npedrazzini/19thc_murder_suicide_news huggingface dataset:
The Sun. — 1847-04-09 (London, England)

SPORT.—On Thursday, two lads, named Haliwell and Harvey, who are in the employment of Messrs. Tebbutt, Rawes, and Coy, Back King-street, were placed at the bar of the Borough Court, on a charge of firing a cross-bow the day before, by which the lives of certain persons were endangered. The cross• bow, which was produced in court, is a powerful instrument, and fitte to do execution not le-s decisive than a musket or pistol. It appeared that the lads had got hold of this bow, which Mr. Tebbutt said he kept in his private office, and were almost daily in the habit of amusing themselves with it. On this occasion they used pieces of lead about the weight of a common pistol bullet, and fired the bow in the direction of Cross-street. According to their own confession, each fired a shot. One piece went through the top pane of the window of the Scottish Widows' Fund Insurance Office (Mr. Booth. man's), and then through the glass partition which divides the shop from an inner office, and striking against the opposite wall rebounded into the middle of the room. Mr. Boothman's clerk vvis 'in the room at the the time, but fortunately a little to the one side of the window, and escaled unhurt. The distance of the shot was about too yards. The other lead was fired in the same direction, only a i little higher, into the office of Mr. Petty, sohcitor, n the flat above. Mr. Petty has his desk right in the middle of the window, and had been sitting there just before the shot was fired, but had left his seat for a few moments. Inspector M‘Mullen was sent to makeinquiries, but the culprits at first denied all knowledge of the matter, and only confessed when he discovered the bow in a room up stairs. A sister of one of them said she was sure her brother had no evil intent ; but Mr. Maude said that that was no excuse whatever for lads like them taking up a dangerous instrument, and firing recklessly in the centre of a crowded town. They had had a narrrow escape from being brought up on a charge of murder, one gentleman being seated in the direction of this shot just a moment before it was fired. Thoughtlessness would not be any excuse whatever in such a case, for nobody could pretend ignorance of the consequences likely to ensue from firing into the heart of a crowded thoroughfare. He hoped this would be a warning to them and others to be more careful in future. He fined them in 10s. 6d., the value of the broken glass, and 10s. each besides. He expressed a hope that such a dangerous article would be kept out of the reach of boys like them. Mr. Tebbutt said he had already discharged them, and would take care to do as Mr. Maude had suggested. He had no idea that they were able to get at the bow, which he kept in his own room. The fine having been paid the prisoners were discharged.—Manchester Examiner.  Despatches were received ye;terday at the Colonial Office from the Governors of the West India colonies. Despatches were sent off last evening from the Colonial Office for the Governor of Wept Australia.
The Sun. — 1847-05-29 (London, England)

AWFUL AND COLD-BLOODED MURDER. (FROM A CORRESPONDENT.) ROTHERHAM, FRIDAY.—The quiet town of Rotherham has to-day been thrown into a state of great excitement by the perpetration of an atrocious murder, which has been committed this forenoon, between ten and eleven o'clock, on the turnpike-road leading from Rotherham to Rawmarsh, a village about two miles off, on a woman who was passing on the road. From inquiries made on the spot, it appears that Samuel Linley, a joiner, left his lodgings at the Fourlane-ends, near Rawmarsh, between ten and eleven, and was proceeding to the Park-gate Iron Works, belonging to Messrs. Scholefield and Co., to his work, about three hundred yards off. He had not gone far before he met tne deceased, Susannah Jagger, the wife of Benjamin Jagger, of Alasborough-common, shopkeeper, who was quite a stranger to him, going to Rawmarsh with some groceries. Linley held out his hand to the deceased, and asked her to shake hands; she refused, and passed him. He turned round, followed her, and struck her with his fist over the back of her head, knocked her down, and got upon her, and when she attempted to rise he struck her several severe blows on the head. He then got her shoulders between his knees, and kept beating her. She screamed out, and some persons who reside near and were passing ran to her assistance ; but before they could get to the place, Linley was seen to take a clasp knife out of his waistcoat pocket, open it, and cut the woman's throat on its right side. Joshua Steward, of Rotherham, a co* keeper, who was passing, and saw Linley commence his attack on the woman, ran to them, and when he got up the ruffian was cutting at the woman's throat with the knife; he did not oven desist when Steward got there, but the latter pulled him off the woman, and some other persons coming to the place the marl was secured, and the knife taken from him. The poor woman was bleeding profusely, the assassin having separated the jugular vein. Medical aid was immediately sent for, but long before any could arrive the poor woman had breathed her last, she having died a few minutes after receiving the injuries. Linley on being asked why he did it, replied, " I have made a bad job of it," and that drink had done it. He was not, however, drunk at the time, but had been drinking for some days previous. Information of the occurrence was immediately conwMhro. Bwaedogt earo,dotiolstputeheeterdhamth,etshceenceoroofnetrhoformtohris. which beh ich is removed to bt eo hie{ lodt other on ht lib me vdeisyterdiett,o der, and ordered the man, whom he found in custody, to ed, where he now remains to await the coroner 's inquest, nd been committed in the middle of bodygaolto-morrow a c a ref forenoon.uli Y watch The murder having the forenoon, and within one hundred yards of several houses and a very public highway, and without any provocation or apparent motive, has caused the utmost consternation, and leaves no doubt but that the perpetrator of it must at the time have been labouring under insanity.  }'romthaendMmaonsethee.sitetrr
The Sun. — 1847-09-18 (London, England)

STREET.  Yesterday a middle-aged man, named John Robinson, who was tolerably well dressed, and had no occupation assigned to him, was charged with having incited Charles Bennett and Thomas Whittaker to commit a robbery and murder at the house of an elderly lady named Parkess, residing at Stepney. The prisoner and Bennett, according to the statement of the latter, met in a public-house on Friday evening, the 10th inst., when the plan detailed below was first proposed by the prisoner, with an intimation (hat he would have to get an accomplice to assist him in its Execution. Thomas Whittaker, on being sworn, said—l am a porter. I was at the Upholder Arms public-house in Poland-street, Oxford-street, on Monday morning last, and saw Bennett there. Ho said, "Do you see anything in me that would lead you to suppose that I could commit a murder or a robbery ? because a man named Robinson has offered me 2001. or 3001. to do it, and I mean to knock the fellow down when I see again." I told him to tell me all about it, and he then said that Robinson (the prisoner) said there was a rich old lady living alone at Stepney, who never suffered anybody to go near her, and kept all her money in hard cash tied up in rags, about the house, and that she had an annuity of 301. besides 401. from her son, a colonel in the army, who had not seen her for 20 years. Bennett was to get a rope and sack, and break into the house. He was then to tie the rope round her neek, and if she made any resistance to draw a knife across her throat. This conversation, he said, had taken place at a public-house on Friday night. The prisoner came in, and he appointed to meet us at the bottom of Ludgate-hill the next morning at ten o'clock. I said, it would be better to tell the police, and I sent for Sergeant Morris, of the E division, and told him what had passed, arranging to meet him on Ludgate-hill at the hour appointed to see the prisoner. On Tuesday morning we all met before 10 o'clock, and waited till after 11—Morris being in private clothes—but the prisoner did not come, so we went to Covent-garden and had some bread and cheese together. At two o'clock Bennett and I went to Mr. King's in Hart-street, and there we saw the priioner again, Morris being outside. The prisoner then appointed to meet us at the same house, at 11 o'clock the next morning (Wednesday). We went there at 11, but found the prisoner had been and left a strip of paper, directing us " to go on down Ho:born, where he would meet us." We went on, and the prisoner overtook us. He led us through Smithfield to Whitechapel and Mile End-road, and proceeded on to Stepney, on reaching which he said. " I will show Charles (Bennett) the house," and then gave Bennett a letter, which he was to take to the old lady's house, and say that it came from her son, who had not seen her for so long. The prisoner pointed out the house to us, and Bennett and I went in. We found everything just as the prisoner had described it to us, and we left the letter. We met again at King's on Thursday, and gave the prisoner into custody. By Mr.
The Sun. — 1847-06-04 (London, England)

LUTTERWORTH, JUNE 2.—At an early hour morning the small village of Bitteswell was thrown ian a state of considerable excitement in consequence of agricultural labourer, named William Lambert, %gel!. thirty-two, cutting his wife's throat with a razor, at about five e'clock this morning. It is reported that jealousy the cause of this act. The following are briefly the Partieulars of the case:— The prisoner and his wife reside at the village f Bitteswell, within one mile from Lutterworth, tuPs county of Leicester. On Whit-Tuesday the prisoner wife, with several others, were on the green, and enjeYiel: themselves with a dance, at the anniversary of a frier' society; a man of the village joined in the dance, sal the prisoner, who is of a ferocious temper, became ve,,r4 jealous of his wife, who has had five children, and is T_ advanced in a state of pregnancy. In the evening of ti)! Ist of June they retired to bed as usual, and at abet! tour o'clock this morning the prisoner got out of bed, went down stairs, took the key out of the house dot? ! and concealed it. He then went up stairs and took tuu raz •r with him, and laid him: elf down to go to sleep/ but in a short time started up and cut his wife's throat while she was asleep. The wound is about six inches long, extending from the left to the right ear, end the jugular vein is nearly severed. The poor woman roe_ trpm the bed, and as well as she was able cried rout Murder." She ran down stairs, but found the do?_l' locked, and the key gone; she then seized the boat-pio, knocked back the bolt, and ran into the yard, where 1.!: neighbour tied a handkerchief and an apron round h,_.er. throat, while another ran to Lutterworth for Mr. Speal; man, surgeon, who on arriving sewed up Another person was dispatched to the Luttersvortn police-office, for Superintendent Deakins, of the Lela?' tershire constabulary, who soon arrived, and sec handcuffed handcuffed the prisoner, searched him, and found on WI person the bloody razor. The prisoner will to-morrow be taken before the La' terworth bench of magistrates on a charge of cnttiag and maiming with an intent to murder his wife. the wouno.o  FATAL ACCIDENT ON THE LONDON AND VnitTlC' WESTERN RAlLWAY.—Yesterday, a man named Mier Dogherty, a mason, employed on the spacious offices _a • buildings iwthe course ot erection at the Camden-town stay; tion, was in, the act of crossing the line near the Chalk-fin* • Bridge, when he was suddenly knocked down by an eng!! [osed over both thighs, crushing them in a frightful manna coming through the bridge on the up-line. The engla college The unfortunate man was removed to University Hospital, where death put a period to his sufferings within a quarter of an hour after his admission. The Duke of Devonshire gives a grand fete chant." petre on Tuesday next, the Bth inst., to his Imperial Highness the Grand Duke Constantine, at his beautiful villa at Chiswick. Their Royal Highnesses the Prince Hereditary of Lucca, the Hereditary Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Sa'v Woim or tho poira and Duehoos of Cambridge, and the the Duchess of Gloucester, are invited to be present on the occasion.
The Sun. — 1847-04-02 (London, England)

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, APRIL 2, 1847.  , ''..  THE MAGAZINES•  THE COMIC HISTORY OF ENGLAND. By  Gilbert Abbott a Beckett.  No. X.  The present number carries us through the reigns of Edward V. and Richard 111., and Mr. a Beckett gives us the concentrated essence of all former historians. Horace Walpole, for instance, was the Ainsworth of Richard 111. In fact, the matter may be stated in a rule-of-three sum, thus—as Horace Walpole is to Richard 111., so is Harrison Ainsworth to Richard Turpin. This statement accurately describes the relative merits of the four individuals in question, but that which Horace Walpole said in sundry volumes, Mr. a Beckett says in as many lines. Here is the quintessence of Horace Walpole's " Historic Doubts"- " In the vexata questio of the cause of the death of the princes, the guilt has usually been attributed to Richard, because he reaped the largest benefit from their decease; but this horrible doctrine would imply that a tenant for life is usually murdered by the remainder man, and that the enjoyer of the interest of Bank StoFk. is frequently cut off by the reversioner who is entitled to the principc...l." Mr. at Beckett describes the battle of Bosworth, the " dramaticest battle in English history " in a lay worthy of Thomas Babington Macaulay. We give the opening stanzas : " Ho: trumpets sound a note or two—. Ho: prompter, clear the stage ! A chord, there, in the orchestra: The battle we must wage. Your gallant supers marshal out— Yes, I must see them ad; The rather lean, the very stout, The under-sized, the tall; The Yorkites in the centre, Lancastrians in the rear, Not yet the staff must enter— The stage, I charge ye, clear! Those warriors in the green-room Must have an extra drill; Where's Richard's gilt tipp'd baton? They charged it in the bill. Those ensigns with the banners Must stand the other way, Or else how is it possible The white rose to display?"  Thus spoke the old stage manager, The day before the night Richard and Richmond on the field Of Bosworth had to fight.  And thus the light-heed call-boy Upon that day began To read of properties a list— 'Twas thus the items ran . " Four dozen shields of cardboard, With paper newly gilt, Six dozen goodly swords, and one With practicable hilt: The practicable hilt, of course, Must be adroitly plann'd, That when 'tis struck with moci'rate force, 'Twill break in Richard's hand. Eight banners—four with roses white, And four with roses red— Six halberds and a canopy To hang o'er Richard's head; A sofa for the tyrant's tent, Au ironing-board at back, Whereon the ghosts may safely stand, Who come his dreams to rack; A lamp suspended in the air By an invis'ble wire, And—for the ghosts to vanish in— Two ounces of blue fire."  Thus spoke the gallant call-boy, The boy of many fights; Who'd seen a battle often fought Fifty successive nights. The frontispiece representing this battle, performed to two in the boxes, five in the gallery, and three in the pit, is exceedingly rich, the woodcuts are full of fun, and the whole is got up "strictly in accordance with the costumes of the period."
The Sun. — 1847-06-18 (London, England)

ATTEMPT BY A SERVANT TO POISON HER MISTRESS. —A case of this description has just been heard at the county magistrates' office, at Worcester. The accused is Mary Anrr Tandy, servant to Mr. Nicholls, a farmer, residing at Powick, Worcestershire, who was charged with administering poison to her mistress with intent to kill and murder her. It appeared from the depositions of the several witnesses that Mrs. Nicholls had been in the habit of drinking a little warm water on going to bed, which the servant brought up into her mistress's bed-room. On Thursday last she took up the water as usual to her mistress's room on being requested, and Mrs. Nicholls drank a small portion of it. She immediately discovered that the water had an unpleasant taste, and exclaimed, " What's in this water ? I am poisoned." Mrs. Clewes, who was on a visit to Mrs. Nicholls, hearing her screams, went to her assistance, and the inmates of the house having been aroused, some mustard and water was administered as an emetic, and had the desired effect. Mr. J. F. Turnberrow, a lodger in the house, administered a further dose of the same, and subsequently gave Mrs. Nicholls the whites of three eggs, which further relieved her. Mrs. Clewes, on tasting the water left in the cup, found it very unpleasant, but the water in the tea-kettle from which the girl had been seen to pour it into the cup was good. The remainder of the contents of the cup were handed over by Mr. Turnberrow to Dr. Turley, who on the following day analysed them, and on applying the usual tests discovered, without doubt, that oxymuriate of mercury was contained therein. Dr. Turley stated that a fitth of the solution left in the bottle was sufficient to destroy life. He visited Mrs. Nicholls on the same day, and found her labouring under symptoms which left no doubt on his mind that she had taken poison of the same kind as that contained in the solution, part of which Mrs. Nicholls had drunk. Mr. Nicholls had had mercury in the house for some days, for the purpose of dressing sheep, and the prisoner was fully aware that it was kept in a certain cupboard. Mrs. Nicholls had noticed that the paper which contained the mercury had been disturbed, as though it had been opened and wrapped up again. The prisoner was apprehended on the following day at the house of her father, at Welland, whither she had proceeded. On being informed of the nature of the charge against her, she said she had not put anything into the cup, and that if there was angtrgina else in the cup, it must have been put in before she the water into it. At the termination of the inquiry the prisoner was fully committed to take her trial a assizes at Worcester, on the charge of attemptt the to menusruingder. Mrs. Nicholls had scolded the girl in the course of Thursday morning. We are happy to add that Mrs. Nicholls is in a. state of convalescence.
The Sun. — 1847-06-18 (London, England)

ATTEMPT BYA. SERVANT TO POISON HER MISTRESS. —A case of this description has just been heard at the county magistrates' office, at Worcester. The accused is Mary Ann Tandy, servant to Mr. Nicholls, a farmer, residing at Powick, Worcestershire. who was charged with administering poison to her mistress with intent to kill and murder her. It appeared from the depositions of the several witnesses that Mrs. Nicholls had been in the habit of drinking a little warm water on going to bed, which the servant brought up into her mistress's bed-room. On Thursday last she took up the water as usual to her mistress's room on being requested, and Mrs. Nicholls drank a small portion of it. She immediately discovered that the water had an unpleasant taste, and exclaimed, " What's in this water ? I am poisoned." Mrs. Clewes, who was on a visit to Mrs. Nicholls, hearing her screams, went to her assistance, and the inmates of the house having been aroused, some mustard and water was administered as an emetic, and had the desired effect. Mr. J. F. Turnberrow, a lodger in the house, administered a further dose of the same, and subsequently gave Mrs. Nicholls the whites of three eggs, which further relieved her. Mrs. Clewes, on tasting the water left in the cup, found it very unpleasant, but the water in the tea-kettle from which the girl had been seen to pour it into the cup was good. The remainder of the contents of the cup were handed over by Mr. Turnberrow to Dr. Turley, who on the following day analysed them, and on applying the usual tests discovered, without doubt, that oxymunate of mercury was contained therein. Dr. Turley stated that a fit th of the solution left in the bottle was sufficient to destroy life. He visited Mrs. Nicholls on the same day, and found her labouring under symptoms which left no doubt on his mind that she had taken poison of the same kind as that contained in the solution, part of which Mrs. Nicholls had drunk. Mr. Nicholls had had mercury in the house for some days, for the purpose of dressing sheep, and the prisoner was fully, aware that it was kept in a certain cupboard. Mrs. Nicholls had noticed that the paper which contained the mercury had been disturbed, as though it had been opened and wrapped up again. The prisoner was apprehended on the following day at the house of her father, at Welland, whither she had proceeded. On being informed of the nature of the charge against her, she said she had not put anything into the cup, and that if there was anything else in the cup, it must have been put in before she poured the water into it. At the termination of the inquiry the prisoner was fully committed to take her trial at the ensuing assizes. Nicholls at had Worcester, scolded o n thethe chargegirltheof attempt course o fto T hmuurrsddeary. Mrs morning. We are happy to add that Mrs. Nicholls is in a state of convalescence.