npedrazzini/19thc_murder_suicide_news huggingface dataset:
Glasgow Courier. — 1857-08-13 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

ATTORNEY-GENERAL having examined the witness as to her information, elicited the fact that in the original information the witness deposed to having seen the rag which enveloped the money, and which had been used as a duster in the cottage on the day of, or the day before, the murder. She now said that she recollected it was three months previously she had seen it. The question was then put—What explanation have you to give to the Court and the jury of this difference In your evidence? Witness—l don't understand you, sir. In reply to a question from the Lord Chief Justice, the witness, however, stated that the discrepancy in her evidence nrose from her better recollection now.  This child gave her evidence in a singularly cool and collected manner. She was throughout calm and selfpotsersed to an extraordinary degree, and exhibited in all her conduct the possession of intelligence to an extent far in advance of her bears. From the moment she "its upon the table until she left it her eyes were !), averted from the countenance of the prisoner. same observation holds good as applied to the next witness.  Joseph Spollen—The prisoner is my father. I am withto a month of 14 years of age. I saw my father on ' between half-past live and and proceeding towards -e swinging in his hand. cried; it appeared to . saw him about eight the forge. I was then at the - • - was standing by the look from the window ;my father being so late two razors out of the _ ng to my father. I do not The rag now produced belonged - told me about the time of the should show me a piece of red - knowledge of them. my father; one of Mr Little's death; and the third was 1 my father's arrest I took opened a drawer, in which I saw eight 17s 6d in sliver; I counted it over and I was in the habit of going to school I don't think I was at school on the day ~,, the murder. I positively say I never swore that I was at school on that day. I saw Lucy neatly three years ago, wearing the sun bonnet. I never used it as a duster myself, but I know it by the pattern. I do not think I toll my mother what my father desired we to any about the rag or chamois in case the police showed them me. I did not on the day of the arrest know what it wan for, but asked a policeman. I held no conversation with my mother or any one else about it.  informations were here read over by Crown. In those the witness made no 1, seen the prisoner from dinner time ‘a period when he saw him on the and, in fact, said that he did not • asked for an e to explain at school  I order was school on
Glasgow Courier. — 1857-12-19 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

INDIAN LETTERS.  The following is an extract of a letter dated 'Camp of Agra, 11th October,' from an artilleryman to his friends in Edinburgh :  'I received a letter from you, dated 2d August, jost as our force had arrived in camp, after a very hard battle fought with the enemy at Agra. After leaving Boolunds-hur we proceeded on towards the above-mentioned station, and had a slight engagement with the enemy at Akerabad. We then marched on to Agra, where we were told that the enemy were encamped in great numbers ten miles out in the country. We pitched our camp about eight o'clock yesterday morning, and had scarcely got into the tents when the enemy (who had approached and bid themselves in the bushes which surround the station) opened fire from their heavy guns upon us. Our camp VIII 4 up to arms immediately, and wheeled our guns round upon the enemy, whose cavalry made two or three desperate attacks upon our camp, but were repulsed in each with great loss. We opened upon them with such good will that they were soon obliged to retire. They were chased for ten miles as hard as horse could go—the artillery turning as soon as we came within a few hundred yards of them and firinggrape rightintothem,completely routing them. Had we been one day later, the whole station of Agra would have been destroyed, and • great number of the Europeans murdered. We are now lying in camp on the plain of Agra, where we expect to remain a few days.  The following letter from Lucknow was brought on • small scrap of paper by a amid from Lucknow to Cawnpore, and forwarded from Captain Murphy, Brigade Major at Cawnpore, on the 3d of Nov. It is believed to be the last and only detailed note from the inside of Lucknow at that date:— - . _  Lucknow, Oct. 27. 'My dearest Mother—All right physically and mentally, brain, body, and limbs, to date. We relieved Lucknow from its Institut peril, and are now ourselves occupying a more extended position in the town blockaded with the garrison. Write to Inglis's, Gubbins's, and Couper's people, if possible, to say that they and theirs are all well. We have grub abundant, ammunition, good quarters, plenty of fighting men, stout hearts, and our God on our side; on the other, our enemy numerous, but cowardly, with • scarcity of iron and lead for guns. Had we not many women and children, and sick and wounded, we could walk out of the town at any moment. 'As it is, we can hold our own; and steadily make small advances until reinforcements arrive. I tried once before to ease your anxieties by writing, but the meeentr fearllwinags cinotmoptehlelehdatnodtsh otfotwheswenayemhyis despatches before This goes through the beleaguering host; so you 1. in, I hope, see the necessity for my writing no more fully. Mother mine I don't deem me " down among the dead men" until you hear it on the best authority; and with very dearest love to all. Believe me your truly  •NV. a.Bloomsom.'  Pra
Glasgow Courier. — 1857-08-22 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

NORTHERN CIRCUIT—LIVERPOOL. AUGUST 19. TRIAL FOR MURDER OE THE HIGH SEAS. , Henry Rogers, 37, master mariner; William Miles, 27, seaman; and Charles Edward Seymour, 25, seaman, were indicted for murder on the high seas, on the 05th June last, of a seaman named Andrew Rose. The Attorney-General, Mr Bliss, QC., with Mr E. , James, QC., and Mr Whishy Seymour, for the proseca. tion. Mr Monk, Q C., for Rogers, and Mr Aspinall for the other prisoners. The ease, as stated by Mr Bliss, revealed a series of the most atrocious and horrible cruelties perpetrated by - the prisoners. Rogers was the master of the British ; barque Martha and Jane, and the other two prisoners _ the first and second mates. Last year the vessel Bailed ' from Hartlepool to Calcutta. Here there was a change " in masters, and the vessel afterwards sailed to DentsTory, and thence to Barhadoes, where another change , in masters took place, and where Rogers joined as captain. The deceased joined the ship at Barbadoes also, .and went On board on the 29th of April, 18457, haring -, signed articles as an able seaman. Soon after his going on board the second mate found fault with the mode in which the deceased performed some duty, and beat him. Having been advised hi, some of the crew to do so. Rose rail away, but was afterwards captured, and brought back on the 9th or 10th of May. He was put in irons, and on the 11th of May the vessel sailed. The prisoner was released soon afterwards from the irons, sod was again beaten both by the captain and second mate. From this time until • day or two before the vessel made land he was abused .. almost every day by one or more of the prisoners, and Ifrequently when he was in irons. When the deceased joined the ship be was an 'able seaman.' He had !Ashok I closely cut, and from some other circumstances it was considered that his intelect was somewhat deranged. He nsed frequently to sing, and one Sunday he was ',,: singing, 'Oh. that will be joyful!' on the forecastle, when the captain came up to him and ordered him to desist. He obeyed, upon which the captain said to Ms 'I will make you sorrowful.' The mate then, by the . direction of the captain, brought an iron bolt which Oa Captain forced into the deceased's mouth, and fastened with span yarn round the back of his head. He was thus kept for about an hour and a half. A subsequent set of cruelty was the training of a dog which was on 1•' board, named ' Watch,' to bite the deceased, and when', eser the dog saw the captain beating Rose, it would fly at ' him and bite pieces oat of his legs, and when he put his ': bands down to protect his legs when in irons, the dog would biie pieces out of his arms and hands. The final atrocity inflicted upon the deceased, and which terminated his sufferings, occurred soon afterwards. The eaptain was heard to say to the deceased—il wish you '4 either hang or drown yourself.' The deceased that the captain ought to do this, whereupon sin made a ' . noose, put it round the ' neck, and . ' ' about three '  would replied L the captain deeeased'a from the for about  hoisted
Glasgow Courier. — 1857-08-22 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

BIRTHS.  DUBLIN-SPOLLEN ON THE STAGE.  Mr James Spollen's first experiment on public patience as the personal narrator of his exploits in connexion with the Broadstone tragedy was a decided failure in the financial sense. When the curtain of St Patrick's Theatre rose on Tuesday, the audience of the interesting lecturer, including the press reporters, scarcely exceeded a dozen persons, among whom the initiated could trace the features of more than one of the detective police force. The eldest son officiated as money taker at the doors, outside of which a large and not very goodhumoured mob had assembled, discussing in groups the audacity of the whole proceeding, and seasoning their opinions with remarks far from complimentary as regarded Mr Spollen's claims to the sympathy of the citizens of Dublin. The assembly room was a small gloomy apartment, well adapted either for the confession or narrative of a murder, and in which the attendance at no time exceeded a dozen persons, of whom three or four were detectives. Spollen came forward with a manuscript in his hand, but which, so far from being the promised personal narrative, was merely an abject whining appeal for a subscription to enable him to emigrate comfortably. He was proceeding to explain what an expense his family were to him, and how much he stood in need of assistance, when one of the two or three persons present interrupted him with an expression of their deep disgust at the whole proceeding, and, after referring to the ...narrator's fortunate escape on his trial, called upon him to explain who told his wife where the money was hid, to which Spollen replied, 'That is nothing to you, Sir,' and then added that if he was the most guilty man in existence he was not to be left to starve.' After a short pause he again resumed his begging petition, appealing to the gentlemen of the press (who formed almost his only audience) to give a favourable report of his proceedings. He concluded by stating that 'supposing he was the guilty man, it was a most dreadful thing to have the holy bond of matrimony destroyed by his wife.' Here he was interrupted by a request to state as formerly who told his wife where the money was, to which he replied, he did not know, he had no suspicion;' adding farther—' There may be domestic fights that it would not be very feeling in me to enter into an explanation of; perhaps it is more honourable that I should hold them, and that they should remain with myself. My position is a very severe one.' In the evening, Spol len made his second appearance, but, as before, only two or three were present besides the police and representatives of the press. One of the public addressed Spollen, conjuring him to give such explanations as would remove the doubts of his innocence, or at once to declare himself guilty if he was guilty. Spollen answered, What course am I to adopt?' , when suddenly his son rushed forward, and in the most excited manner told him not to answer such questions.
Glasgow Courier. — 1857-10-20 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

THE INDIAN MUTINY. To Me Editor of the Glasgow Courier.  Sir—Amongst the various opinions of the mutiny in India, with its cause, a hich at present fill the papers, I am induced to send you the extract of a letter written to a friend in India, which I shall be obliged to you to introduce into your paper:—  And, now, my friend, for a few words upon India and the Sepoys, who I hope shall, as a body, be soldiers no longer. 'From all I have read and observed, and from my own experience of eight years' service in India, I am sure that there are two distinct dasses among the mutineers there; the one, the quiet quiescent people of Ilindostan ; and the other, the hereditary murderers, driven off the roads by Captain Sleeman about twenty-five years ago, in the shape of Thugs and Dacoits, the smartest and most intelligent fellows in India, who have been absorbed into the Bengal army, have gradually risen to the surface, and have obtained the supremacy in numbers, power, and influence over their more gentle, and, I may almost any, really inoffensive brethren, who, though not unnaturally, carried away by the mutiny, have taken no part in that cold revolting system of not mere murder, but mutilation, without any apparent object of revenge, or even self-protection, which could emanate from nothing but the hereditary custom from their youth of the Thug system of destruction and mutilation, of which their whole history, from I believe the time of Alexander the Great, is full. . _ . .  _ . ' I think it would be well to notify this to the country at large, that the better class of people might separate themselves from this inhuman tiger-caste, and thus save themselves from the wholesale destruction which must sweep those monsters from the earth. And, now, dear .I—, I would express a hope to you and to your brother officers, that there shall be an end of that laisser-faire system which has reduced the Bengal army to its present state, and which would have bad no better effect upon European soldiers had they been so left to themselves. Soldiers require the sense of their officers' presence constantly about them, and without it will, in all cases, become a mutinous rabble.  'I have observed this state of things in India wherever I have been quartered with Sepoy corps, and the wonder is that, under such a system, subordination, or even union, should have lasted for a month, much lest; for the hundred years which the latter has done. It has been a struggle against this evil which has caused the removal of almost all our best commanders-in-chief for the last twenty-five years, and I see by the papers that your upstart secretaries to Government have been trying the same game with Sir Colin Campbell, under which Dalhousie, Sir Edward Barnes, and Sir Henry Fain succumbed. All I hope is that these gentlemen may be sent home in a body, and I trust that Sir Colin's motto may be that of Sir Charles Napier, viz., " I'll take good care that I shall not be caubulled as poor Elphinstone was by the interference of civil clerks." 'October 19, 1817!  4
Glasgow Courier. — 1857-10-22 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

JUBBULPORE.  A letter from Jubbulpore has been received from a serjeant-major of the is2cl Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry :  Jubbulpore, 3d August, 1857. My dear Mother—l am ham to be able to write this letter to you, as I expected to be launched into eternity this two months back, and every day since, up to the present. About 70,000 of the Bengal native troops have mutinied, and it is expected the whole will break out in mutiny. The mutineers murdered all the Euro— peans they could lay hands ox, men, women, and children. My regiment has not mutinied yet, but it is not known the moment they will do so. All my officers, with all the Europeans in this station, are collected into the commissioner's bungalow for protection. We have plenty of small arms, such as muskets, swords, and spears, bot we have not one piece of cannon. Poor Mick Blatichfield, his wife, and five children were cut up in Cawnpore last month (14th). About 600 of our countrymen, women, sod children, were cut up in Cawnpore by the mntineers; Ist company 6th battalion Foot Artillery; 2d company of her Majesty's 32d Foot; seventy-five men of the Ist Madras Fusiliers; the officers of the 2rl Light Cavalry, Ist, 53d, and 56th Regiments of Infantry and Artillery, with all the staff of the station, military and civil. All the above were entrenched in the Artillery Hospital, 'hut for want of food and ammunition were compelled to surrender to the mutineers to be butchered. Fiftyfive men, women, and children were cut up in Jhansi in the same manner. In some of the stations they took the baby from the mother, held it by both feet, and then tore it in two as you would a piece of cloth, and cut up the wife in presence of the husband, and him after. In other places they cut open the infants and forced the entrails into the mothers' mouths. In more, they ill-used the ladies and cut them up. In Allahabad they nailed some of our countrymen and women to trees and burned them alive. More, they cut the limbs from the body, and lastly the head. Also, in Allahabad, they stripped the women naked, made them run through the streets by the point of the sword, and after cut them up. It is frightful to hear how the Europeans are slaughtered in this country. I don't know the moment it will come to my turn; but my dependence is in the Almighty. Where we are at present is intrenched all round, but we cannot count ourselves safe till we get relief from England of troops. There would not be one white face in this country at this date, only for the China troops that came to our assistance. lam sorry to inform Mr and Mrs Mara that I saw the death of poor Tom in the general orders. Two years back he belonged to the Ist troop 3d brigade of Horse Artillery. He died at Peshawur. If you should never hear from us more, pray for us.
Glasgow Courier. — 1857-09-10 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

THOMAS C. ORlt, 69, IToion Street, Glasgow, Sept., 1, 187.  Colo.,  T' P • 118, 0,4 eb care olfh!  insidered it our duty to put in Mr A. Pringle, with no other log the truth, has put himself in rsons who knew L'Angelier in. till the day of his murder--for, e trial of Madeline Smith, and tithe presiding judge, it I a an to deny that ho was murdered by is to Madame L'Angelier, Mr is are gentlemen of undoubted ind one and all concur in speakdeceased as a young man who his pure character and reputa• otion with the unhappy young pod at the bar of the High -Court nta furnished by Mr Pringle will diary kept by L'Angelier up till , which, it will be remembered, lee by a majority of two of the the trial. The withholding of I jury is considered unsound in ;hest legal eminence; but this 1. We merely call attention to iompletely it falsifies the descripn of it by newspaper writers and q had never seen it. We were nd licentious record, and that it of lathes of unsullied name.  and I  &Ind.  I but  and deeply regret that the t to blast his character, tor in doing. For the we trust the cloud which 'V may soon be dispelled.  I. are, your. very truly, W. B. HUGGINs & CO. A. Prirgle, Esq. COPY OF L'ANCIELIER'S DIARY OR IttIMOR %I.:01131_800K. Wed. 11. 2.s7.—Dined at Mr J. Nlitchelrs. Saw M. at 12 P.M. in C. H. room. Th. 120.—Spent the evening at Captn. Kennedy. Mnjor Stewart and wife, Dr Jamieson and Lawny. 13.—Saw Mr Phillpot. —„— Mimi. Dined at 144 Renfrew Street. Sat. 14.—A letter from M. Sun. 15.--St. Jude's. Mood. 18.—Wrote M.  Saw Mr Phillpot. Tues. 17.—Dined at 114 Renfrew Street. Wed. 18. Thur. 19.—Saw Mimi a few momenta. Was very 111 during the night. Frid. 20—Passed two pleasant hours with M. in the drawing room. Sat. 21.—Don't feel well. Went to T. F. Kennedy's. Sun. 22.—Saw Mimi in dining-room. numised me French Bible. Taken very ill. Moo. 23.—Recd, a letter from Mrs L. wrote Mrs L. Rose —„— Brown. 24.—Wrote M. Wed. 2.5.--M. wrote me. Th. 26. Frid. 27. Sat. 28 —Mimi wrote me. Sand. 1 March. Blood. 2 —Wrote ML. Miss IL-- Brown, Tues. 3.—Mimi tarot°. Wrote Mimi. Saw her in S.S. ' Wed. 4.—Recd, a letter from Bmwn. Saw 1111toi. Gave her a note, and got one from her. Thur. .5—A, letter from Brown. SAW Mimi. Gaye her a note and reed. one. SA W Midsummer's Diem. Frid. 6.—Mimi goes to B. of A. Sat. 7.—Weut to the Gardens. Stind. S. Mond. 9.—Tea at 144 Renfrew Street. Tuesd 10.—Went to Edinbr. Wed. 11.—Mrs White, 5 Buceleuch Street, Mrs Jones M'Call. Thur. 12.—Saw NI Call. Frid. 13.—Dined Sat. 14.—Saw the Gallery of paintings. Dined with At the End of Diary. I must to have an explicit isomer to the questions you evaded— Who gaveyou the trinket? and is it true you are directly or indirectly engaged to Mr M. or any one else ,t me, I must insist on this answer.
Glasgow Courier. — 1857-09-15 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

THE LATE REV. THOMAS HUNTER.  The Rev. Thomas Hunter was born in Aberdeen in 1827. He attended the classes of arts at King's College of which he became a graduate, and subsequently studied theology at the Old Town Divinity Hall. Having an eider brother a missionary at Nagpore, in Central India, it was natural that his thoughts should frequently turn to the spiritual necessities of our Eastern empire ; and his impressions on this subject were deepened in no slight degree by interviews he had had with Dr Duff and the late Mr Nisbet of Bombay during the visits of these distinguished men to this country. The result was that he offered himself as a missionary, was licensed by the Established Presbytery of Edinburgh in June, 1855, and ordained in St. Andrew's Church there a missionary to the Punjout, on the 19th of the subsequent month. The same evening he was married to Miss Jane Scott, daughter of the late James Scott, Esq., Edinburgh, a young lady connected with Dr Glover's congregation, and whose attention had been early turned to missionary work. They sailed foa India from London, via the Cape, on the 25th of Aug., 1855, and safely reached Bombay towards the close of the year. It had been his intention to remain in Bombay only a few months, but he was detained there nearly a year, labouring in the institution, which had been left for some time without European superintendence, owing to the unexpected resignation of the missionary previously in charge. His zealous labours there were crowned with no little success; and he had the satisfaction of ad. muting two or three Mahomedans into the Christian church. But, ordained to the Punjanb, he felt that Bombay was not his proper sphere, and leaving it in November, 1856, along with his family and his first convert, Mahomed Ismail, he journeyed via Kurrachee and Moulton to Scelkote, a distance of 1,774 miles. The mutinies at Meerut and Delhi in May last were not long in affecth.g the whole North of India. As is well known, on the morning of the 9th July, the 9th Cavalry and 46th Native Infantry rose fit Sealkote, in sanguinary mutiny. On the alarm being given, all the Europeans attempted to escape to the fort. Seven, however, were unsuccessful in reaching it, three of whom were Mr and Mrs Hunter and their infant son. By the most definite accounts that have yet reached this country, it appears that some office's, who were proceeding to the fort under the protection of thirty mounted police, had the kindness to call at the mission house to give the inmates the benefit of their *ruled escort, but one o' them says Mr Hunter and his family had gone on some time before, and been all murdered on the road. It seemed to have been no part of the Sealkote mutineersplan to massacre ladies and children, but perhaps Mrs Hunter had offended the fanatic Maboniedans by establishing a small female school, a crime to their eyes deserving of dseth.—Aber. dm Journal,