npedrazzini/19thc_murder_suicide_news huggingface dataset:
Runcorn and Widnes Examiner. — 1870-08-20 (Runcorn, Cheshire, England)

FARMER ATTEMPTING TO MURDER HIS FAMILY.  At the Leeds assizes, William Hirst, aged 62, farmer, Nye& indicted for feloniously wounding Susan Hirst, Sarah Hirst, and William Hirst the younger, with intent to kill and murder the same persons, his children, at Langfield, near Todmorden. Mr. Wheelhouse was for the prosecution ; but as the prisoner was undefended, his lordship asked him if he wished to have counsel assigned to him—Prisoner, who was a florid-looking man, with a rather anxious expression of countenance replied, "No, sir. I will 'ware' nothing I don't know whether it will do me any good or not., " His lordship subsequently asked Mr. Blackburn to watch the case on his behalf. Mr. Wheelhouse stated that the prisoner, with his family, resided at Greave, which is on the moorland, near to Langtield. Accused was a small farmer, and was ordinarily of temperate habits, but on the 6th April he was left alone in the house, and appeared to have indulged in drink. He retired to bed at his usual time, but awoke about one o'clock in the morning and began to talk loudly, thereby arousing his wife and children, and all the household. It was dark at the time. Prisoner was very uneasy indeed; he got up, said he had dreamed that he "awoke in hell, that he had seen some of his children there, and that he was determined the devil should not have them all.' Saying he wanted some tobacco, he went downstairs, and was found attempting to open a drawer in which there was a knife or a razor. He subsequently returned to the bedroom, with a poker ands, lighted candle in his hands, and then commenced striking his wife with the tongs. She screamed and ran downstairs, and the rest of the family attempted to interpose, upon which he attacked two daughters and his son with a carvingknife,; and inflicted the injuries von them which led to the present charge being preferred.--In crossexamination, Mr. Blackburn elicited from the several witnesses that the prisoner had been reading the Bible a great deal lately, and had frightened himself into the belief that he "was going to hell, that he was going where no one could find him, and where he would never be seen or heard of again, and that he was likely to ho a lost man." Some years ago the prisoner had been similarly disturbed in his mind, and it appeared that he was Aenerally so affected after he had had a bout of drinking.—Mr. Blackburn, in defence, having urged that all the instances and surroundings of the case testified to the mental disturtar.ces of the prisoner for some time past, the jury found Hirst not guilty, on the ground of insanity.—His Lordship: Very well; then he will be confined for the rest of his life.  SUDDEN DEArir.—Mr. Godfrey Knight, brewer, of Scarborough, fell dead whilst taking aim at some grouse on Lockton Low Moor, near Pickering, on the 12th instant.  *T HE
Runcorn and Widnes Examiner. — 1870-05-14 (Runcorn, Cheshire, England)

OOO. A private communication dated Athens, April 30, conveys information that the band who captured the victims have been destroyed. Fourteen have been killed and seven tak en alive.  STABBING AT Minimarma.—On Tuesday last, at the office of Messrs. Marsh, Buckton, and jeans before Peter Stubs, Esq., John Horn was charged with unlawfully wound ing Holbrook Wilcox.—Mr. Bretherton appeared for the prosecutor, and Mr. Moore far the defendant.—Wilcox's evidence was as follows :—He was walking along a lane in Middleton, with two companions, when one of them, Dainteth, had occasion to go into a field. Shortly after Dainteth had gone, Wilcox heard cries of murder, got over into the field, and proceeded towards where the cries came from. He found Dainteth on the grouud, and Horn over him. Wilcox said to Horn, let the boy go." Horn made no reply, but aragged Dainteth with him, and made a stab at Wilcox, the knife cutting through his coat, vest, muffier, and shirt. His statement was corroborated by his companions, Dainteth and Mains. —For the defence, it was urged by Mr. Moore, that as Horn was going his usual rounds, as game .keener, he saw about seven men in the lane, with a dog. Ile hid himself, and shortly after the dog was sent into the field, and two of the men followed. Horn got up and seized hold of one of them, when the dog was set at r e. complainant pmby er tetml a n a no dgbr eintweo t him, eh nv s du knifenchaaa vitneot obt:ereesotnvsatebr us stabbed the this statement, ee ddw oh which unwittingly. ishouldtti ensuedgt lhyiet. There magistrate decided to commit Horn for trial to the next Kirkdale sessions.  The marble statue of Mr. Gladstone, executed by Mr, Adams-Acton, was uncovered in St. George's Nan, Liverpool, on Saturday. Prince L. D'Arenberg, military attache of the Austrian Embassy at St. Petersburg, has been discovered assassinated in his own house.  The foundation stone of a new church at Falinge, near Rochdale, was laid on Saturday, by Mr. A. Royds, who has undertaken to defray the whole cost, estimated at not less than £10,00( . The wife of the Rector of Shaw, in Berkshire, has accidentally poisoned herself, by inadvertently taking a mixture of chloroform and laudanum instead of sal volatile as a relief for toothache.  Lord Derby `las notified his intention to give a site for the new Stanley Hospital, at Liverpool, and to lay the foundation stone of the building on the 6th proximo.  St. Paul's Cathedral appears to be in danger from the burrowing operations of the Metropolitan District Railway. At all events, the Builder, "without intending to raise alarm," assures the Dean that there is "extreme need of watchfulness."  William Heal, the manager of a brick ground at Durston, in Somersetshire, was committed for trial by the Bow-street magistrates on Saturday, on the charge of perjury, committed in 1868, before the committee of the House of Commons appointed to inquire into the election at Bridgewater.
Runcorn and Widnes Examiner. — 1870-08-27 (Runcorn, Cheshire, England)

LADY SPY.  A Paris correspondent writes, anent the capture Of Prussian spies: Daring the whole of the afternoon, all fashionable Paris—there is still a little fashion left between the corner of the Chausstie d'Antin and the Bond Point—has been horrified by the discovery of a 'Prussian spy of the most dangerous character in the very Palace of the Tuileries itself. It is gravely stated and currently believed that proofs have been brought to light fixing the guilt of secret and traitorous correspondence with the ministers of King William on a lady of high rank, of great influence, and of close alliance in blood to the imperial family of Prance. What was the maiden name of the Empress . Josephine prior to her marriage with the Vicomte de •Beauharnais ? The incriminated lady bears an appellation identical with the original one of the beautiful creole who was destined to be more and less than a Queen—to be an Empress, and to be divorced. The scandal, the tittle-tattle, the on-dits' the causeries, the consternation, to which this unlucky, discovery, if discovery it be, has given rise, are indescribable. Since the day when the German madehen met at the pump to discuss the downfall of poor Gretchen, there has seldom been such an ominous wagging of feminine heads and tongues; and the most frequent and mod charitable question asked is, "What was her mother? Was she bribed, or was it love ? " Was it not Sir Robert Walpole who was the author,. ei propos )f bribery, of that wondrous cynical dictum, "I never knew but one woman who refused money, and she took jewels."  A BLOODY PRICB TO Pay. In reviewing the situation, the Times of yesterday thus takes count of the cost in lives :—The incredible carnage of the present war has unexpectedly produced a difficult and most painful question. It is believed that the great battle of Metz, or the three successive engagements of which it was cmpposed, cost the two armies together at least 100,000 men. We have had the losses of the French in killed and wounded actually computed at 50,000, and as the attacks of the Prussians were directed against strong positions, defended for days together with desperate tenacity, it is probable that the sacrifice on their side was quite as great. According to the calculations usually made in such matters, a total loss of 100,000 would represent 80,000 wounded and 20,000 killed, but with the murderous arms and terrible fighting of the present time, the proportion of downright slaughter may probably be larger. Anyhow, there is nothing surprising or unlikely in the statement now made by the Prussians, that the wounded left on their hands before Metz are fully 40,000 in number They declare, further, that of these unhappy sufferers at least one-half are French, and that account also may be readily believed; for the Germans remained in possession of the field of battle, and the army so situated would almost necessarily find itself with the greater portion of the wounded on its hands.
Runcorn and Widnes Examiner. — 1870-08-06 (Runcorn, Cheshire, England)

GRANVILLE. M. Lwalette stated that this was not an answer to the telegram from Berlin; but that further information would be afforded. The House then went into committee on the Elementary Education Bill.  werifconducted by Lord Clarendon in a private and not in an official capacity. ~He did not think that any combined remonstrance now addressed to either Franco or Prussia.yrould have anyeffect save that of exasperation. What her Majesty 'a Government purposed was to watch tha progress of events, and to take advantage ~of-any opportunity which might arise to act in the interests of peace. Sir H. L. Billwer submitted a question as to what satisfaction had been obtained from the Greek Government with respect to the late murders by brigands. Mr. Gladstone's reply simply amounts to this, that the Government will obtain for Mrs. Lloyd, wife of one of the murdered Englishmen, a pecuniary satisfaction; and enforce upon Greece the necessity of strictly observing in future all international 'dbligations. The vote to increase the land forces by 20,000 men, was after some discussion, carried by 161 to five. Mr. Rylands gave notice of his intention to ask on Thursday for an explanation of a telegram i which appeared n the Times of Monday, stating that the French charge Wiffaire at Munich had been taken under the protection' of the British Legation, on the ground that he had entered their service.—At the evening sitting, the supplementary estimate of £2,000,000 was agreed to. On the • vote of £B5l for compensation allowances to Foreign Office agents, Hr. Stansfeld explained that the Government had resolved to allot to the Foreign Office agents compensation to the extent of two-thirds of their net profits, which amounted in the aggregate to £2,552 per annum. Mr. Rylands contended that the Foreign Office agencies were a system of levying black mail upon our Ministers and Consuls abroad, and pointed out that after many objections had been made it was determined to abolish them., , The committee ought not to regard the clerks in the Foreign Office as having any vested interests, as those gentlemen not only received ample salaries, but had no goodwill in the agencies, the profits of which they would lose on their accepting superannuation. The agencies were private speculations of the clerks, who became bankers and commission agents, and as the House had thought- it right that they ihould cease to fulfil such functions, the committee ought not to be called upon to grant compensation. On a division, however, the vote was carried by 70 to 52. In Wednesday's 'sitting of the House of Commons several nutters of minor interest were discussed, The Merchant Shipping Code Bill passed thro "h committee pro forma, with a view to its being inted and circulated during the recess. •In answe , Mr. Baxter said that the naval supplie: bib any emergency. Mr. Cardwell, in answ question, said that he was not prepared bill to restrict the sale of horses  3 anotl.  bring  provet  The :Foreign . Enlistment Bill -raf=sesl4 throw committee.
Runcorn Examiner. — 1893-08-12 (Runcorn, Cheshire, England)

AWFUL TALE OF POISONING.  WHOLESALE MURDERS FOR GAIN.  American papers report the arrest in Detroit of Dr. Henry Meyer, and his supposed wife Mary,which brings out a shocking story of the poisoning of men and women for the purpose of collecting insurance upon their lives. In the light of the facts collected by the detectives the Man appears as a cruel and calculating scoundrel, who has not hesitated to kill a number of persons for money, and the woman is portrayed as a second Lucretia Borgia. The man's career of crime is said to have begun in Chicago in 1878, when he poisoned his first wife. Be had been graduated a year before at the Chicago IlomceoPathic School, but had not been able to obtain much Practice as a physician. After getting rid of his wife he Poisoned a man named Gederman, in order to marry Gederman's widow. Then he poisoned the woman's Child, and later the woman herself. Another woman Who fell into his toils was taken to Toledo, and poisoned for the insurance on her life. The woman who has lately been known as his wife formerly lived in Indianapolis,and accompanied him to Chicago a few years ago. She became his willing tool in the poisoning of men for Money. Associated with them in Chicago was Ludwig Brandt, a German, who had made a precarious living by Writing stories for German papers and magazines. A friend cf Brandt named Wilmer also became interested la the insurance frauds. Under assumed names Brandt and Wimmer would have their lives insured in several Companies. Then they would fall sick, taking poison in amall doses at the instigation of Dr. Meyer, in order to deceive physicians who were called to attend them. At the proper time the corpses of other men were obtained and passed off as the bodies of the men who had been aick. The bodies would be buried with a show of grief by Mrs. Meyer, who nosed in turn as the widow of Brandt and of Wimmer. She would also collect the insurance money. In order to get bodies to pass off as those of Brandt and Wimmer the poisoners killed Germans whose appearances tallied closely with that of the accomplices. It was for the supposed poisoning of Brandt, under the name of Gustav H. J. Baum, in New York, that Meyer, and his wife were arrested in Detroit. Under the name of Baum, Brandt had his life insured by four companies on August 13, 1891. The polices were Obtained at offices in Chicago for the following -amounts: --New York Life, I,ooodols, Etna Life, I,ooodols. ; Mutual Life, 3,500d015. ; and Washington Life, 3,000d01s The man declared that he was soon to be married, and had the policies made out in favour of his wife. The grand jury found an indictment for murder in the first degree against Henry Meyer, alias William Reuter, alios nenry Meyers, alias Henry Maylor, and Maria Meyer, alias Emilie Baum, alias Marie Meyets, for giving thirty grains of antimony to Gustav 11. Joseph Baum on March 00, 1892. Dr. Meyer's wife was taken to an hospital in Detroit, where she gave birth to a child.  TIM REGISTRAR AT NONCONFORMIST
Runcorn Examiner. — 1893-08-05 (Runcorn, Cheshire, England)

STOMACJI MEDICINE, NO ELECTRICITY. Scat in envolope on receipt, of two stamps for post sgp.--A J. Loma. 92_93, Great Russell-street, London, W.C.  ••  PLEASANT PARAGRAPHS,  CONSIDER the man who is always punctual—how much time he wastes waiting for other people. SHE: "Do you love me for myself alone ?" He: '4 Yes, and when we're married I don't want any of the family thrown in." PAT: " Ph Ara t is that ye areat, Biddy ?" Biddy: "'Sure it's a bottle of hair-rtsthorer Oi'm putting on me onld muff."  EXCUSING HimsELF.—Mre. Brown: "Did you pick up that tack I dropped on the floor..'! Brown; I Yea : but I didn't mean to."  ' TOURIST (to Highland sentry on a cold frosty morning) : "Sentry, are you cold with the kilt ?" Sentry: "Na, but I'm near kilt wi' the eauld." "How is your wife getting on ?" "She's improving slowly. She is not well enough to dttend :to her honsehold duties yet, but yesterday she was out ;hopping." I WHY HE CuT HIM: " What made you cut Lombard, Harry ?" "Heard something about him, y'kuow. He sells thines, you know. Actually .earns his own living." " Aw, naw, that won't do, y'know. I'll cut him myself to-morrow, I'll cut Jam badly." "I SUPPOSE you're going to Dr. Mason's funeral, grandpa ?" "Oh," snarled the infirm old man, ;don't talk to me about other people's funerals. It's as much as I shall be able to do to get to my own."  SHE: "I should think that man would have a fearful load on his conicience.' He: "He would if it wei•en't for one thing." She: "What's that?' He : "He hasn't the conscience." "FINE country, Egypt, but what a heat 1 One day,- under the Pyramids, I cooked some eggs in the sun." "Bless you, that's nothing to Zanzibar. There we cook our eggs in the moonlight." Wm: (impatiently) : "This new dress doesn't fit well, I know." Husband: "What makes you think so?" Wile : "It's too comfortable."  " WHAT a polite man Mr. Gcestring, the violinist, appears to be !" " Indeed ? I hadn't noticed it.' "Oh, yes; bowing and scraping all the time."  "DON'T *you find the people round here very sociable ?" asked Cobwigger of a new neighbour. "Yes, indeed, I do," was the hearty response. "Only a moment ago I met a beggar and he held out his hand to me."  IT alwa,ya bothers a Frenchman who is learning English 12 read one day that a murder has been committed, and the next day that the murderer has been committed.  BitowN to Jones: "I say, lend me half-a-crown until to-morrow. You seo I changed my vest this morning." Jones: "I'm sorry, but I've just invested my charge." IN THE ALPS,—Guide "If the ladle:: will only stop talking, your honour may hear the roaring of the waterfall across the valley." Jr is said that tramps will never work. And yet six of them dug their way out of a new Hampshire jail with a ten penny nail.  JUDGE: " Hem I Your verdict seems to be decidedly mixed." " Foreman : "Yes, your honour. It's in accordance with the evidence."
The St. Helens Examiner, and Prescot Weekly News. — 1905-08-19 (Saint Helens, Merseyside, England)

GERALD MSS. cHALTER r 1 it did not seem to occur to the Uriancem of the Exchequer that some one might km following him; and he kept methodically on his chin in his chest. He turned sharp to the left into Piccadilly crossed the road, and went up Berkeley Street into Berkeley Square. He kept round to the left into Mount Street, making for Park Lane, where his town house was situated amidst the hybrid financiers of all nations, with whom he was eternally at fiscal war. As he crossed Park Street, the man behind stealthily- quickened his pace„ crossing the road with extraordinary agility, and drawing his hand from his overcoat pocket. Just at the corner of Park Lane in the deep shadow, he sprang on his victim before he could turn. A dull plud, and the weapon went home: The Chancellor of the Exchequer fell forward on his face without a sound beyond that of a falling body. The other man withdrew his weapon with a sharp twist and a jerk ; and, bending over his victim, he half-turned him over and fumbled for a minute with his coat. Then, turning round, he hurried up Park Street and across Grosvenor Square, breath in,'' heavily. But London was asleep; and nothing could be heard but his sharp, short breath and the tinkle of a hansom two streets away. A distant church- clock chimed a quarterpast one with a clear frosty note.  Ten minutes later a policeman noticed a dark object in the shadow between Park Street and Pack Lane.  He crossed the road and bent down before he ,realised it was a man.  " Drunk," he murmured to himself, optimistically. _ _ _  He flashed his lantern on the prostrate body, and for the first time noticed that his foot was in a dark, coagulated, Calf-frozen puddle. He was - almost new to the force, and it was too much for his nerves.  " Murder! Murder ! " he roared, stepping back : and then he began to blow his whistle like a man possessed. In a moment, which seemed to the young constable a long lifetime, he. was joined by two others.  " Don't stand there like a gibbering lunatic," said one, who was a sergeant. f` Let's see what's wrong." With the coolness of • experience he bent over the body and turned it over, while the other gave him a light from his lantern. " Dead, I'm afraid," he said, in a low voice: "Stabbed plumb in the back, and no half job either."  Then even his nerve gave for an instant, and he seemed petrified. "Great God, Jim! " he gasped. f' Look Look ! "  " What ? " said the other, stolidly, seeing nothing. " Look at his buttonhole ! The TVhile Rose! That makes the third. There's some devil's work about to-night 1" Then the other realised.  " I wonder who it is ? " he said, with horrified eagerness. "The other two were big pots." They stooped anxiously over the corpse and examined the white face with fascinated eyes. Simultaneously they recognised the wellknown features.  "Sir Henry Mornington ! " said the sergeant, in a low voice husky with horror. " 'Swelp me! " groaned the other. r The greatest of all ! 1' That was the Chancellor of the Exchequer's epitaph. .