npedrazzini/19thc_murder_suicide_news huggingface dataset:
The Sun. — 1851-10-14 (London, England)

ESCAPE OF A BURGLIR.  It will be remembered that at the last Sussex assizes, John Isaacs, the last captured of the daring gang who committed numerous burglaries in Sussex and Surrey, and a portion of whom were concerned in the Frimley murder, was sentenced to transportation for life at Kirdfend, on the borders of the two counties. On Saturday be escaped from Lewes prison, where he had been since confined, awaiting an order from the Secretary of State for his transfer to the hulks, preparatory to his sentence being carried out. The circumstances connected with the escape and recapture are thus described in a report of the governor of the prison presented yesterday (Monday) to the East Sussex Michaelmas sessions, where the Earl of Chichester presided :—" Since writing the former part of this report, two convicts, John Isaacs, one of the notorious gang of burglars under sentence of transportation for life, and Henry Ade, under sentence of transportation for fifteen years, made their escape from prison, but were retaken and brought back in a very few minutes after they left it. This took place about six o'clock on the morning of Saturday last, the 11th instant. They made their escape by rushing peat turnkey George Cox, who had the prison door a little open to admit the prison officers, who had been sleeping out for the night and who were returning to their duty. These convicts having concealed themselves in a corner at the end of the lodge, near the prison-door, made an instantaneous rush into the street, knocked Cox aside in passing, and when outside, ran in opposite directions. I afterwards found that Isaacs, between nine and ten o'clock,. on the preceding night, by means of a key made of wood, unlocked his cell gate, and also contrived to open the wooden door of his cell, which enabled him to get into the passage of the ward. After he got out of his own cell he opened, with his wooden key, the gate of Ade's cell, and let him out also. After prowling about the prison all night, concealing themselves at times in the differeat corners and hiding-places to evade the observation of the watchman, and having attempted to dig a hole through the boundary wall, at the back of the debtors' prison, which they failed in accomplishing fully, though they took out several bricks, they resorted to the stratagem above-named. H. Blackman, Esq., visiting justice, after investigating the circumstances, and taking the evidence of myself, and turnkeys George Cox and John Parney, upon oath, ordered Isaacs to be kept in irons for security until removed by order of the Secretary of State. Henry Ade, the other prisoner, who is a boy only seventeen years old, and who was let out of his his cell by Isaacs,:and acted only under his directions, is not punished." After some conversation the magistrates referred the case to the visiting justices, to take the necessary steps to render the present prison secure in the interim which will elapse before the new gaol is completed.
The Sun. — 1851-10-14 (London, England)

ESCAPE OF A BURGLAR.  fhlt‘ri,ueohsllmek.trsewt, be remembered that at the last Sussex assizes, John Isaacs, the last captured of the daring gang who committed numerous burglaries in Sussex and Surrey, and a portion of whom were concerned in the Fricaley murder, was sentenced to transportation for life at Kirdfend, on the borders of the two court1011p1 eern e sbpSaeaadcrtarubet rotedareryanyyst oil oinefch eiess escaped fneo dcrfe: obhamei wsi naLgti tr ancwnagesr fsrae rne pdt rooi ros tdouhent er., The circumstances connected with the escape and recapture are thus described in a report of the governor of the prison presented yesterday (Monday) to the East Sussex Michaelmas sessions, where the Earl of Chichester presided :--" Since writing the former part of this report, two convicts, John Isaacs, one of the notorious gang of burglars under sentence of transportation for life, and Henry Ade, under sentence of transportation for fifteen years, made their escape from prison, but were retaken and brought back in a very tew minutes after they left it. This took place about six o'clock on the morning of Saturday last, the 11th instant. They made their escape by rushing past turnkey George Cox, who had the prison door a little open to admit the prison officers, who had been sleeping out for the night and who were returning to their duty. These convicts having concealed themselves in a corner at the end of the lodge, near the prison-door, made an instantaneous rush into the street, knocked Cox aside in passing, and when outside, ran in opposite directions. I afterwards found that Isaacs, between nine and ten o'clock on the preceding night, by means of a key made of wood, unlocked his cell gate, and also contrived to open the wooden door of his cell, which enabled him to get into the passage of the ward. After he got out of his own cell he opened, with his wooden key, the gate of Ade's cell, and let him out also. After prowliug about the prison all night, concealing themselves at times in the different corners and hiding-places to evade the observation of the watchman, and having attempted to dig a hole through the boundary wall, at the back of the debtors' prison, which they failed in accomplishing fully, though they took out several bricks, they resorted to the stratagem above-named. H. Blackman, Esq , visiting justice, after investigating the circumstances, and taking the evidence of myself, and turnkeys George Cox and John Parney, upon oath, ordered Isaacs to be kept in irons for security until removed by order of the Secretary of State. Henry Ade, the other prisoner, who is a boy only seventeen years old, and who was let out of his his cell by Isaacs, and acted only under his directions, is not punished." After some conversation the magistrates referred the case to the visiting justices, to take the necessary steps to render the present prison secure in the interim which will elapse before the new gaol is completed.
The Sun. — 1851-12-17 (London, England)

SUSPICION OF MURDER.  At the Manchester Borough-court on Monday, a rough-looking fellow, about thirty years of age, named William Thompson, an engine-fitter, residing at 15, Pall Mall street, Vine-street, Hulme, was charged with the murder of his wife on Saturday night. The evidence disclosed the fact that the prisoner and the deceased had been married about six years, but had not lived happily, in consequence of the female having a strong liking for drink ; for the last month, however, she had been a total abstainer, and on Saturday night was quite sober. She was at the house of her sister, Maria Mather, of 18, Lloydstreet, from about seven o'clock up to nine o'clock ; going there, she said, to avoid her husband, who had threatened to beat her. She deposited nine shillings with her sister, saying she would be back that night; and at nine o'clock she left. A female named Jones proved that the unfortunate woman went home between nine and ten o'clock, and finding that a key she had would not unlock the door, she got into the house by way of the back window. About half-past eleven o'clock Jones and her brother heard a noise, as of some one falling down stairs, in the house, but they did not notice any other disturbance. About a quarter past one on Sunday morning the prisoner went to Maria Mather's house, knocked her up, coolly said his wife was dead, and then went away. The sister immediately proceeded to the house, and found that the statement was true. The corpse of Mrs. Thompson was on a chair in the kitchen. Just before Mather arrived, Thompson's father, an old man, who lodged in the house, let himself in with a latchkey, and, while groping about for a light, found the dead body on the chair. Before he could get a light Thompson walked in, on his retnrn from Lloyd-street, and the old man said, "Bill, why dost let the wife sleep there ?" Thompson, to the old man's utter dismay, replied, "She's not asleep, she's dead," and then left the house. A medical man (Dr. Wilkinson) was called in, but life was extinct, and, with all due attention to decency, the neighbours proceeded to undress the corpse and perform some of the last offices for the dead. It was then discovered that there were several marks upon the throat and back of the head which indicated foul play, and the police, being informed of the circumstances, apprehended the man at a beer-shop in Hulme. His account of the matter is, that he did not see his wife alive after he went to his work on Saturday morning ; that he went home at night and went to bed, woke in a fright early in the morning, went down stairs, and found his wife dead at the foot of them ; he took her up, fixed her on the chair, and then went to tell her sister. He was remanded for further examination.
The Sun. — 1851-08-09 (London, England)

DIABOLICAL OUTRAGE ON A FEMALE; GLOUCESTER, PRIDAY.--011e of the most horrid atrocities, perhaps, ever committed in a civilised country has just been perpetrated in the retired district of her Majesty's Forest of Dean, in this county, four of the perpetrators of which have been committed to the Gloucester county gaol for trial. The outrage is of such a nature as to render its details almost ins credible, nine men being charged with having in succession violated the person of a poor, helpless, wandering Irish widow, named Mary Macarthy, who noe,r . lies in one of the union workhouses on the borders of the forest. The facts which came out before the committing magistrates, Sir Martin Crawley Boevey, Bart., and E. Jones, Esq., are as follow :—The woman, who is 35 years of age, and has but recently lost her husband, was journeying alone arid unprotected through the Forest of Dean on her way to Blake; ney, at a late hour of the night, when she observed a light, and, being but half clad and wholly starved, she sought its cheering influence. The light_ Ply ceeded from the fire of some charcoal burners whorfa7 left their work for a short time, and the poor ivni ep:ixt creature lay down before it until the number, returned to resume their labolluirs,e,n;t°,:tmaenne or two o'clock in the morning. At Jai I treated her kindly, and at her desire e risoners are draught of water. The names of rt e g Charles, and James James, Richard Bear, ured her a Thomas Stephens, and they arrisoner gear wished o'clock in the morning. TheeaPCTrei°vea at about two She her to go into a small hutt if did not they would declined, but was told thsahe n fibre and lie down. was then taken into the in with James and another put her on the fire;_snio,led James held her arms, violated hut, where she was 102_ man not in custody The The stranger immediately threw her down, and, dtb7r prisoners, together with five other °Join succession committed the same crime her, on her crying men, afterwar tellingtongue, and this shall be the last. her ; and the out " murder,' to bold her thewoman's According: to oneto of thew of the offence by all the nine men, a quarrel arose en two of them as to whether she should remain ihne tt whehut, and one of them, taking up a shovel, threatened to kill her if she did not leave at once. It was then daybreak, and while the men were scuffling together she went out and proceeded on her journey. She met a woman on the road, and told her of the treatment she had experienced, and afterwards, becoming exhausted, she lav down under a hayrack, where she was found by a policeman some four-and• twenty hours afterwards. She was conveyed to the workhouse, when a surgeon examined her, and stated. before the magistrates that he found such marks 01 violence upon her person as might have been oc_che• Thy sioned by the transactions sworn to by her..soners. it police succeeded in apprehending the i fourn prisoner'. whom the prosecutrix identified, and s hoped tbar the other ruffians will speedily be custody.  --- -A
The Sun. — 1851-08-09 (London, England)

DIABOLICAL OUTRAGE ON A FEMALE. GLOUCESTER, PRIDAY.—One of the most horrid atrocities, perhaps, ever committed in a civilised country has just been perpetrated in the retired district of her Majesty's Forest of Dean, in this county, four of the perpetrators of which have been committed to the Gloucester county gaol for trial. The outrage is of such a nature as to render its details almost incredible, nine men being charged with having in succession violated the person of a poor, helpless, wandering Irish widow, named Mary Macartby, who now lies in one of the union workhouses on the borders of the forest. The facts which came out before the committing magistrates, Sir Martin Crawley Boevey, Bart., and E. Jones, Esq., are as follow :—The woman, who is 35 years of age, and has but recently lost her husband, was journeying alone and a.e.unprotected through the Forest of Dean on her way to By! I! a ney, at a late hour of the night, when she obsver%ed_he light, and, being but half clad and wholly stewed, she sought prosought its cheering influence. The ceeded from the fire of some charcoal burners wearied left their work for a short time, and the poor nine in hirEsrwho had creature lay down before it until the men, aboutl one number, returned to resume their labour, r or two o'clock in the morning. A first the men procured her a treated her kindly, f the prisoners are draught of water. The names Ar, George Charles, and James James, Richard and at her ICa-' arrived at about two Thomas Stephens, and theyT prisoner Dear wished The o'clock in the mornintribut near and lie down. She her to go into desire a "lad that if she did not they would declined, but fire;wastean . a she was then taken into the put her on the sieeked in with James and another hut, where she wol The stranger mm d' t cust e ia sly threw man not in A whYile James h ld her e arms, violated her down, an-, - • . e other prisoners, together with five other her; and th dsinsuccessio • n committed the same crime men,afterwar . lowa] telling her, on her crying out " murder," one 0 to „held her tongue, and this shall be the last." According to the woman's story, after the completion of the offence by all the nine men, a quarrel arose betwen two of them as to whether she should remain in the hut, and one of them, taking up a shovel, threatened to kill her if she did not leave at once. It was then daybreak, and while the men were scuffling together she went out and proceeded on her journey. She met a woman on the road, and told her of the treatment sbe bad experienced, end afterwards, becoming exhausted, she lay down under a hayrick, where she was found by, a policeman some four-andtwenty hours afterwards. She was conveyed to the workhouse,when a surgeon examined her, and stated before the magistrates that he found such marks of violence upon her person as might have beenerThe occasioned by the transactions sworn to by prisoners, it f is hoped that pol;ce succeeded in apprehending the four h whom the prosecutrix identified, and _ the other ruffians will speedily be in custody.  A
The Sun. — 1851-07-26 (London, England)

THE SUN,  FRANCE.  The Journal des Debats quizzes the proceedings of the Peace Congress after the following amusing fashion :  "We see, by the English journals, that the Congress of Peace has opened its sittings at Exeter Hall, in London. We dare not promise it a very great success in presence of the other Congress of Peace, much more positive and much more practical, called the Exhibition. We have not yet seen our old acquaintance, Red-skin, the Indian of good complexion, who took last year to Frankfort his calumet of peace. If he had been present, he would, perhaps, have prevented the massacre of the innocents, of which we have to complain. We saw in the Exhibition, in the French part, a collection of little soldiers, in colour, sent by Silberman, of Strasburg. There are cavalry, infantry, artillery, and chasseurs of Vincennes, in all the eclat of their uniforms: you can buy 400 men, infantry or cavalry, for 20f.; it is a permanent army at a cheap rate. The English, who have not, fortunately for themselves many soldiers, were not aware how many had entered their territory under the cover of free-trade; they did not suspect that horse of Troy, introduced within their walls, machina ingens,faeta armis. The Congress of Peace has directed a murderous artillery on this army of painted pasteboard. We cannot say how many have been left on the field; since the famous battle of petits pates on the banks of the Euphrates, under the direction of Fourier, we have not heard of such carnage. The Congress of Peace has then voted unanimously as all those of a Congress of Peace ought to be against pasteboard soldiers and wooden swords. M. Delbruek was the first to call for the censure of the Congress on play things. which familiarise children with ideas of war and battle, Mr. Cobden, a serious man, took up this luminous idea, and made a pathetic address to mothers of families; Mr. Cobden, Member of Parliament, solemnly ranged in battle the red coats and blue coats; he described in picturesque language the blue coats rushing on the red coma, and made his auditory shudder at the sight of so much blood in effigy. It was specially to French mothers that the eloquent speech was addressed; for it is particularly in France that the deplorable mania of playing at soldiers prevails. And the Congress, as we said, unanimously voted a motion inviting mothers of families not to give any more pasteboard soldiers to their children. Henceforth they must choose for presents little instruments of labour and manufactures, gingerbread ploughs, chocolate locomotives, illuminated tables of Pythagoras, and there will then be nations of little sheep, grazing peacefully, protected by tho crook of their shepherd, to the music of the pipe. There are, however, very serious, very honourable, mad very respectable men in the Congress, from whom we demand pardon for specking so lightly of their childishness. But, seriously, which are the greatest children— those who make playthings of such speeches, or those who make playthings of painted soldiers?"
The Sun. — 1851-06-12 (London, England)

SHIP NEWS. NOTICE TO MARINERS.  RESPECTING THE NAVIGATION OF THE GULF OF FINLAND AND THAT OF RIGA.  ST. PETERSBURGH,APRIL 22.—The hydrographicdepartment of the Minister of Marine gives notice to mariners that in order to facilitate the entry of vessels into the Gulf of Riga, in the Baltic, a round stone tower, with a conical roof, was built in the year 1850, on the hill called Blsubergen, situated on the coast of Courland. This tower, from its base, is 89 English feet in height, and 273 feet above the level of the sea. It is covered with white plaster, and the roof is painted red. It is situated at 121 Italian miles, 52 deg. 30 min. S.W. of the Domesnas lighthouse; it is 57 deg. 37 min. 45 sec. north lat., and longitude 22 deg. 17 min. 29 sec. east of Greenwich. Notice is given to mariners by the same department, that in order to mark the south coast upon the approach to Cronstadt, a wooden octangular tower was built in the year 1850, on a hill called Bronna, near Oranienbaum, the height of which, including the ball which is above the root, is 49 English feet from the ground, and 294 feet from the level of the sea. This tower is situated 59 deg. 55 min. 7 sec. N. lat., and 29 deg. :19 min. 16 sec. long., Greenwich meridian. The roof and the ball are painted black the middle. black, the walls white, with a black belt in  Notice is also given by the aforesaid department that on account of some hydrographic works which are to be completed during the summer of 1851, temporary buoys will be placed at the places where the work is in progress; namely (a) in the skerries of Finland, near the islands of Digscher; (b) in the middle of the Gulf of Finland, between the islands of Nargue and Cape Dagerot; and (c) in A.lonsund and round the island of Dago; and which, order to be distinguished from the ordinary buoys, will have yellow and other coloured brooms above their blue flags,  a navigator, named James Sones, about charged with having attempted ATTEMPTED MURDER AT WOLVERITAM the .. t t thirtyfive n 'l3.'u.eeasrdaaeyf age, o murder a female of the name of Caroline Morris,e previous night, by cutting her throat. The woman in a very dangerous state, and but little hopes being inmg entertained of her recovery, an application for a remand u-a granted. Her depositions have been taken in the presence of the prisoner, whom she swears to as being the person who committed the deed. The prisoner and his victim have been living together for some time past at various towns in Staffordshire, but the woman deserted him about three weeks back, and came to the above town, whither the prisoner came on Monday, and made inquiries at e.everal places to endeavour to find her. In the evening he discovered her at a house of resort for persons of an abandoned character, and called her into a yard at the back of the public-house, where, without speaking a word to her, he cut her throat from ear to ear. When taken into custody he acknowledged that he had committed the crime, and expreeted a regret that be WA not Ogo destroyed Lirabeifs
The Sun. — 1851-06-13 (London, England)

ERNEST CHARLEB JONES."  GERMANY.  Hamburgh letters of the 9th give the following account of the ferocious, unprovoked, and murderous attack made by the Austrian soldiers on the peaceable citizens of Hamburgb : A conflict has taken place between the Austrian garrison of Altona and the inhabitants of St. Pauli and others who had resorted to that place for the purpose of amusement during the Whitsun holidays. It appears. that one of the Austrian soldiers behaved with great rudeness to a civilian of Altona, and when the latter expostulated he drew his bayonet and attacked him on the spot. The altercation and the menaces of the Austrian caused a mob to assemble round the disputants. Words were followed by blows, the Austrian soldier was supported by his comrades, and the affray rose to such a height that it attracted the attention of the Austrian commander of the mainguard of Altona. A detachment of soldiers, under the command of a subaltern, was ordered to disperse the populace, who, it ought to bo stated, was having their ' row' on the Hamburgh territory. On the advance of the troops the mob received them with a volley of stones, and compelled them to retreat. Another detachment of troops was immediately pushed forward, and the soldiers after fired in such a manner  as to alarm and not to hurt the frantic mob. This ineffectual fire served, however, still further to exaspsrate the people, and the military were at length compelled to fire in real earnest. On the word of command being given, a volley was poured into the dense masses of the people, which spread death and destruction among them, and the troops advancing in double quick time proceeded to clear the dancing booths ana other places of amusement at the point of the bayonet; driving men, women, and children before them, and compelling them to leap out of the windows, and, at the peril of their lives, to jump down from the balconies. During this affray, chairs, benches, fire-irons, and other articles of furniture were hurled at the troops, and by the means of these missiles they wounded several officers of the Austrian Commander's staff. The populace were, however, compelled to disperse, leaving eight of their number killed and 18 wounded behind them. A brigade of Austrian troops has been quartered in the suburb of St. Pauli, and field guns ready charged and primed are in the public square to prevent another outbreak in that locality. The exasperation of the inhabitants of Hamburgh and Altona exceeds all bounds. The King of Hanover bas addressed the following letter to the Stadt-Director of the capital : "Oa the occurrence of my 80th birthday so many undoubted proofs of warm sympathy and attachment have been presented to me from the city, that I feel compelled to express to you how agreeable this manifestation of loyalty has been to my heart. Return to the faithful citizens of my residence my sincere thanks.—Yours, &c., " Hanover, June 7. "