walk on; bat I could not stand anybody else taking my place. I would rather suffer death. If you wont live with me you shan't live with another maq." She told him if he would alarm sle would live with him. Ho afterwards referred to a man he supposed her to have been intimate with in Derbyshire, hut she had never given him any cause for jealousy. He said he should go home with her, and she noticed that he was as white as death. He accompanied her home, and after a short stay left, but returned later on. During this second interview, she proposed that they should be separated, but he refused his consent. When he was going out at the door he fired at her from a distance of a yard, and she fell senseless.—At the conclusion of the prosecutrix's examination the cue wan further adjourned.
The Potteries Examiner : — 1876-11-25 (Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England)

DEATH TN A CONVICT PRISON.—On Wednesday afternoon, an inquest was held at Millbank Prison. Westminster, on the body of Cornelius Asher, aged 78. It will be remembered that in May last the deceased man, who was a herbalist at Leicester, was found guilty by a coroner's jury of the wilful murder of Ann Gee by certain foul processes practised upon her for the purpose of procuring abortion. At his trial on the Bth of July he was also'fonnd guilty and sentenced to death, the sentence afterwards being commuted to penal servitude for life. He was at first sent to Pentonville, but on the 9th inst. was removed to Millbank, where he died on Monday last, from bronchitis. A. verdict was returned accordingly. His. Babies' ON Waits—At the close of a lecture on International Arbitration, delivered at Llandudno, on Wednesday night. Mr. Bright, M.P., who was present, delivered an address, in which he alluded to the disastrous effects of past wars upon this country, and said it was astounding that any man, much more the Prime Minister of the country, should, by his unadvised and unwise speaking invite the nation to involve itself in another wey, which might be as prolonged and as costly as the last, and would undoubtedly boo, great a feline. There was nothirg in our position, 3,000 miles from Constantinople, to justify fear of Russia. He rejoiced to believe hat there was still hope of peace, and bethought that the conversation between the English Minister and the Emperor of Russia, reported in that day's papers, put it beyond a doubt that the Czar was as anxious for peace as any statesman of either party in this country. . . .  DELIBERATE 111:1IDER,—A peculiarly horrible cage of murder has just come before the Assizes of the Charente.lnfilrieure. The prisoner was an old man named Jean Houton, aged 78 years, and the victim was his grandson, a young man of 18. He first shot him, and tiled tried to burn the bGdy in a baking oven. The attitudc of the aged culprit in court was revolting by its cynicism and absence of all shame or feeling, as will be seen from the following short extract from his examination ,—"President What fault had you to find with your grandson? He was loved and esteemed by everybody ?—Prisoner, Yes, by blackguards like himself. He stole my rabbits. I had leng made up my mind to get rid of him.—President How did you commit the crime 7—Prisoner, I bid myself behind the baking oven, and fired on him as he approached. I waited for him several days.—President: Were both the barrels of your gun loaded 7—Prisoner, Yes ; if the first charge had failed I should have fired the second. I intended to kill myself afterwards.—PrasHent Do you not repent of your abominable action 7—Prisoner, Why. should I? On the contrary, I think I did a very good thing." It was proved by the witnesses that the prisoner was a bad and brutal character, and after E ' very severe sermon from the judge—to which, however be only cynically shrugged his shoulders—he was sea tenced to death, and left the court smiling.—Stane,wd
The Potteries Examiner : — 1876-06-17 (Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England)

HALMEREND.  ROEOH TIMES FOR THE POLICE.—At the Burslem Police Court, on Tuesday morning, b.fore H. C. Greenwood and W. Woodall, Esqs., a ease of assault on the Halnserend police came on for hearing, three respvtably-e.ressed young men being brought up, charged with the offence.—P.C. Bishop, Halmerend, said on the sth inst., hi. was on duty at about live minutes to eleven pm. The night was light, and hearing a noise in the direction of the schools, at the bottom of the village, he went in that direction, and saw about twelve or thirteen men shouting, swearing, and making a great disturbance. He stood about sixty or seventy yards away, and heard some of them say, if we can meet with that b-- bobby to-night, we will murder him. Another mid he would put a brick through his head ; whilst a third said he would cut Lis b--- heart oust; and several others used similar expressions. Complain. ant stood out of their sight perfectly quiet, and whilst doing so observed a woman go to the men and say something to them. The woman was the mother of the , prisoner Viggars. They then shouted, "Come on lads." Smith and Viggara came to hiin, ami. Smith said, "What the b-- h-- are you standing here for Complainant replied that he was only standing still, as they saw. He knew Smith perfectly well. Smith then said, "We have to pay you for Harrison's job, yet." ! Complainant knew what was meant by that, and told them they had better select some other time far paying him. Immediately afterwards a stone came and caught him on the left lower jaw. He did not fall, but while suffering from the stone two of the prisoners set upon him, striking and kicking in the most brutal manner. Complainant fought them as well as be could, and whilst engaged with them, Johnson ran at him, struck him on the face, and kicked him at the same time. They all came down and shouted, "give it him, murder him. it will be none the worse for you." Complainant had a desperate struggle with them, and released him. ad*, but was followed up by the crowd with stones. He had been disabled until Sunday last.—Cro+s-examined by Mr. Richardson : Prisoners were apprehended at their own homes that morning. He was perfectly sober on the sth. Had been to Newcastle, and had himself been fined for an assault th it day. One witness could not attend, as she ma; ill. Had only had one glass of ale. Both saw and felt Johnson strike and kick him Did not tell anyone on the following morning that he could speak to Smith and Viggars, and no one else. Did not call anyone into his house, or stand anyone a ! glass of beer and ask questions. Had not asked one single question. He knew Johnson by sight. The warrants were taken ont on the previons day, as he had first to report to his superiors. Prisoners were found ! at home.—Mr. Baker miked the magistrates to remand prisoners, who were, on Mr. Richardson's application, liberated on bail.
The Potteries Examiner : — 1876-04-08 (Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England)

EXTRAORDINARY CASE OF ATTEMPTED WIFE MURDER.  On Saturday afternoon an engine-fitter, named Alfred Wilcox (30), living at 5, Lillian-place, Herbert-road, Small Heath, Birmingham, made an attempt to murder his wife under peculiarly distressing circumstances. It is stated that he has been out of employment for some considerable time, and that in consequence he and his wife and two children, one a baby and the other a girl aged six or seven years, have been almost reduced to penury. His inability to provide a livelihood for his family seemed to have greatly affected him, and he has recently been in a very desponding state. On Saturday morning he went to sleep for two or three hours, and when he awoke, about one o'clock in the afternoon, be behaved in a very extraordinary manner. He procured a large table-knife, the blade of which he sharpened upon the bars of the grate, and, without having any altercation with his wife, he menaced her, in the kitchen, with the weapon, ordering her to " prepare herself, and also her children, for death, for they had not long to live, he being determined to put them out of the world." His wife was at first inclined to think that he was jesting, but matters assumed a serious form when he locked the house door to prevent her leaving or anyone entering. He then appears to have caught hold of her whilst she had the baby in her arms, and, getting her into the , ' corner of the room, to have attempted to cut her throat with the knife. She struggled desperately with him, I trying to gain possession of the knife, and to protect the child, and, in doing so, received a wound on the left hand, whilst he was cut about the hands, and also sus, tamed a superficial wound on the side of his neck. The : poor woman's cries of " Murder " and "Police," I mingled with the screams of the two children, brought I the neighbours to the house. They, finding the door I fastened, demanded admission, and Wilcox, probably afraid that they would force an entrance, unlocked the door and asked them what they wanted. They remonstrated with him for ill-treating his wife, and his little girl, taking advantage of the opportunity presented, escape! from the house and informed the police. Police. constables Skelding and Cross, stationed at Small Heath, came, and it is stated that when Wilcox was asked he account for Lis conduct he coolly told the officers that he could not obtain work and the means to support his family, and he therefore meant to kill them. He was taken into custody, and was subsequently reimoved to Alcester-street police-station, where he was charged with attempting to murder his wife. It is believed that the prisonei is deranged. Much smypathy 4 is felt in the neighbourhood for his unfortunate wife I I and children. i  KAY'S COMPOUND ESSENCE OF LINSEED, a demulcent expectorant, for Coughs and Colds. Sold by all Chemists.
The Potteries Examiner : — 1876-04-01 (Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England)

STARTLING AFFAIR AT SNEYD GREEN.  A great amount of excitement was caused in the neighbourhood of Sueyd Green on Wednesday morning, in consequence of a teport being rapidly circulated that a labourer, named Thomas' Goodwin, of 112, Chell- Hanley, had made an attempt to murder hie wife load youngest child, by throwing them into a pool of water, sear the Sneyd Colliery. It seems a boy, named Garside, stated that he bust seeu Goodwin take hold of his wife, who had is. young child in her &ITU, and throw them into the water. After they had been in the water for a few seconds, he pulled them out. The news spread like wildfire, and, a crowd congrega. Bug, Goodwin was chased down Chell-street, but in decamping he was met by P.C. Edge, who had been sent for. When taken into custody, Goodwin told the officer that he was going to give himself up, and wished he had done a bigger deed, so that he could be sent where he had been. The officer paid every attention to the woman and child, and caused them to have their wet clothes changed. The pool is, we understand, about 15 yards wide by 20 yards long, and is about 150 yards from the nearest houses. A footpath from Far Green to Sneyd rues close by the pool, which is about 4 ft. deep, and having a moody bottom, it would be extremely difficult for a person once getting in to get out again. Goodwin was brought up at the Tumtall Police Court on Thursday, and charged with an aggravated assault upon his wife.—Edna Goodwin, his wit', 00,0 that on Wcduesilay morning her 11.641.1 wesn her and struck her several times, threatening that he would go away. He packed up some of his clothes and left the house. She followed him down the street, and ' when near the pit at Soeyd Green he kicked her, which caused her to fall into the water. She screamed "murder," and he pulled her 0114 She had the child in her arms. He struck her several times afterwards, and mule her left ear bleed profusely. He had often ill-treated her before.—Mary Bartlette said she was near the pit, and heard screams of "murder.' Prisoner was ruining after his wife With a knife in his hand. Witness followed him. When he got to the pool of water he punched his wife, and she fell into the water. —William Brooks, labourer, who was at the colliery close by at the time of the assault, said he heard the screams, saw the pris ,ner on the brink of the pool, and his wife, with the child in her arms, in the water. Witness went up and saw prisoner strike his wife several blows, making her ear bleed. lie then ran, saying he would go quite away.—James Garside, a boy, said he was passing by at the time referred to. He saw the priseuer push his wife into the pool, and pall her out again. She screamed, and he threatened to murder her, and punched her.--P.C. Chell deposed that he apprehended the prisoner, and chained him with attemptlag to drown his wife, when he said, "I have not done it half big enough. I wish I could have done more, so that I mild have gone where I have been."—Prisoner, who is a returned convict, was sentenced to six menthe hard labonr.
The Potteries Examiner : — 1876-07-15 (Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England)

THE ALLEGED CHILD MURDER AT NEWCASTLE.— Lucy Jane Barnett (17), servant, was indicted for the wilful murder of her female child, on the 10th March, 1870, at Newcastle.undersLyine. Mr. Boughey was for the prosecution, and Mr. J. It. Rose for the defence.— The evidence was as follows :—On the day named Mr. James Pankhurst, by whom prisoner was employed as a domestic, observed the accussed going across the yard with a chamber utensil. On the same day Martha &A 'cad, being on the premises, saw the accused going anent her work as usual; the prisoner, however, told be she was not very well. Subsequently, in consequence of something which had been said to her, witnn watched the accused, and saw her cleaning up ood from the floor. Witness. suspecting something to us wrong' fetched Mrs. Pankhurst, and after the accuse I had been put in bed she taxed her with having give. Wrth to a child. Prisoner stoutly denied this, , search was made, but nothing found at the time. Subsequently a person named Lllllll came in, and the seam', vs co and RS a result 0,- e` '!.3 •si  found welpp 1 to —Mang ret In ',ex ~:La d) sh 11, un, that the poll, and ~ et wer, eutuulg ; ,ntion raid, "GA help we; I Lame uo mother ; my faraer  _ will kill rue." Witness asked her if the child wa,, alive when it was born, and she said " Yes."—pcnis, examined She had spoken in a kind miumer to the prisoner. There was no one in the room whea the ac. cooed told her the child was up the ebininey.—* Yates, snrgeon, said be was called in to attend to the prisoner on the day named. He examined her, and fowl,: that she had recently given birth to a child. re examined the body of the child, which presented a livid appearance, with much discolouratien abont the mouth, and marks on the throat such so would be roused finger nails. He made a post morte on. exiirninat ion, and found that the blood vessels of the throat had hen ruptured. He was of opinion that the child had been horn alive, and that death had resulted from compression of the windpipe.,--For the defence, tvlr. Rose pleaded with the jury that there was nothing I. show a guilt.; intent on the part of the girl to bring about the death of the child. The case flesh was one of heartless seduction and desertion, mid the prisoner was doubtless much to be pitied, although they might not be satisfied to altogether exonerate her.—Prisoner was found guilty of concealment of birth.—The learned Judge, in ps.ssing. sentence, said the jury had properly acquitted the prisoner of the crime of murder, although be could sot conceal his full conviction that the child had been bon, alive. She had neglected to call assistance, as the instincts of nature should have prompted her to do, and therefore, he must pass upon hers severe sentence. Hi'? Lordship then ordered her to be imprisoned for one year.
The Potteries Examiner : — 1879-02-15 (Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England)

PIP. ' e • and an inhabitant of Toulouse, 'the cause of the explealso a cell- end is expected to recover. . . portant factor in the settlement of the remaining tieit ;ion has likewise died, stun is unknown. No shots were fired, and the none questions has been cleared out of the way op r. Raid Osborne is said to have won a piano in was sun sly being examined and made ready for the further controversy, but this settlement only ; e nails lottery. day wor inen. All the persons who were down had tends to remind us that there are many other Alexander Moffatt has been sentenced to six been rec.overed by noon. questions still open. The Russian Government . month's imprisonment, for embezzling funds belonghas undertaken to evacuate Roumelia within thirty. ins to the NeWton Abbot Bank, of which he was .1/4'41 Herman-Swag Commission has been appointed tor therectification of the frontier between Switzerland five days. and we are told indeed tlat the evacuation manager. man named Trinter, has been sentenced grulthe principality of Lichtenstein. has already begun, so that when the time comes •,[ , A young . , . for the Bulgarians and the Roumelians to settle their toltth'ald twenty years prod servitude, a e Centralerr Lehnbach, the Munich artist, has been coalown questions no Russian troops will be south of .. Criminal Court London, for a murderous assault gais' sioned by the German Emperor to paint a portrait i the Balkans. The election of the Prince of Bulgara upon his wife. 0 Prince Bismarck for the National Gallery. Ellen Rowe hawker, 47, Las been convicted at use F, The experiment of illuminating the reading room is the only question on which anything like Li I Assizes ofuttering basecorn, and sentenced of the British Museum with the electric light hsa i anxiety prevails. There is a good deal going on verPoo in regerd to this which does not appear on the sus. • . to twenty veers' penal servitude. proved, so fse aa is eel ascertained, perfectly Incface, but no relitnee whatever is placed on the rumour Monsignor Woodlock, for twenty years rector of Cgadni ' as to the probable selection of ,the Doke of Edin- the Roman Catholic University, has been named by -Inc cirana ourV at tee central Climinal Court burg. Such an event has been expressly ,proviiled the Holy See Bishop of Armagh, vacant since Dr, have ignored the bill charging the Rev. Arthur Gray. against in the Treaty of Berlin. and even if it were Conroy's death. st.me with haying indecently assaulted a young macnot. so the pepulor voice in England would be found A subscription has been started in America by the woman, named Harris. It is mid that Mr. Duck has made £30,000 by his so decidedly ,i,,,,ast the suggestion that tile Govern- Rev. H. Potter, DI)., to place an organ in Hartley re.,l4..oentation of "Our Bop" in the provinces. meat wool,! be obliged W ciiinourage it. . Church, Hants., in memory of the author of " The Ctristian Year." _ ._ea —. . .