npedrazzini/19thc_murder_suicide_news huggingface dataset:
The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1869-06-12 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

INFANTICIDE IN LONDON.  On Thursday evening, in last week, Dr. Lsnkester, the coroner for C nttrat Middlesex, delivered a lectuie n this studect, to a large is the Freemasons -hall, over which Mr. CID, es Reed, M P., presided, In the absence of the Rai lot Shaftesbury.  Dr. Lankester, after a scriptural and historic retrospect, pr.-eeiled to deal with the question as it addressed itself to the Christi., world, and bore upon the well-being of society in modern times. Infanticide fie defined to be the destruction or murder of a new.lairn child, but under another name the. law also took cognisance of the destructi n of a child before it was horn. He proposed to deal with the former of these crimes, and ti, draw upon his own experience for his facie thus following iii the footsteps of the late Mr. Wakley, who, like himself, had been wrongly accused of exaggeration while treating of this matter. In 1863 there were 55 cases of infanticide in his district; in 1864, 56; in 1865, 61; in 1866. 75; iii 1867, 53; and in 1868, 52; but in too many instpncen he had discovered a tendency to return open verdicts of found dead or "still-born,"  According to the judicial statistics of the Home. office the ratio of the crime for the whole of England uas 1 in every 170.000 of the population, and in Middlesex 1 in 20,000, while for the central and western districts it w. 1 in 12,000, confirming him in the opinion that the crime was mainly confined to the domestic servants of the West end. Indeed, on an averate of five years the return for Clerkenwell wan 1 in 30.000; St. Pancras, 1 in 20,000; kfarylehone, lin 10 000; Paddington, 1 in 8,000; and Islington, lin 6,000. . _  Having shown that the mother was generally alone in the murder and diipoi,al of her child, Dr. Lankester went on to assert that the verdicts returned afforded no indication 4.f. the actual number of cases. He believed Mr. \VIAley was right in fixing it at 300 a year, and as the murder* 88 was generally twenty 3 ears of age, and seldom repeated her crime, taking the average life of women at GO, it followed, that there were 12,000 women living who had committed the offence.  He next glanced at the deaths occasioned amongst mothers and the effects of "bay farming," observing that half the children upon whom he held inquests were illegitimate, and that from 40 to 80 per cent, of children ,dmitted into foundling hospitals die within the first year and concluded by stating his cure for the evil, which was to be worked through the pulpit, an alteration of the bastardy laws, as not mime than one in 70 of the fathets contributed to the support of the child, the übatitu t i• n of other than the capital punishment for the crime, a certified registration of births, as in Ireland and Scotland, and still.borns as on the continent, and the enactment of punialimentis for the concealment 4if pregnancy.
The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1869-01-09 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

WITHOUT A FINE. Mr. Robert Phillip Dodd, a fanner, of Great Eyburgh, in Norfolk, occupying 700 acres of land, wa.a summoned for sending four quarters of beef to the London market for sale, the saline being diseased, unsound, unwholesome, and unfit for the food of man. The evidence, which was very lengthy, amounted to this, that Mr. I nshre shepherd had his attention called to a cow which was lying in a field with her head under her. He annt some men pulled it out, and then found she was dead. The shepherd told Mr. D.ld about it, awl he sent for a butcher to dress it, and it 'WAS sent to the Loiebm market for sale. The flesh was wet, stinking, and inflamed, and totally unfit for I the food of man. Mr. Turner, for the defence, called the shepherd, who stated that the animal was a mikh cow, and had been in Mr. Dorld's possession since May last. She was in perfect health up to the morning that she died, and the cause of her death was that she had been given some turnips, and they had "blown" her. He had purchased the head and tongue for half a crown, and Inc and his family had lived on it until it VIAS gone, and they had felt no ill effects from it. The heart was cooked and eaten by the yards-man and his family, and theyhail tmt been made ill by it. He also called Charles Smith, the butcher who dressed the carcase, and Inc stated that when he had nearly finished dressing it the defendant came in, and he told him it was not worth dressing,. He told the yard's.man and the coachman that he was glad to earn what he could, lett the meat was not tit to send up to London. Mr. Dodd did not hear him say that. If he had bought it he could not have sold it to some of his customers, but there were some people who would have bought it. When the animal was cut open it was in a very bad state, because the tripe had been either burst from being "blown," or pricked with a knife, and thus the excrement from the tripe had run into the frame of the beast and made it stink. Except the animal was "blown" from eating turnips, there was nothing the matter with it. The bursting of the tripe VMS the cause of the smell which was attached to the meat, and there warn no getting it out of it. Mr. Alderman Finnis said this was one of those cases in which a fine 4sight not to be inflicted ; for here was a man of position in the country, farming 700 acres of land, and of wealth, to whom a fine would , Inc no punishment at all ; Inc therefore felt it to be his I duty to Bend him to the House of Correction for one month.  The Canadian Court If Queens Bench has refused to grant a new trial to NVlo.l.im the murderer of D'Arcy More. His counsel took measures for an appeal to the Court of Errors and Appeals.
The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1869-05-15 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

OLD WIFE'S NOTION OF A VELOCIPEDY.— A matron in Bonnybank watt stunned and stupefied the other day on seeing a gentleman who had been !mactising with a velocipede, and who was approaching her dwelling on foot, leading it up the incline. "Preserve a' living, sirse—come 'eie," she cried to a neighbour. "Did ye ever see a thing like this." Both looked intently for a while, and the other said —"Toots, woman, did ye never see a thing like that? just a man gaun shout vi' a thing for sharpin' razors." Hearirg this the meron ran to the house to look for her scissors, ening at the Caine time to her son—"Jiiii rin not and tell that man to stop, for I want my sheers sharpit." Jim did as he was commanded, but after looking a short time. said—" :Wither, that's no a sheer man ava. I think it's only her Titllololl tryin' to row twa girds!" But the gentleman, who was now • stridelegs" over the fleet horse, wan off like an arrow. " Hech ! AVhaill ye wager," quoth the matron, as he vanished from view, 'but thst's ane o' the newlyfashioned whurlygigs the newspapers ca'philosophers ! " —Dundee Advertiser.  ONE BWODBOUND IN SEARCH OF THZ OTHER ! —Letters appear in the Lublin Exprias advocating the use of the bloodhound in the pursuit of fugitive murderer'. One correspondent writes :  From long experience alarowl in the breedin and training of that hound, I can sally say he will bong a substantial "message of peace "to Ireland more effectual than any that could be sent from the present occupants of "Plunder : House," Downing-street. A pure Spanish bloodhound, from ' two to three years of age, should be able to take up • trail in this climate) any time within sixty hours after the person has left the spot where the dog is laid on. of tT Nth ISENCL MAN GONE HOME !—By the deA r. Thomas Coventry, Nice has lost an eccentric but real benefactor. Watering-placts are not motblb n-markable for the exactness with a hich their clocks keep time; the railway and post-ofEce are generally in a permanent state of mutual contradiction, while the hotels ring the five o'clock bell without the slightest reference to the position of the sun whenever the cook has his table-dlote dinner ready. This state of things had been tong prevalent at Nice, when Mr. Goventr). being a man of punctual habits, undertook at his own expense the task of regulating the time. On the roof of the Hotel Chauvin, where he has just died after a residence of twenty years, he erectei a mast and Ads. similar to those opnoaite the Chat ingcross Hotel. and, .n the ramparts of the 41 caste a cann al the us dei of the one in the raids Royal; the simultaneous fool! of the globe and discharge of the gun announcing the hour of noon. At last "l'ordre regnait h Nice." When the report t the cannon was heard the town,people were wont to exclaim, "Voids Coventry qui j Auntie l"
The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1869-02-13 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

STRANGE TALE OF A LIFE.  A young man, who gave the name of Robert Fuchea, by birth a German, was charged at the Worship-street police. court, in London, with having attempted to commit self. murder by stabbing himself it, the arm ,ith a knife.  In answer to the charge, prisoner said he was tired of his life, and handed up a letter to the magistrate, which he wished might be read. The letter, which is very long, contained a ststement of the birth, parentage, and life of the prisoner, written by himself. He states that be was born in Berlin, March, 1844, where his father carried on business as a confectioner to the Royal Court of Prussia, after a time retiring to live as a private gentleman. Prisoner was always treated very harshly by his father, who eventually sent him to Geneva, as apprentice in a mercantile house, but soon after wrote to him to meet him at Leipzic, which he did, and soon found himself shipped from Hamburgh on board of a Hull steamer, with only one shirt and a pair of trousers, to go all the way to Australia. On arriving at Liverpool from Hull, he was met by a gentleman who took him to his house, and after keeping him locked up in a small back room for five days, put him aboard of the ship Lightning, which immediately got under weign, and proceeded to Melbourne, Australia. On the voyage he received much kindness from the captain. Arrived at Melbourne, Australia, he (prisoner) complained to the Prussian Consul, who treated him us an impostor. After working about Australia for two years, he worked his passage back to Liverpool in the Water Nymph, and arrived in London during the time of the Exhibition. To earn Ins bread in London he became a shoeblack, And while so employed, he learnt that his parents were living in lodgings in Bedford-street, Strand, London. At last, he contrived an interview with his father, who, however, was cold to his entreaties, and soon after his parents suddenly returned to Berlin. Shortly after, he (prisoner) accepted the offer of a man named Lammers, acting for his father, to be sent to New York. There, for want of food, he was compelled to join the army, and served in South America; in 1865 he was discharged, and returned to Liverpool from New Orleans. Thence he shipped as cook on board a • Portuguese steamer, trading on the Conga river, but falling ill was sent to London by the English Consul, afterwards he applied to the Prussian Consul and the German Aid Society for help, but in vain, and now being ill he had determined to end his life and wretchedness, laying his blood on the head of his father. The letter closed with a wish that his statement might be made public. Throughout it was written in a neat and steady hand, and showed a good education, but how true it may be is another matter. The magistrate said he thought it would be as well to remand the prisoner for a week to the House of Detention, which was accordingly done.  SAURIN v.
The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1873-01-04 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

EXECUTION OF THE PENDLETON  MURDERER.  On hfonilsy morning, Michael Kennedy, who was sentenced to death at the laAt balford Hundred Asairea for the murder of Ann Kennedy, his wife, was executed within the precinct. of the county gaol, NI anchetter. A petition In favour of the reprieve of the prisoner had been got up and forwarded to the Hume Secret dry, but tram the first no hope was enti rtained that the capital sentence would be commuted. The circumstances attending the murder were as follow.:— On the Bth October last the prisoner and his wife were residing at 6, Brunswick-place, Pendleton. They had been married 3d year+, and had had 14 children, seven whom are living. The prisoner was said to be • good husband when he was sober, and much attached to the deceased. He, however, Lad given way much to erink for some time before the murder. About three o'clock in the afternoon id the Bth October the prisoner went into his house partly intoxicated, and became very angry with his wife because his dinner was not ready. A short time afterwards a report of • pistol was heard, and the deceased rushed into the street, bleeding from a wound on the right side of her head. The primmer afterward.  —gave himself up to the police, and on being told that the deceased was not dead, he expressed his sorrow, ws he said. "I intended to shoot her dead. If she is not dead, I hope she soon will be. If! had shot her in tie heart, the job would have been done sight." Home days afterwards, when the deceased died, and he was charged with the murder, he replied, "Drink and madness." It appeared that the prisoner purchased the pistol from a general dealer in litrudg hill Market on the morning of the day on which the murder was committed.  'the prlson.r during his trial was apparently very little affected, but since his incarceration he has shown that be has realised the enormity of hic crime. He was a Roman Catholic, and has been attended by the Roman Catholic ahaplain of the gaoL On Friday be was visited by the Rev. Dr. Vaughan, Roman Catholic Bis`mp of Salford, who spent some time with him in the condemned cell, and administered to him the Holy Sacrament  The executii ii to ; lace at eight o'clock, en the permanent scaffold at the north side of the priPon. Calcraft, with an assistant, performed the duties of executioner. The culprit was brought from the condemned cell with hie arms pinioned; he appeared to be quite resigned, and submitted to be put on the drop in a passive manner. After the fall of the drop he struggled alightly for a few &COLO& At nine o'clock the body was cut down, and after an inquest had been held upon it it was buried by the aide of the three Fenians and the two other murderers who had been executed within the prison.  Kennedy was viAited several times by his relatives in the course of the last week, and to all he expres‘ed his c ntritim, and said that, if he had known the force of religion as he did now, he would not have murdered his wife.
The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1873-03-01 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

FRENCH MURDER.  A dreadful case of murder has just been tried before the Court of Assizes of the Puy-de-Dome at Morn. It appears from the acre d'accuistion that at about seven o clock on the morning of the 11th of January, some men proceeding to their week at the quarries of Tailbide, found a man lying dead and bathed in blood at a short distance from the village. These men immediately communicated the fact to the local authorities, and the body was recognised by the mayor to be that of one of the most honest inhabitants of his own commune, a drover named Marien Courson, aged 37. The head of the victim was riddled with shot, the pockets had been turned inside out, and it was evident that, as he was the bearer of from 1.200 fr. to 1,400 fr., the object of the crime was robbery. The victim, accompanied by his two partners, left home at an early hour on the morning of the 9th, to attend the fair at Montferrand, which was to take place on the following day. They disposed of their cattle and returned home in the evening of Friday, the 10. h. After stopping for a short time at Riom, they took the road to C'ambroude, and on reaching • place called Davayat, Coureon left his companions, and took a short way over country towards Teilliede. On reaching a deserted part of the road, a men named Hebrard, • farmer in the same commune, who, aware that his victim wee possessed of • sum of money, had lain in ambush for • couple of hours, as soon as his victim came up fired two shots at him from a rifle point-blank. Death was instantaneous. When Hazard, upon whom everything tended to fix the crime, vv. at first confronted with the produce of it, the rifle with which it was committed, and other irrefutable evidences of his culpability, he preserved the utmost coolache, and pretended that they had been bidden in his house by the real murderer. Some days later, however, , he made certain unguarded disclosures to the gendarmes, ' and afterwards made a free confeseion of the crime to the local magistrate, acknowledging at the same time, that his vict m had been his benefactor on several occasione, and only a few days before the crime had paid a bill with which be had been pressed by a publican of the village. The cool bravado with which he narrated every incident ornnected with hie deepty.laid crime to the Court was, the journals state, revolting. "When 1 was sure that Ceureon was dead," he said, "I went up to him, examined his pockets, took everything he possessed, and then went to a neighbour's, where I took two or three glasses of wine and smoked a cigarette." It is scarcely necessary to say that little was added by the testimony of witnesses to • statement like this, and Hebrard was found guilsy, without extenuating circumstances, and s.ntenced to death.
The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1873-02-01 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

THE CORAM•STREET MURDER.  On Monday Dr. Heasel was subjected to the ordeal of identification by three servants of the Great Eastern Railway Company, who certify to having seen at the Sboreditth Station on the morning of Christmas Day a man corresponding in many particulars to the advertised description of the euppomed murderer. Their Lames are Henry Trenter and John Smith, porters; and George Nfoleman, called " Dutchy," a foreigner employed by the company to look after the cattle conveyed on the line. The inspection of Di. Hessel took place in the presence of Impector Harnett Only one witness at a time was slowed to see the prisoner, and sundry preliminaries having been made with reward to the placing of other prisoners, of Belgiatt and French nationality, in cells contiguous to the prisoner's, and Inspe :tor Hornet and the other officials having token their pia( e behind Trenter, following him cautions'y, the inspection commenced, and the do ir of the first cell was thrown open; the chaplain of the h aces being in attendance. Carefully looking at the inmate of the cell, and at the inmates of five succeeding cells which were an .cessively thrown open, and failing to recognise any one, the cher of the sixth wan opened, and Dr. Hassel stepped quietly forward, dressed as when arrested, and with a natural and tranquil expression on his face. He looked fairly at Treater, eho almost directly paused, walked a little backward and forwards, and finally exc`atmed, "That's as nigh him as I can see." To this, with sundry variations of phraseology, he adbased, saying that-be should like to see Dr. Hessel once more, and with his hat on. He was requested to with. draw while hats were found for Dr. Hessel and tie other prisoners. This being done, and Dr. Hemel having been placed in the fourth cell instead of the sixth, the doors closed. Trenter was again called in. Again the doors were thrown open, and Dr. Hew' was recognised in nearly the same terms at before, the witness observing that the warder must have changed him from the cell in which he previously was. On Trenter appealing vaguely to the officials and to Inspector liar' nett "if they didn't think Dr. Hessel was the one be saw at first," they declined tn give an opinion, and the inspector told him he must be guided purely by his own opinion. Trenter retired -awl Smith was called iu, the cell doors havint h, en clowel and no coninuni. C stih between v. ithaca s allowed. lee altar anothei the doors were thrown open, but Smith passed Dr. Heeerhy, although he looked carefully at him and at every one on either side of him. The others looked rough men compared with Dr. Hessel, who freely returned the gaze of Smith, his hends being crossed in front of him. The third witne.s, " Dutehy," the German who spoke longest with the man at the Shereditch Station, did not in the least recognise Dr. Meisel as the man he saw there. This ended the inspection, and Dr. Ilesisel was once more confined to his cell.
The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1873-08-23 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

SAD TRAGEDY.  A shocking murder was committed on Suhday evening in the village of Arlingham, about 12 miles from Glocester, and within a mile of the River Severn. . . .  The naine of the murderer is Edward Bits, about 22 years of age, the eldest eon of a wi low re -Ming at the Church term, Arlieghani. Since the death of his father, about two years an, Butt has mana,4ed the farm for h.e mother. For more than • sear he ' has been paying his acdiresses to a yourg girl Lamed Amelia Phipps, who resid-d with her brother, Mr. Thi nias Phipps, at the West-end farm, in the same village. Though she allowed him to visit her and to take her out occasionally, Mies Phipps did not reciprocate tee warm feelings which Butt entertained towards her. This led to frequent quarrels between them, in the course of which Butt wee more than once heard to use threats towards her. On Sunday week she declined to acccmpany him on a drive, and they again quarrelled. All last week he was noticed to be rather strange in his manner. Sunday last was what ir known in the Leighburhood as "Arlingham Feast ' and some friends fri in a distance raid the Phil p's a visit. They were joined in the latter part f the day by Butt, who accompanied Miss Phipps to her brother's house between eight and nine in the evening. After seeing the friends leave for home and bidding them good-bye, Butt and the young girl remained standing on the lawn in front of her brother's house. He asked her to go to Glocester with him the next day, but she declined, alleging as • reason that she had promised to accompany her brother in-law. He again asked her to ace impany him, but she again refused in more decided terms. lu the heat of pased in Butt threatened to stab her. The girl, frightened, called to her brother in-law, Mr. Merritt, who came out upon he lawn and remonstrated with Butt. As he walked sway Miss Phipps told Butt she would never go out with him again. A minute afterwards Merritt was startled by the report of a gun close at hand, and on runn ng up to the spot where 137 s sister in-law had been standing a moment before be saw her stretched upon the era's. She had been shot in the neck jest below the ear, ard a portion of her low. r jaw bad been blown away. Shots were found to have pedetrated the fingers of ce e of b. r As though she had raised it to save herself. The girl, who was unable to articulate a word, expired in less than live minute.. Search being made upon the diwn, a eingl.-barrelled gun, identified as belonging to Butt, was found open the grass near the spot where the girl had fallen. Butt decamped immediately after tiring the gun, and it is supposed that he has drowned himself in the Severn. An inquest was held on Tuesday. and the jury returned a verdict of wilful murder against Butt.