npedrazzini/19thc_murder_suicide_news huggingface dataset:
Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1888-11-03 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

RICHARD WEBSTER CONCLUDES.  On resuming his speech, the Attorney-General gave an outline of the evidence he should adduce to 'hew that the National League, like its predecessor, the Land League, w.,s responsible for outrages in Ireland. Ile gave particulars of numerous cases of shooting, boycotting, and intimidation, with a view to showing that they were either organised by the League, or prompted by speeches of prominent members.  The mention of the Plan of Campaign drew from Sir C. Russell an objection that it was not mentioned in the particulars; but Sir J. Hannen pointed out that the contention was that the Plan of Campaign was one of the means of intimidation. The Attorney. general continued hi, enumeration of the outrages ascribed to the League, and said he should show that this illegal conspiracy had continued its practices down to the present time. Having promised to produce evidence as to the revolvers and dynamite used in some of the outrages, the Attorney General dwelt upon the murder of the farmer Fitzmaurice, last January, stating that the people who shot him were defended with the money of the National League. The strongest argument which he should venture to address to the Commission would, he said, be of a negative character. They would find started in Ireland  ------A SrstEm OF CRISIB entirely new. That system was directed against persons who had never before been the subjects of similar outrages. Therefore he should ask them to come to the conclusion that these outrages were undoubtedly perpetrated by persons whose self inSerest and personal aggrandizement had been roused by violent speeches. And, in the second place, that in the absence of any speech, circular, or letter from Mr. Parnell, Mr. Biggar, Mr. O'Brien, and the other members of the party denouncing these outrages, they approved them. Moreover, he should ask Ihem to conclude th,at  TRH JOBJICTS OF THR CONSPIRACY were the breaking up of landlordism and the independence of the Irish nation. And further, that She organisation was dictated by America, supported by American funds, and indissolubly conelected with the American section of the party. "In all probability," said the Attorney-General, "there will be produced before your lordships before this inquiry closes persons who actually took part in some of these outrages, and these persons will toll your lordships not only the kind of way in which the money was paid, but the method adopted for the perpetration of such outrages." He admitted that there might be difficulties with witnesses of a certain class, and that their evidence might need to be carefully weighed; but he reminded the Commission that, on the other hand, they had fuller powers for getting at the truth than even a courb of law. To a very large extent he should bring, home knowledge of what was taking place to all the members charged, and this being done, he submitted that the case of his clients would be established.  At the conclusion of the Attorney General's speech, which bad occupied in all 27 hours in delivery, the Commissioners adjourned till Tuesday.
Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1888-03-17 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

INSECT BATTLE.  Insects must live, like the rest of us, and many of them are by no means vegetarians. Indeed, they may .be said to be, as a class, peculiarly bloodthirsty, the mosquito being a notorious example. Many of them, also, feed upon each other. Spiders catch flies, and, on the other hand, here is a description of the manner in which wasps, or creatures resembling wasps, make a prey of large spiders. Says a writer in a San Francisco paper : One day, while travelling through a rocky part of Calaveras County, I dismounted and sat down to rest. Scarcely had I touched grass when I was entertained beyond all expectation by witnessing a battle between wasps and a tarantula. I call them wasps, though in reality they were not such, being much larger and heavier about the body, which was held together in two separate parts by a scarcely visible coupling. Their waists seemed even smaller than that of the common wasp, and they swung theinselve about on the coupling with lightning-like dexterity. The insects seemed to be very much excited, and acted as if looking for prey. Soon a large tarantula crept from under a dry log, and apparently started for his house with all possible speed. The wasps had been dashing in all directions about the log, but the moment they saw their victim, which had evidently been hiding, they fell upon him furiously with quick darts, and at every dart seemed to inject a poison which put the tarantula in agony. The tarantula fights like a bear, resting on his haunches, and using his paws and legs as weapons of defence. He fought for his life, and, while doing so, seemed to be conscious that at all hazards he must make for his house as the only hope of safety. The wasps seemed by instinct to understand what was going on in the mind of the tarantula, and redoubled their merciless attacks; but he fought desperately to the last. Finally, the fierce conflict ended; the wasps had stung and poisoned the tarantula to death.  After the battle was over, I took a glance at the body of the victim. It bore evidence of a terrible struggle. When I approached it the wasps flew away; but they did not fly far, and were evidently watching ; and on my leaving they returned, and immediately commenced tearing the dead tarantula to pieces. In a short time they had carried off_ the body piece by piece, either to feed their young or to lay in a supply of food for the winter. I made particular inquiries concernickg the habits eflthe monster wasps, and learned from some of the old settlers that the vicious insects were " regular tarantula killers," and that the spiders seldom survived their murderous onslaughts.  The silver ere discovered on Airs. Langtry estate in North Carolina—while the men were boring II•n artesian well—haa been assayed. The assay is 510do1. a ton. Mr. Richard Benyon, of Engleheki Park. near Reading, hill; just given £5OO to the Royal Berkshire Vosoital. ofwbich 1e is iresident.
Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1888-06-23 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

DOG. iemrveTloü ititelligenet"Witif WWII' foresees and averts aPproaching-dearg%r i illustrated by the following anecdote, told ' by a writer in Clumberis Journal who learned the fifcts from'one of the ladies of the story : ' Two girls, daughters of an English country doctor, were once out Lir a walk together. It was an autumn afternoon, sunny and pleasant. They were accompanied by their,little dog, named Jack, who was a clever little terrier, and more that) once had proved his claim to be considered, as indeed he was, their protector while out walking. Their father often said he felt "quite happy when !ack was-with them ; he was sure no harnti could come to them." The two girls pursued their walk merrily. The fine afternoon tempted them to go farther than they •ought, however, and by the time they turned tht dual: had fallen, and they were afraid they would be late for tea. One of them proposed to take a short cut through A 'wood with which they were well acquainted, hawing often gathered blackberries in it on a summer after noon. The other agreed, and so they arrived at the .edge of the wood and prepared to enter it. "All the same I am rather'afraid," said Dora, the theyounger of the two; " there have been several 'robberies in the neighbourhood, and I saw some very odd-looking men pass our door to-day; besides, I am • wearing my new watch papa gave me on my birthday." "Oh, nonsense ! " her sister replied. "It is nearl3 six o'clock now and we shall be late. Be sure no one will wish to harm us." "I wish I were as certain as you are. But what's the matter with .lack ? " Just as she had said this Jack advanced towardt• them and, planting himself in the middle of theii path, sat down and whined. "That is odd," said Dora. "I 'never remember him doing that before." ' ' The other girl derided her fears and attempted to • pass the dog; but he caught his teeth in her dress, and held her so firmly that she hardly dared to set herself free. One more effort she made, but Jack wat resolute; so at last, seeing how determined he was to prevent their farther progress, she gave up trying. Well, well, you stupid little brute," she said angrily; "I suppose we must go all that long way' round ! " So the two sisters abandoned the idea of taking the short path through the wood, and went home by the safe high-road. When they arrived, how grateful, how unutterably thankful, did they feel to their little protector, whose intelligence had been so far superior to theirs, and had saved them despite themselves. A man had been found in the wood shortly after they had left it, murdered and robbed, it was conjectured by the tramps who had passed through the village in the morning. Thus Jack had preserved his mistresses from meeting perhaps a similar fate. Their gratitude, it is needless to add, was profound toward their little fourfooted protector, who, we are glad to hear, lived to a good old age. -TO-
Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1888-11-24 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

THE WHITECHAPEL CRIMES.  FUNERAL OF THE LAST VICTIM.  The remains of the unfortunate woman, Marie Jeannette Kelly, who was murdered on November 9th, in Miller's-court, Dorset-street, Spitalfields, were carried on Monday from Shoreditch mortuary to the Roman Catholic Cemetery at Lpytonstone, for interment, amidst a scene of timbulent excitement. On the afternoon of the murder the body of the murdered woman was conveyed to the mortuary attached to St. Leonard's Church, Shoreditch, and there it remained until on Monday. Since the inquest a great amount of sympathy for the fate of the unhappy creature has been created, but it remained for Mr. H. Wilton, the sexton attached to Shoreditch Church, to put sympathy into a practical form, and as no relatives have appeared he incurred the total cost of the funeral himself. Mr. Wilton has been sexton for over 50 years, and he provided the funeral as a mark of sincere sympathy with the poor people of the neighbourhood, in whose welfars he is deeply interested. The body was enclosed in a polished elm and oak coffin, with metal mounts. On the coffin plate were engraved the words: "Marie Jeannette Kelly, died 9th Nov. 1888, aged 25„ years." Upon the coffin were two crowns of artificial flowers and a cross made up of heartsease. The coffin was carried in an open car drawn by two horses, and two coaches followed. An enormous crowd of people assembled at an early hour, completely blocking the thoroughfare, and a large number of police were engaged in keeping order. The bell of St. Leonard's began tolling at noon, and the signal appeared to draw all the residents in the neighbourhood together. There was an enormous preponderance of women in the crowd, and scarcely any had any covering to their heads. The wreaths upon the coffin bore cards inscribed with remembrances from friends using certain public-houses in common with the murdered woman. As the coffin appeared, borne on the shoulders of four men, at the principal gate of the church, the crowd appeared to be greatly affected. Round the open car in Which it was to be placed men and women struggled desperately to get to touch the coffin. Women with faces streaming with tears cried out " God forgive her ! and every man's head was bared in token of sympathy. The sight was quite remarkable, and the emotion natural and unconstrained. Two mourning coaches followed, one containing three, and the other five persons—mourners who had been fortifying themselves for the journey at a public. house close to the church gates. Joe Barnett was amongst them, with someone from M`Carthy's, the landlord; and the others were women 'who had given evidence at the inquest. After a tremendous struggle, the car, with the coffin fully exposed to view, set out at a very slow pace. all the crowd appearing to move off simultaneously in attendance. The traffic was blocked, and the constables had great difficulty in obtaining free passage for the small procession through the mass of carts, vans, and tramcars.
Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1888-09-29 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

THE WHITECHAPEL MURDERS.  CLOSE OF THE INQUEST ON NICHOLLS. The inquest on the body of Mary Ann Nicholls, who was murdered in Whitechapel on the Ist inst., was resumed and concluded on Saturday.—The only further evidence taken was that of Thomas Eades, the signalman, who had previously deposed to having seen a man carrying a knife near the scene of the murder. Eades now testified that since last giving evidence he had identified John James, of Hackney, as the man whom he had seen with the knife.—The coroner observed that the man in question was a wellknown harmless lunatic, and then proceeded to sum up. After commenting strongly on the absence of a public mortuary in Whitechapel, where it was so greatly required, he proceeded to recall to the minds of the jury the salient facts of the case. Referring to the case of Chapman, on whose body an inquest was still pending, he said the similarity of the injuries in the two cases was considerable. There were bruises about the face in both cases; the head was nearly severed from the body in both case.; there were other dreadful injuries in both cases; and those injuries again had in each case been performed with anatomical knowledge. Dr. Llewellyn seemed to incline to the opinion that the abdominal injuries were first, and caused instantaneous death; but if so, it seemed difficult to understand the object of such desperate injuries to the throat, or how it came about that there was so little bleeding from the several arteries, that the clothing on the upper surface was not stained, and, indeed, very much less bleeding from the abdomen than from the neck. Surely it might well be that, as in the case of Chipman, the dreadful wounds to the throat were inflicted first, and the others afterwards. This was a matter of some importance when they came to consider what possible motive there could be for all this ferocity. Robbery was out of the question, and there was nothing to suggest jealousy; there could not have been any quarrel, or it would have been heard. He suggested to them as a possibility that the two women might have been murdered by the same man with the same object, and that in the case of Nicholls the wretch was disturbed before he had accomplished his object, and having failed in the open street he tried again, within a week of his failure, in a more secluded place. If this should be correct the audacity and daring were equal to its maniacal fanaticism and abhorrent widkedness. This surmise might or might not be correct, but one thing was clear—that a murder of a most atrocious character had been committed.—The jury, after a short consultation, asked permission to retire, and after 20 minutes' absence returned into court with a verdict of wilful murder against some person or persons unknown. A rider was added expressing the full concurrence of the jury with the coroner's remarks as to the need of a mortuary for Whitechapel.
Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1888-02-18 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

MURDER OF A MILLIONAIRN.  Details have been received concerning the murder by burglars of Mr. Snell,the Chicago millionaire. Mr. Snell's residence is a substantial structure, and the neighbourhood is a highly respectable one. Mr. Snell went to bed about 10 o'clock, the servants following half an hour later. A little after '2 o'clock the cook was awakened by the sound of five or six pistol silo* fired at short but irregular intervals. Between the shots she could distinguish Mr. Snell voice crying "Get out; get out." She jumped out of bed and Aroused another servant. Both crept into the hall on- the fourth floor and listened. They could hear nothing, and no answer was made to their ealls. Half an hour later they thought they heard a door slowly opened and closed in the lower hall, but they made no attempt to investigate the noise.' A little after o'clock the coachman came to the house to light the fires. He went to the basement door and found that just above the latch an oblong block had been cut out of 'the door by boring 18 holes with a half-inch bit, and through this the burglar's hand had been inserted and the bolt pushed back. -The door stood partly ajar. The coachman entered and Passed quickly through the hall to the front room in the basement which Mr. Snell used as an office, having it fitted up with a desk and a safe. Here he saw that the safe had been ransacked,while the floor wets strewn with papers. He ran to the hall passacce on the parlour floor, where he stumbled and almost fell over the dead body of his employer, who lay there cold and rigid. A revolver was lying on the floor Leside him. It had five chambers, four filled and one empty. There was a bullet wound in the head, and another in the heart. His nightshirt was stained with blood, which was in little pools on the floor. An examination of-the premises revealed the manner the murder was committed. The double parlour doors had been locked. By Means of -a chisel the burglars had broken open the doors and secreted themselves in the parlour. On hearing Mr. Snell descend the staircase—the noise they made in opening the deors evidently awakened him— they shut the doors and took refuge behind them. This was after. they had opened the safe. Coming down with a loaded revolver, Mr. Snell discovered the presence a the thieves. He shouted to them to get out, and fired a shot through the panel in, the door. The bullet lodged in the wall on MIA opposite aide of the room. Two other bullet holes' were in the door, having been fired from the inside by the intruders. Then it appeared that Mr. Snell attempted to force open the doors,when another shot was fired from within, ploughing a small furrow at the edge of the door as it swung ajar, and pro. bably entering his body. While he was reeling along the hall from this fatal wound the assassins must have stepped out and sent another bullet through his brain. They then walked out of the house as they came, taking their booty with them, and leaving no trace I behind.
Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1888-01-21 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

KILLING A BROTHER-IN-LAW.  At the Central Criminal Court, before Mr. Justice Charles, a young man, named Albert EdwardVicko: y, 23, butcher, has been put on his trial for the wilful murder of Robert Maxwell. From the opening statement of Mr. Poland. it appeared that the prisoner had resided at Deptford with his mother, sister, and the deceased. The latter (who Was of intemperate habits) was married to Vickory's sister. In the course of his drnhken bouts, Maxwell frequently ill-treated his wife, which caused great unpleasantness in the family. The prisoner particularly resented this conduct of the deceased. On the 21st November Mrs. Vickory remonstrated with Maxwell in regard to his treatment of her daughter. The prisoner was present at the time, and was greatly annoyed to see Maxwell strike Mrs. Vickory. The next day Maxwell again came home very drunk, aml next morning, early, Vickory went to his bedroom and struck him a violent Wow on the head with a piece of wood. The prisoner did not seem to have intended to take the life of the deceased, for he immediately said, "That will do him good, and teach him to treat his wife better, and not to strike my mother again." Maxwell's wife was in the room at the time, and on her going downstairs and telling hint that her husband was very much injured Vickory at once went for a doctor. Maxwell died at the hospital six days after the occurrence. In conclusion, the learned counsel said that by the law of England if one person killed another it was prinid facie murder. But probably there were circumstances in this case which might reduce the offence to manslaughter.—Evidence corroborating this statement Was given by Mrs. Vickory, a sister of the prisoner, and the widow. According to the medical evidence death was caused by inflammation of the brain which arose front fracture of the skull.—Mr. Poland, in summing up for the prosecution, contended that the evidence indicated that the act was one of deliberation.—Mr. Geoghegan urged that at worst it was only a case of manslaughter. The prisoner committed the act in a fit of passion, and under ckcumstances of great provocation.—Without leaving the box, the jury found a verdict of guilty of manslaughter, and the prisoner was sentenced to five years' penal servitude.  Two men, named respectively James Broadley and Mark Strangers, wrestled together while under the influence of mesmerism at Professor Herman's entertainment in Newsome's Circus, Glasgow. Lliosiley was thrown and his leg was fractured. The Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol, in a pastoral letter to the clergy of his diocese, deals with Ititualism in the Church, remarking that the present •state of things, by which clergymen adopt ritualistic ii4ages with impunity, is a serious danger to the Cf t 'Fell. He suggests the resuscitation a the Arch' Whops' Court as a court of last appeal, and a thorough revision of the rubrics and formularies on broad and conciliatory principles. I.imits rd ae ritual should, he thinks, be laid down as ldiug tosok,tinal, and then loyally obeyed. .