npedrazzini/19thc_murder_suicide_news huggingface dataset:
The Sun. — 1824-12-29 (London, England)

HORRIBLE ASSASSINATION.  NAPLES, DEC. 7.—Robberies between this city and Rome have been of late years such ordinary occur. rences, that little is thought of them, because the villains have been contented with what they could get. There is hardly an instance of their becoming murderers through wantonness; so that travellers could, in passing from one city to the other, pretty well guess the worst. It would seem that a band of 25, lately dispersed by the energy of the Austrian Chasseurs, encamped themselves ma new quarter, at Pzestum, about 50 miles to the south of this city. They have massaged lately to carry on that trade which they could no longer do at Fondi and Itri. Many of our countrymen have disbursed their piastres, which some lovers of the tine arts have thought not paying too dear for a sight of the Temples. Lord Harrowby and the Ladies Ryder, it is said, narrowly escaped. It is with sorrow I have to say that these brigands have changed character, and now add murder to robbery, for a more wanton act of deliberate assassination never happened than what lam about to relate. There was an eighty gun ship, called 11 Vesuvio, launched at Castellawman on Thursday last (the 2d), and several of our countrymen who went to see it, continued, the following day, their journey to Salerno, and so on to nestum. Of this number were Mr. and Mrs. J. Welsh Hunt, an amiable couple, of age within a few years, and married about ten months.— Their carriage was stopped by four ruffians, three of them having large handkerchiefs tied over their faces to their eyes, to serve as masks, and while two attacked the coachman and Mr. Hunt's servant, the others came to the coach door, and presenting a carbine, commenced pillaging. Mr. Hunt, whose servant had been knocked down by a blow from the but-end of a carbine, expostulated with them on their barbarity, and making an effort to descend from the carriage, one of the ruffians fired his piece, and Mr. H. fell out foremost, a ball having entered his right breast which passed through his back, and poor Mrs. H. another ball in the left breast, which passed through the left shoulder. The robbers, after taking what they could find, made a precipitate retreat. l Ir. Hunt was carried to a hovel close to the spot, where lie died after four hours suffering; Mrs. H. was brought back to Salerno, where a courier was dispatched to Mr. Hamilton, the British Minister, who repaired to the Government to make a report, and sent Dr. Watson and Mr. Roskelly to afford medical aid to the wounded Lady, who also died yesterday. It is impossible to describe to you the horror depicted in the countenances of every body here at the melancholy fate of this amiable young couple. As Mr. Hunt's carriage approached where the brigands were posted, another carriage was observed a-head, which had also been robbed, but with such precipitation that the purse of one of the Ladies (Mrs. Binion and two other Ladies), which fell to the bottom of the coach, was not observed. (lens d'armes have been sent to scour the place, but no clue has been had as yet towards finding any of the villains.  (
The Sun. — 1824-08-26 (London, England)

XVI 11., a short sketch of his life appeared iu England, which, so far as it went, delineated him much more correctly than his own partial pen. It spoke of his atrocities in 1793 and 1704. It cited his own recorded statements of the Churches he had plundered, and the massacres that he had perpetrated. These things he of course throws into shade. He declares that he was never a Member of any of the Revolutionary Committees. This is true as regards the Committees of Government in Paris ; but at Lyon he presided for many weeks in a Revolutionary Committee,which day after day slaughtered 60, 80, 100,(20O individuals at a time. In short, Robespierre himself was not a more sanguinary monster. But the ac. lions. of Fouche are well known ; and if they were not, we could not expect to find them faith. fully related by himself. His opinions oo other events and persons are more likely to he impar. tial ; and they are abundantly curious. Ile is not one of those who think that the Revolution was inevitable. On the contrary he says that if Louis X Vt. had had the firmness to dissolve the National Assembly he might have sate on his throne to this hour ; and he expressly declares that the Bustile would not have been attacked on the 14th of July, if the Generals had done their duty on the Nth.—After the murder of the benevolent Louis, the Go. vertiment was seized by the National Convention. Let us hear how Fouche describes this power. "It was a sort of monstrous dictator. ship," says he, " which grew out of the subversion of all order, and presented alternately the picture of Athenian anarchy and Turkish despotism." The memorable 18th of Brumaire found Follette Minister bf Police to the Directory. It is curious to observe him (unconsciously as it were) exposing his own perfidy on that occasion. He knew all Buonaparte's intrigues to get possession of the Consulship ; he knew that the struggle was to take place that morning at St. Cloud; but he was doubtful of the event. He therefore took no step one way or the other, but sat at Paris surrounded by his Police agents, keeping his eye 011 both parties, sending out spies every five minutes, and receiving intelligence as frequently, until the sword of Buonaparte had cut the Gordian knot. Then he hastened to salute the victor, and was rewarded by being continued in his post as Minister of Police. It has often been observed that Buoneparte, at the time of which we are speaking, showed himself far inferior to our Cromwell ; and Fouche's picture of the scene, which is drawn with great liveliness, fully confirms they remark. Cromwell's conduct was cool, deliberate, and firm, and the act was wholly his own. The part which l3uonaparte had to play was chalked out for him by Sieyes, Talleyrand, and others; and , he would have failed in the performance if it had not been for the
The Sun. — 1824-01-17 (London, England)

MORNING HERALD.]  The 46 Constitutional Associations," as Mr. Murray, the attorney, has nick-namt•d it, has been again at work. We gave an account yesterday of a trial in the Court of King's Bench for libel. The prosecution was institutediby this Association. It is satisfactory that the AttorneyGeneral bad nothing to do with the matter. He has had the good sense to give himself no trouble about a transient squib which had already died a natural death. That the poem was extremely, improper, and perhaps libellous, must be allowed.— It is to be lamented that such a taste should exist, as to render, the publication of such poems worth the printer's while, in spite of the risk of prosecution. ----If there have been a suctliciency of readers, it proves tl►e present vitiated taste of the public ; but of this depraved taste, we have sufficient.  proof in the anxiety of the public to read the details of the late shocking murder ; and in the artifice of attraction the manager of the Surrey Theatre has recourse to, to fill his Theatre, by placarding, in alt the streets of London, that he exhibits the identical sofa, chairs, and other things, which figured in the murder. But the great qpestion is, whether prosecution corrects this bad taste, or checks the gratification of it 2 It is a question whether it does not, on the contrary, cause the people to purchase and to read the books proceeded against, when probably they had otherwise nevlr heard of them. That the Jury were correct in finding it to be a libel, we will not dispute ; and if the Attorney-General had brought the matter into Court, no one would have reasonably censured him for an abuse_of authority. But at the same time, we are convinced that most persons would have said, he had better pass it over, since the thing itself had sunk into oblivion—just as the caricatures of the late, and of the present King, have been forgotten. In a country like this, where freedom of speech and publication is allowed by law, we are of opinion that one especial officer for the purpose of prosecuting offenders is quite enough. We do not. like Constitutional Associations.; in fact, it is almost a question whether it be not an unconstitutianal body. It appears to us to be in the nature of a combination of one set of men to harrass persons, by dragging them, when they please, into the dreadful expences attending the Law Courts of this country. Were law cheap, it might be another thing ; but every body knows that in England it is horribly expensive, and that to have any thing to do with it, except a man be rich is almost certain destruction. —lt is wonderful that any body will subscribe a farthing to such a combination. We know nothing of this Constitutional Association; but it  appeared to us to be like many other things, got up by some attorney, with two or three of his friends as secretaries. Now every body knows that attorneys are regularly on the. watch for business.
The Sun. — 1824-01-05 (London, England)

HEIUFFORD GAOL.  On Saturday Mr. Ilisemett, the Solicitor fpr Hunt, arrived in Hertford, and had an interview with his client. in he gaol. Both !luta and Pro Bert's spirits are slieprtssed ; thosrof the latter, it is said, from an apprehension of the rigid crossexamination which .he -is-likely to endure, after being examined as King's evidence. Thurtell continues entirely unmoved, and talks of the family arrangements for his future maintenance, which he hopes- to have carried into effect when he gets rid of the present accusation. He reads the newspapers, and converses with great apparent indifference upon the common topics of the day. lie talks of being liberated from the gaol about two o'clock on Wednesday next, and intimates the plan he will adopt of getting quietly to town, when he hopes his father will enable him to live on the Continent, in such a manner as his circumstances will permit. In the course of Saturday, Mr. James Connolly, accompanied by a friend, , arrived at the gaol, and applied to Mr. Wilson for permission to see his brother, Mr. Patrick Connolly, on the subject of employing professional assistance. Mr. Connolly's friend said his name was Peters, and that he was a military man : he introduced the brother to 'the Governor of the prison, and said that they were very solicitous to see the prisoner with the least possible delay, as they meant to drive over to the coroner's inquest, which was about to sit, and be the hearers of a written au, thority from him, to authorize Mr... Noel to act as his solicitor, that gentleman deeming such an order necessary. The Rev. Mr. Lloyd, the visiting Magistrate, was immediately sent for, and he promptly repaired to the gaol. The prisoner was then brought from the ward in which he is confined, into the counting-house, where he had an interview with his brother, in the presence .of Mr. Lloysl'and Mr. Wilson. The prisoner and his brother shook hands, and were much affected. Mr. Peters (who had retired before Mr. Connolly entered) was then introduced, and the necessary instructions for professional assistance, being given, the parties withdrew. The prisoner, Patrick Connolly, is a tall genmanly-looking man, fashionably dressed ; he says that he was 13 or 16 years a surgeon in the Dub, lin militia. His manner was composed, and he speaks of the fatal act which he pepetrated as one justified by the violent attack made by the assailants on the house of his friend Capt. Nestor. Both the brother and his friend seemed desirous, possible, to have the trial entered upon at the adjourned commission, which will sit on 'fues day next, to proceed upon the prisoners charged with the murder of Mr. Weare, but there is no chance of Connolly's case being heard before the March Assizes. He is married to a lady who she has, lhas some independent property ; s however, resided away from him in Hampshire for a considerable time. He has requested the daily attendance of the gaol-barber, as he is not allowed the use of his own dressing implements. A lancet, and a small paper of gunpowder, were found in his pockets when he was lodged in gaol.
The Sun. — 1824-01-13 (London, England)

FOREIGN MA 1C ET.--Spanish Bonds opened at 9.4-1 to ,f. got up to Little doing except in these Bonds and in Austrian Scrip.  Wa are glad to see. that the greater part of our Contemporaries are exerting themselves to destroy the false and pernicious interest which had been excited in the public mind in favour of the atrocious murderer Thurtell. Even respect for the feelings of the wretched culprit's family must give way before the paramount duty of exhibiting, in its true light, one of the most coldblooded, savage, and unrelenting characters that ever disgraced this or any other country. To us, notwithstanding the eminent degree ;n which he seems to have possessed that mere physical courage which enabled him to meet his punishment with fortitude, we confess that his character appears still more detestable than those of the infamous companions of his guilt, Hunt and Probert. They, it is true, violated their accursed friendship, and for the sake of preserving their own worthless lives, sacrificed that of their mord derous associate. The !motive which induced them. to betray their confederate, base as R was,was still that of sef-preservatiov—whilst he,—he fawned upon, betrayed, and murdered the man whom he called his friend,—and that from the most foul and detestable motive b.y which a human being can be influenced, the mingled thirst of plunder and of vengeance ! That he would not have hesitated also to sacrifice Aunt and Prober!, if' by so doing he could have saved himself, is there• fore extremely probable ; but as it was by bins that the murder was planned, and by his hand alone that it was perpetrated, he knew that he was altogether inadmissible as a witness for the prosecution,  We have received Gibraltar Papers to the 23d ult. from which we extract the following articles :  •(From the Paper qf the 22d. ) Pursuant to an order of the Commandant-Ge• neral of the Canary Isles, the Intendant of the same officially notified to the inhabitants, on the 26th November last, that until the King's pleasure should be known on the subject, the parts of those islands would be thrown open for the . admission of foreign cotton goods on payment of a general revenue of 15 per cent. besieles one half per cent. Consular Duty on their value, e 1 settled by the Tariff in force in the islands previous to the introduction of that which th.e Constitutional Government circulated on the 25th June last. And as cotton goo[ls were the only' ones prohibited by the first mentioned Taxi'', it follows that the ;uhabitants.are now -allmved to speculate in meachandia of .every desc.tiptioo except tobacco.  The same order confirmed, until the ,King's pleasure was known, the exemption from all port duties hitherto enjoyed by foreign vessels t Duct., ing at the islands for the mere purpose of repairing damages, or getting refreshments, without any commercial object in view. ( From the Paper of the 21st.) The following is the Address from the Rooda district to the King:—  "
The Sun. — 1824-04-17 (London, England)

MURDER OF WILLIAM WOOD.  At the last Summer Assizes for this county it may he recollecled that a young man, named Joseph Dale, was convicted of the wilful murder of William Wcod, a respectable factor. near Whaley, in Cheshire, on the 16th of July last. The trial lasted from nine o'clock in the morning until sight in the evening. Mr. D. F. JoNEs, who was Counsel for the prisoner, having, however, moved for a respite of judgment on the ground of a flaw in the indictment, it not hating been stated therein what number of stones lied been used in the murder of the unfortunate man, sentence was not then passed. The question has been since argued before tl e twelve Judges, who have decided that it was not eseemi it that, the number of stones should be stated in the inlietment ; and one of their Lordships appositely asked NI Iv.ther an indictment for murder would be invalid by reason of its not having been stated by how many small shut the death of a murdered man had been occasioned. A bout six weeks since. a pet' tion was forwarded to the, Secretary of Sta'e fee the Home Department for the pardon of was t~icF. ; .t. respectably and numerously signed, and among the names attached to it were those of the Mayor and Sherifrs of tl. city. This circumstance has been matter of suri,rl;e to most of those who were acquainted with the circumstance* detailed in evidence on the trial. On the evcnirg of the IGth of July, the prisoner and two other men we e seen walking in the company of the deceased along the ro .d leading to the spot where the body was found : at a sulyequent period of that night, the prisoner was seen running in company of his two companions from the spot. A M. rote was found on the person of Dale when taken : of this he has Liven no satisfactory account; and a tradesman of Stockport gave evidence on the trial that he had paid this Sallie note to the deceased on the morning of the very day on the evening of which he was murdered. One of the prisoner's companions was taken a short time after the murder, and being coirm.ttccl to the New Bailey prison at Manchester, hung himself in his cell the s.tme night. The third person has not yet been taken, and it is to be hoped that Dale will yet think fit to make acme atoitement to the violated laws of his country, by giving. infornation that may lead to the apprehension of his associate in the horrid deed. it is expected that sentence of death will he pasted on Dale some day this week, probably on Saturday, as it has not, we believe, been ueual for thet awful ceremony to take place on.. Good Friday. The fate of Dale Las become of untuual int rest in this and the adjoining countits, although it w re difficult t) account for this excitement byond the youth of the prisoner, he being only 18 years of age.
The Sun. — 1824-11-12 (London, England)

FATAL ACCIDENT FROM A SPRING GUN.  SWAFFHAII, Nov. 10.—We trust that the following melancholy event will have the effect of abolishing these murderous machines :  On Sunday afternoon last, about four o'clock, Wm. Brownsell, who for a very considerable number of years has been in the service of Win. Mason, Esq. of Necton (four miles from Swell. ham), as a hurdle-maker, went into one of that gentleman's plantations to examine what timber would be fit to fell for hurdles, when the poor fellow, through ignorance of the place where the gun was set (and one would naturally suppose that such a weapon would not be planted in a road), as he was crossing the road trod upon the wire, and the gun went oil; lodg. ing its contents in his body. On Monday horning he way found in dreadful agonies, and conveyed to the nearest house for relict, but in vain; he shortly after expired. An inquest was held last. night, at the Three Tuns at Necton, before W. Bero Esq. Coroner, when it appeared in evidence that the p gun was heard about. four o'clock on Sunday after. report of noon ; but as the occasion was not suspected by any one no notice was taken ; that on liionday morning about eight o'clock, as the gamekeeper Was going his rounds, he found the gun sprung, and about eighty yards further discovered the wretched llrownsell weltering In his blood, but still alive. It would seem that the deceased, who must have lain sixteen ' hours In agonies which cannot well be imagined, had rolled round through briars and brambles to a tree near the spot, where the ground appeared as if a horse had been tied there and pawed the earth all round ; he had afterwards crawled upwards of eighty yards to a hollow part where there is a seat for the keeper to watch, and where he was found nearly insensible, muttering only " Let me alone."—After some deliberation, the Jury came to the following verdict, which of itself speaks volumes r--" Accidentally came to his death by a spring Mn set in a cart road leading through a plantation of Mr. ! elon's, called the Furnace, adjoining the boundary of Sporle." ---It is but right to add, that Mr. Mason, who had a very high opinion of the honesty and industry of Brownsell, is now abroad on a tour, and it is said that the spring guns have been set since his absence. We are confident that our readers will participate in our feelings of surprise and indignation when we tn. fonn them, that the Jury, on inspecting the spot, found the gun again loaded.  A sailor, named Barney Gough, fell from one of the Bath coaches, two miles from Colnbrook, on Wednesday morning, and a Coroner's .Jury found his death was accidental, by being drunk. One of the witnesses proved having seen him drink seventeen drams in a short space of time. On Sunday last, as a waggon conveying the scenery, &C. of the Norwich company of comedians from Bury to Colchester, was descending a hill near Cock&ld, the driver having omitted to clog the wheel, the vehicle ran down with such velocity as to kill one of the horses, and seriously injure two ethers.
The Sun. — 1824-01-23 (London, England)

PRODIGY.-..--011 Wednesday, Master GEORGE ASPULL, of whom so mud, has lately been said as a musical prodigy, performed on one of Clementini's imperial patent grand pianofortes, at Ciementi and Co.'s large ware-room in Cheapside, before an assemblage of professors collected for that purpose. The child commenced his performance with Halkbranner's celebrated variations to " Rule Britannia," the most difficult passages of which he executed with the greatest ease, and with the greatest feeling, expression, &:c, in the most rapid movements as well as the adagios. He continued playing some of the same composer's music, Clemencies, Mozart's, and other composition, for upwards of two hours, with the greatest zeal and enjoyment, without any disposition to leave off; as is generally the case with those of his tender age of eight years. Although his fingers are not of sufficient length for an octave, yet lie contrives to give a slight touch to the key, so that the defect is not discovered, which was admitted by the professors and amateurs present, who all joined in frequent exclamations of ‘4 Wonderful!" " Astonishing !" " Bravissimo !" and appeared at a loss for words to express their astonishment and admiration, but agreed in admitting that he was a prodigy and phenomenon in every sense of the word. Most of those present appeared in great ecstacy and delight in having ; the pleasure of shaking hands and conversing with such an infant wonder. He is an extremely well-behaved child ; he is under the care of his father and an amateur of the highest respectability. The leaves of the music-book from which he played were turned over for him by an eminent organist and piano-forte player, who looked at the music as he played it, and highly complimented him, and also expressed his astonishment. The attention of his eyes, which was required, to the music, was also as astonishing as the readiness and. execution with which he plays the most difficult passages ; and he is even said, at this early age, to be what is called a sight player ; and as a proof of it, he played music for three hours, a few evenings since, which he had not seen before, accompaied by other instruments. A professor who heard Mozart play when he was 14 years of age, says his playing was not to be compared then to young Asat eight years of age. pull's now,  ANOTHER HARING ROBBERY IN THE VAUXHALL ItoAo.—Last night, about nine o'clock, as a Lady and Gentleman were making their way along the Vauxhall road to Pimlico, they were accosted by two men, with their faces covered with crape, one of whom presented a pistol at the Gentleman, whilst the other ransacked the pockets of the Lady of a purse and seven sovereigns ; from the Gentleman they took a ailver hunting watch and appendages, besides a sovereign and a few shillings in silver. The villains then fled, threatening to fire if they attempted to follow. The spot where they were attacked is nearly the same as where Mr. Collins was attempted to be robbed and murdered re- j cently, and for which Mason, Wren, and lteay were capitally convicted at the present Old Bailey Sessions.