npedrazzini/19thc_murder_suicide_news huggingface dataset:
The Sun. — 1847-06-02 (London, England)

HORRID MURDER OF A FEMALE BY A FEMALE.—(THIS DAY.) It appears from the particulars gleaned on the spot by our reporter, that the murderess, Mary Ann Hunt, a female about thirty years of age, but out of a situation, about eight weeks since engaged the share of an apartment with an aged female, named Mary Stowell, occupying the back kitchen at Mr. Baylis's, baker, No. 40, Adam-street West, Bryanstonesquare. This morning,;about half-past four o'clock, akPoliceconstable Battersby, No. 124 D, was on duty in Queen-street, Edgeware-road, he observed the prisoner walking along with two bundles, one in each hand. Suspecting that there was something wrong, as she appeared greatly agitated, he stopped her, and asked her where she came from, to which she at first made no reply, but immediately afterwards said No. 40, Adam-street. The constable repaired there with her in his custody, and having alarmed the inmates, en pro. ceeding to the apartment lately occupied by the prisoner and deceased a horrible sight presented itself. On the floor, fronting ,the fire-place, lay the deceased, her head literally smashed to atoms, wallowing in blood, cold and stiff, a poker, covered with blood and brains, with which evidently the diabolical crime had been committed, lying by her side. A thick piece of rope was round her neck, tied in a knot, from which it would appear that the prisoner had first attempted to strangle her while in her sleep, but her efforts being ineffectual, she had had recourse to the act above described. At half-past eleven o'clock the prisoner, a masculinelooking female, was placed at the bar before Mr. Rawlinson, at Marylebone Police-court, when the following evidence was adduced, the magistrate having in the first ins,ance asked her if she wished ans friend to be sent for inisntgta,itmNevdehiatloes obtain legal advice, to which she replied in the negative. follows :—AboutPolice-constable halfß a pasttters b four rb being I,lcgl o thenek this sworn,a no n on duty in Adam-street West, I saw the prisoner look out from the street-door of No. 40 very cautiously, but on seeing me she withdrew, with two bundles which she held in her hand, and closed the door. Thinking from her manner something was wrong, I hid myself behind a doorway in a mews andon immediatelyfinding opposite till a quarter-past live, when she again opened the door, the bundles still in her hands, and almost iatgwaiint iculnosaendinch loft hbeeni nwg eat not v, over to the pushed door,it open tie, and the bundles go these bundlaensdbienlotnhge passage found the prisoner standiDn lying on the floor. I said to her,p rejoined, you,,alnf dyosnhaereaannswheorteteda,t ‘mr.,Yomese, To which I police do." a cab, and not watched till the were out of sight;" l.n you would have called when she replied, " youdoubt their b • • leave them with you, and callbeing mine, I will certainly not, and you don't part withagain. I said," Most in the house who knows Prisonerme till I see some person been living with an old lady then said, "I've go and knock at the door.' stairs, and you can same time ascended the Prisoner at the stairs in advance of me,
The Sun. — 1830-04-14 (London, England)

RDER.  Yesterday afternoon an inquest was held at the Three Castles public-house, St. Andrew's-hill, Blackfriars, on the body of Sarah Goulding. Sarah Brown deposed, I live at No. 2, Irelandyard, St. Andrew's-hill. 1 knew the deceased, who lodged in my house with her husband and two children. I have frequently known the deceased's husband to quarrel with her, and put her out of the house at all hours of the night. I have heard him say many a time that he would be hanged at Newgate for her, but I never saw him strike her. She was delivered of a four months' child last Monday week, and she died last Saturday !.t five minutes before twelve o'clock. The last time I heard them quarrel was about five weeks ago. Sarah Goldsmith deposed, I have frequently heard them quarrel. The last time I heard them was the day before her delivery, when the deceased rushed from her room and ran down stairs—she was pursued by her husband. I saw the deceased the same evening, when she complained of being very ill. Wm. Pye, shoemaker, of Ireland•yard, said, I saw the husband of the deceased pursue her through Ireland-yard. She had MO shoes on ; she ran into my shop quite agitated and out of breath ; she placed her hand on her side, and said, " Oh ! dear." She seemed to be in pain. I have known the deceased five years. Her husband used frequently to beat her.  John Pereira, surgeon to the General Dispensary, Aldersgate-street, said:—l attended the deceased on the 2d of April for miscarriage and pleurisy. I had, previously to my entering the room, heard that the deceased had been beaten and kicked on the side by the husband. On entering the room, I asked the deceased's husband if he was not ashamed of himself for having ill-treated her. He denied it. The deceased said, " Goulding, you know you have been the cause of my illness, and if I should die, you will have to answer for it ; you know you knocked me down like a bullock." From the manner of the husband, who affected to be indignant, I thought he might use her after I had left, and told him that she was in a dangerous condition, and his life depended upon her's, for if she died he would be hanged. Ile replied, " I can't help it if I ant hanged ; I did not ill, treat her." The deceased complained of great pain in the side. I have examined the body, and found no external marks of violence. On a post mortent examination I found inflammation of the left side of the pima or membrane covering the lungs. She had also fever, and slight inflammation over the upper orifice of the stomach. In my opinion the deceased's death was caused by inflammation, combined with fever and miscarriage. All the symptoms might be caused spontaneously or by violence ; the latter was most probable in this instance. Jeremiah Pereira confirmed this testimony. Verdict, Wilful murder against David Goulding.
The Sun. — 1830-03-17 (London, England)

SWARTZENBURGII. A similar clause is intro-. duced into all their Divorce Bills, when brought into their Lordships' House, in compliance with the orders ; in Committee, or in progress of the Bill, the clause is struck out, and by such means are the orders complied with and evaded.  The sale of furniture, &c. at the Abbey, at Iladdington, in the house where the late murders were committed, took place on Wednesday; some hundreds of people were there in the course of the day. So anxious were all to get some small article, that every thing sold very high ; a small hatchet, worth about 6d., brought 45., and every thing else in the same proportion.—Caledonian Mercury.  M. CHABERT'S ANTlDOTE.—According to previous announcement, the Fire King yesterday again exhibited in public at No. 26, St. Jamas.street. His bills announced that he would himself take oxalic acid, orphosphorus, together with boiling oil, besides which he would entertain the company with numerous experiments, and conclude with exhibiting the antidote to prussic acid. At a quarter past three he commenced his operations, and after two or three experiments of but little interest, he brought forward a flick of sweet oil, of which he swallowed two table spoonfuls, at 340 degrees, with much sang frail!. He next devoured a quantity of phosphorus ; and on being asked by a gentleman present why he did not take the antidote, he replied that if he took it three hours afterwards, it would have the effect of counteracting the poison. Finally, a dog was subjected to the prussic acid ordeal, the antidote being as before dashed down his throat, after he had begun to stagger. Ile was only slightly affected. The company expressed themselves well satisfied with the result of the exhibition.  GEORGE NELSON (an old and faithful ser. vant of Lord SCARBOROUGH) is appointed principal jockey to the KING, in the room of JAmEs Roanisow. lie will be at the Newmarket Craven Meeting, to ride his MA JEsTr's horses. The Colonel is again in racing trim, and great expectations are entertained of him.  A short time ago a young woman, about seventeen years of zie, who resides at Shawelough, near Ruchtlale, got up in her sleep, dressed herself, kindled the fire, and then left her home and wandered about till she reached the top of Mount Pleasant, and continued her walk till she got upon a piece of ground where bricks were made during the lsst summer. The ground being soft, her feet stuck in the clay, and, during the struggle to release herself, she awoke, and, for a short time, could not imagine where she then was. After her recollection had returned, she hastened hack, fearing that she should be too late for her work at the futtory at Shawclough, which she did not reach till seven o'clock.—Manchester Courier.  A gigantic enterprise has just been set on foot in Holland, which is no other than an attempt to drain the celsbrated lake at Haarlem. This vast piece of water, which covers a surface of 50.000 acres, was the effect of an inundation which happened about two centuries age. An association for emptying it has been formed, with a capital of six million florins,
The Sun. — 1830-03-01 (London, England)

THE CONFESSIONS OF AN UNEXECUTED FEMICIDE. Third Edition, price Sixpence. " Under this title a most extraordinary work has been recently published by Mr. M'Phun, bookseller, of Glasgow. As many of our readers,_ after perusal, may be apt, toyon. elude, as we at first did, that The Confessions of a Femitide' is a work of pure fiction, it is incumbant on us to ex. plain the reasons which have induced us to arrive at a different conclusion. Mr. M'Phun is a gentleman of great respectability, and we felt convinced that he would not deliberately palm upon the public, as true, a horrid and appalling story, which had no foundation in fact. There would have been no excuse for such conduct, as he possessed the means of . detecting the imposture, by ascertaining whether any murder had taken place in Scotland, twenty years ago, under the extraordinary circumstancea described in Mr. M‘Phun's narrative. Ile. might also, with very little trouble, have traced out die- register of the alleged trial. These were the reasons that led us tp conch* Ana the story, shocking and unnatural as it is, could not wholly te destitute of foundation in fact. We al io thought,; that if theltory had been entirely a romance, tbe author -wuniii not have ventured to make its character so thorough-paced a villain ; for, however strange the assertion may appear, it is a melancholy truth, that more unnatural crimes have been perpetrated in reality than any writer of fiction has had the hardihood to introduce into romance. If any author were to found a. story upon the circumstance of a father cutting off his own child's head, his readers would turn with disgust fpm so gratuitous an outrage upon feelinc and probability. Sheen, however, did in reality cut off the head of his own child; and did that act, too, in a sane state of mind, if we may so conclude from the Judge suffering him, after his attempt, to go at large.  a In conclusion, we mitre our readers, that the main incident related in the confessions is true. Motives of delioacy have induced the writer to substitute Stirling in place cf Glasgow,- and to take some other liberties with the narrative ; but the murder was committed ; the Murderer was tr:ed, and he escaped, as related, by big servants swearing an alibi."—Liverpool Mercury.  MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS;. her Persecution, Sufferings, and Trials, from her Birth till her Death. With a full exposure of the Intrigues of Queen Elizabeth ; the Conapiracies. and Perfidy of the Protestant Lords ; the Forgeries of Buchanan, Maitland, and Walsingham ; and the Calumnies, Misrepresentations, and Mistakes of Knox, R indolph, Robertson, Laing, M'Crie, and Miss Benger. In a neat I Imo. Volume, with a beautifnl Engraving, price is. 6d. " The style of this book is easy and elegant. An air of singular truth runs throtigh it, and the old letters and dialogues which are introduced give it the graphic interest of a novel, without any of its fiction."—Edinburgh Evening Courant.
The Sun. — 1830-04-05 (London, England)

THE CONFESSIONS OF AN UNEXECUTED FEMICIDE. Third Edition, price Sixpence. • " Under this title a most extraordinary work has been recently published by Mr. M'Phun, bookseller, of Glasgow. A, many of our readers, after perusal, may he apt, to conclude, as we at first did, that ' The Confessions of a Femicide' is a work of pure fictinn, it is incumbent on us to explain the reasons which have induced us to arrive at a different conclusion. Mr. M'Phun is a gentleman of great respectability, and we felt convinced that he would not deliberately palm upon the public, as true, a horrid and appalling story, which had no foundation in fact. There would have been no excuse for such conduct, as he possessed the means of detecting the imposture, by ascertaining whether any murder had taken place in Scotland, twenty years ago, under the extraordinary circumstances described in Mr. -111`Phun's narrative. He might also, with very little trouble, have traced out the register of the alleged trial. These were the reasons that led us to conclude that the story, shocking and unnatural as it is, could not wholly be destitute of foundation in fact. We also thought, that if the story had been entirely a romance, the author would  not have ventured to make its character so thorough-paced a villain; for, however strange the assertion may appear, it is a melancholy truth, that more unnatural crimes hive been perpetratedin reality than any writer of fiction has had the hardihood to introduce into romance. If any author were to found a story upon the circumstance of a father cutting off his own child's head, his readers would turn with disgust from so gratuitous au outrage upon feel ing and probability. Sheen, however, did CI reality cut off the head of his own child ; and did that act, too, in a sane state of mind, if we may so conclude from the. Judge suffering him, after his attempt, to go at large. ." In- conclusion, we assure our readers, that the main  incident related in the confessions is true. Motives of delinacy have induced the writer to substitute Stirling in place cf Glasgow, and to take some other liberties with the narrative ; but the murder was committed ; the murderer was tried, and he escaped, as related, by his servants swearing an alibi."—Liverpool Mercury. ,  MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS; her Persecution, Sufferings, and Tiials, from her Birth till her Death. With a full exposure of the Intrigues of Queen Elizabeth ; the Conspiracies and Perfidy of the Protestant Lords; t.l* Forgeries of Buchanan, Maitland, and Walsingham ; anA the Calumnies, Misrepresentations, and Mistakes or Knox, Itindolph, Robertson, Laing, M'Crie, and Miss Benger. In a neat 12mo. Volume, with a beaotifnl Engraving, price 7s. 6d. " The style of this book is easy and elegant. An air of singular truth runs through it, and the.old letters and dialogues which are introduced give it the graphic interest of a novel, without any of its fiction."—Edinburgh Evening Courant.
The Sun. — 1830-04-12 (London, England)

TIIE CONFESSIONS OF AN UNEXECUTED FEMICIDE. Third Edition, price Sixpenee. " Under this title a most extraordinary work has been recently published by Mr. M‘Phun, bookseller, of Glasgow. As many of our readers, after perusal, may be apt, to conclude, as we at first did, that ' The Confessions of a Fendcids' is a work of pure fiction, it is ineumbant on us to explain the reasons which have induced us to arrive at a different conclusion. Mr. 3l•Phun is a gentleman of great respectability, and we felt convinced that he would not deliberately palm upon the public, as true, a horrid and appalling story, which had no foundation in fact. There would have been no excuse for such conduct, as he possessed the means of detecting the imposture, by ascertaining whether any murder had taken place in Scotland, twenty years age, under the extraordinary circtunstanets described in Air. ALPhun's narrative. Le might also, with very little trouble, have traced out the register of the alleged trial. These were the reasons that led us to conclude that the story, shocking and unnatural as it is, could not wholly be destitute of foundation in fact. We also thought, that if the story had been entirely a romance, the author would not have ventured to snake its character so thorough-paced a villain ; fur, however strange the assertion may appear, it is a melancholy truth, that more unnatural crimes have been perpetrated in reality than any writer of fiction has had the hardihood to introduce into romance. If any author were to found a story upon the circumstance of a father cutting off his own child's head, his readers would turn with disgust from so gratuitous an outrage upon feeling and probability. Sheen, however, did in reality cut off the head of Isis own child ; and did that act, too, in a sane state of mind, if we may to conclude from the Judge suffering him, after his attempt, to go at large. " In conclusimf, we assert our "readers, that the main incident related in the confessions is true. Motives of delieacy have induced the writer to substitute Stirling in place cf Glasgow, and to take some . other liberties with the narrative ; but the murder was committed; the murderer was tried, and he escaped, as related, by his servants swearing au alibi."--Liverpool Mercury.  MART, QUEEN OF SCOTS; her Persecution, Sufferings, and Trials, from her Birth till her Death. With a full exposure of the Intrigues of Queen Elizabeth ; the Conspiracies and Perfidy of the Protestant Lords ; the Forgeries of Buchanan, Maitland, and Waisinghant ; and the Calumnies, Misrepresentations, and Mistakes of Knox, Randolph, Robertson, Laing, M'Crie, and Miss Benger. In a nest l2mo. Volume, with a beautifnl Engraving, price 7s. 6d. " The style of this book is easy and elegant. An air of singular truth runs through it, sad the old letters and dialogues which are introduced give it the graphic interest of a novel, without any of its fiction."—Edinhurgli Evening Courant.
The Sun. — 1830-03-25 (London, England)

AND HER PARAMOUR.  CARLOW ASSIZES, MARCH 20.  Catherine Smith was put to the bar, charged with the murder of her husband, Nathaniel Smith, by giving him a mortal wound on the back part of the head. at Torneduff, in this county, on the night of the 18th of January last, of which he languished until the 24th, and then died.  The prisoner was a middle-aged woman, low in stature, and her countenance indicated nothing of ferocity. During the trial she displayed the most unflinching fortitude, and evinced no emotion except when her child was produced as a witness against her, when she wept for a moment or two bitterly. William Styles, about twenty years old, the paramour of the prisoner, and whom the Crown had allowed to become an approver, sworn.—Stated his knowledge of the deceased, who lived near witness's place of abode, and proceeded in his deposition as follows :-1 knew him three or four years; be was married ; I knew his wife ; they had four children, the eldest of whom is grown up; Nathaniel Smith is dead (identifies prisoner, his wife.) On the 18th of January last, three or four hours after nightfall, I saw Smith at a place called the Croppy-gap, about thirty perches from his own house; it was agreed between me and Catherine Smith to kill him there ; Catherine Smith was with him at the Croppy-gap; I had a pronged fork belonging to my uncle in my hand ; I stood behind the ditch, and knocked him down with the pitchfork/ by a stroke on the back part of the head; he fell into the ditch. Catherine Smith struck him with a stone on the body, and then threw a smaller stone on his head ; when I gave him the stroke, a small portion of the fork attached to the prongs was knocked off, the rest remained in my hand; after we had done this, we went home together to her house; she promised to marry me, and give me all the property she had ; Smith was not able to leave the place after he was struck; he was brought into the house, and died on the following Sunday, the 24th January; I saw him on Friday night, and he could speak then. On Sunday morning Catherine Smith took some of a mixture of tobacco-water, supplemint (corrosive sublimate) and turpentine, which had been used for curing the scab in sheep, from a red jar, and put it into a tin pannikin, and then gave it to the deceased to drink; this was about the time the bell rang for prayer; she then took a handkerchief off her neck and smothered him.  The prisoner offered no defence, and the jury, after a few minutes' deliberation, returned a verdict of— Guilty.  The usual formalities were observed in passing sentence. The prisoner, whose fortitude maintained her as well after conviction as during her trial, declared that the whole was the result of a conspiracy against her. She pleaded her pregnancy in bar of execution, when a jury of matrons was immediately summoned, who pronounced her quick with child, and execution was postponed accordingly.
The Sun. — 1830-01-13 (London, England)

NEWGATE.  STATEMENT of the Number of Persons in custody on the Ist January, 1829, and Committed to his Majesty's Gaol of Newgate in the Year 1829, and how they have been disrosed of:— In custody on Ist. Jan. 1829—Males, 186—Females, 96—Total 282 Committed to 31st Dec. inclusive, under 17 years of age 2,9(38 Above that age 924 627  Of whom there have been Executed 27 3,250 Died 4 Removed to the Hulks at Gosport 2OO Ditto Portsmouth IGI, Ditto Sheerness 199 Ditto Chatham 251 Ditto Woolwich:.... 225 Ditto Deptford lO Ditto Devonport 25 Ditto Penitentiary, Milbank l2 Ditto Refuge for the Destitute l3 Ditto, by Habeas for tr al at the Assizes 23 Ditto, to the House of Correction for London B2 Ditto ditto Middlesex 419 Discharged, having received his Majesty's pardon 5 Ditto, having been acquitted at the Old Bailey Sessions 609 Ditto, bills of indictment not having been found 281 Ditto, not having been prosecuted 27 Ditto, having been imprisoned pursuant to sentences 93 Ditto, whipped 99 Ditto, fined Is 66 Ditto, upon bail, and for other causes 33 Removed to the Lunatic Asylum 5 Do. Clerkenwell, Guildhall, and Tower Session, for trial 24  Remaining in custody Ist Jan. IS3o—Males, 196; Females, 158  2,896 354  3,250 373 of whom have been in Newgate before. Committals decreased this year, 138.  STATEMENT of the Number of Persons Committed to his Majesty's Gaol of Newgate, and convicted in the Year 1829, and the Nature of their OtTexces, together with the Number Acquitted, Discharged, Sentenced, &c. during the same period : Murder  Burglary 7 Housebreaking 4l Highway robbery Shooting at with intent to murder Returning from transportation 3 Horse stealing 3  Cattle stealing Sheep stealing  Forgery Uttering forged notes Rape Arson 1  12  Uttering counterfeit coin, having been before convicted 5 Attempting to strangle a child Stealing in a dwelling-house above the value of 5/ 33 Manslaughter Bigamy Selling counterfeit coin Concealing the birth of an infant Receiving stolen goods l6 Larcenies 1645 Misdemeanours  1835  Of whom there were sentenced To death* Transportation for life lO4 fourteen years 162 seven years 678 Imprisonment in Newgate and the Houses of Correc tion—viz. : Imprisonment fur two years l3 Eighteen months 3 One year 4l _Nine months ... 6 Eight months 1 Six months B6 Five months Four months Three months l2B Two months Six weeks One month and under.; lB2 Fined one 611 illing and discharged 76 Whipped and discharged 99 Received his Majesty's free paraon 2 Those whose judgment remains respited 4 Died convicted  1838  Acquitted 609 Ditto, on the ground of insanity 1 Discharged, bilk of indictment not having been found Ditto, not having been prosecuted 27 Died before trial  2756 * 25 of whom have been executed, with two others, convicted in 1828, for the following offences—viz.:— Murder 1 Burglary 2 Housebreaking... Highway robbery 6 Uttering forged notes... Forgery ... Coining 1 Arson 1 Stealing in a dwelling-house 1 Sheep stealing 1 Shooting at, &c 1 Attempting to strangle an infant 1  27 JOHN WONTNER, Keeper,