npedrazzini/19thc_murder_suicide_news huggingface dataset:
The Sun. — 1841-01-08 (London, England)

COURT—There was no struggling or fighting. Witness knocked the prisoner down, end he lay upon the deck, and he then ordered the other men to take him down below, and they refused. The men had been very violent, and he considered his life in da►,ger. Cross-examined—The crew consisted of eleven persons besides witness, whose wife and child were also aboard. I only gave the prisoner one blow and a kick with my foot before he stabbed me. I will swear that is all I did to him. I did not give him two blows, and I never heard him cry " murder ;" if he had I must have heard him. I kicked him just as he went over on the body, but I never kicked him on the face. I believe I was on the deck in the morning after the occurrence, and did my duty, but I was not able to do it. The vessel was navigated afterwards by my orders. The prisoner shipped with me as a Belgian—the rest of the crew was composed of Englishmen and Prussians. I did not keep the ruen for 21 days on rotten beef. I remember a complaint being made by the crew at Odessa, about some maggots being in the beef. I told the men I could get no better provisions, and that it must be eaten. It was only the top of the cask that was bad. I ate the same myself. I never told the men to starve, and be d—d. The crew did not tell me while I was kicking the prisoner that I should kill him. I did not say " d—n him, I will kill him, for he has been upon me all the voyage." The prisoner went down into the forecastle of his own accord, and t.l2e hatch was lashed down with a chain, and he was kept there until the vessel arrived at Gibraltar, where he was put in irons. He was there five or six weeks, and during that time he had a quart of water and two biscuits per day, but sometimes he had more than that. They were Russian biscuits, and weighed more than half a pound each. 1 don't know that the prisoner was obliged by hunger to scrape up some linseed that formed part of the cargo, and to eat it. I believe that he did eat some linseed. One of the crew begged me not to treat the prisoner as I did, for I should kill him. Before the prisoner struck me I called him a -- vagabond, and a-- rascal. The prisoner did not say to ine, " If you treat me as a captain should, I will do my work as well as any man ;" neither did he tell me to keep my hands off him, and he would do all that was required of him.  ite-examined.—He never complained of the beef while they were in port, and they could have gone on shore and complained to the authorities if they pleased. By the
The Sun. — 1841-01-08 (London, England)

ATROCIOUS MURDER IN ARMAGH.  The following appears in the Newry Telegraph, an Orange paper. We must wait for further accounts before pronouncing decidedly upon the motives of the villains engaged in this shocking and cold-blooded murder. The paper from which we quote seems to be more than usually guarded upon this point : Wc have this day the painful duty of recording a murder which has occurred within a few miles of this town— and which, in point of daring and savage atrocity, is perhaps unparalleled in the North of Ireland. The facts, as communicated to us, are as follow : Oa Saturday evening last, between five and six o'clock, six men, armed, approached the house occupied by a Mr. Powell (land surveyor to Mr. Quinn), situated convenient to the Roman Catholic Chapel of Newtown_ hamilton, in the county of Armagh, and about a quarter of a mile distant from the latter village. On rapping at the door, it was opened by the servantmaid, who, in answer to their inquiries, said her master was at home, but that he was engaged. Four of the party then rushed forward, and, entering the parlour where Mr. Powell was at the time sitting with his two daughters, peremptorily demanded what he was doing " about the school-house in the planting ?" [We understand that a school-house—tor some reason or other, unexplained to us, obnoxious to certain parties, had been in progress of erection on Mr. Quin's estate, under the superintendence of Mr. Powell.] To this interrogatory Mr. P. replied, by asking the fellows how they dared to enter his house in the manner and at the hour they did ? Upon which three of the ruffians, the fourth having been courageously held back by one of the young ladies, seized hold of Mr. P., and notwithstanding that he, being a powerful man, struggled desperately, they at length succeeded in dragging him outside ot his hall door, where, deaf to every appeal for mercy, they inhumanly shot him through the heart l Tnc ruffian who remained inside struggling with the daughter, at length freed himself from her desperate gripe by brutally striking her on the forehead with the butt-end of his pistol, fracturing her skull, and prnstrating her senseless at his feet 1 This horrible tragedy occupied but a few moments ; in the interim, however, the second daughter, having escaped by a back door, ran to the adjoining village and alarmed the inhabitants. But alas 1 assistance carnet oo late. The assassins had decamped. The body of the unfortunate father was found, where it had fallen, at the door; his death, from the nature of the wound, must have beca instantaneous. The heroic daughter, though still in a state of insensibility, was, by surgical aid, restored to consciousness—her life is not considered in danger. These are the only particulars that have as yet reached us. We understand, however, that four fellows are now in custody, charged with having been concerned in this foul and cold-blooded murder.
The Sun. — 1841-06-21 (London, England)

ERRATUM.--In the eighth line of the Song which appeared in this Journal on Saturday, read " sally" for " rally." We find in the Courrier- de Lyon the following- remarkable instance of the re-appearance of a man believed to have been murdered, and whose death by violence was established by every proof, except the production of the body. On the 26th ()ether, h 139, Besson, an inhabitant of Aranc, in the Ain, tood his departure from that place with 1,500 f. in his pocket for Alsace. Some time afterwerds, Savey, a blacksmith of Belley, was accused of having murdered and robbed him, and brought to trial before the Court of Assizes for the Ain, at which one man swore positiVely that he saw Savey two hours after the departure of Besson kill him by cutting his throat with a knife, and afterwards, being assisted by another man, throw the body into a cart and drive towards a piece of land, held by Savey, at some distance from the spot. Traces of blood and other strong circumstances of corroboration were given in evidence, and amoral conviction of the fact seemed inevitable. However, through the great tact and eloquence of Savey's counsel, he was acquitted. To add to the strangeness of this affair, other persons have come forward declaring themselves to have been eye-witnesses of the murder, and Savey was again arrested and committed to be tried for the robbery, and other men were involved in this new prosecution as being his accomplices. Every search and inquiry had been made during 18 months for the person of Beason, dead or alive, but without success. At length persons arrived at Aranc from Dijon and declared that they hail not many days before seen Besson there in good health and spirits. Two of his relations immediately set off for Dijon, and found him. On being told of all that had taken place, he expressed his ignorance of it and his great surprise. He came back to Aranc, and has fi,-iven this account of all that occurred to him during his absence. On leaving Aram, he did not take the direct road to Alsace, but went to Sainte-Agnes, near Lons-le-Saulnier, where having taken too much liquor at a public-house, and shown that he was possessed of money, he was followed by two men, who attacked him, wounded him in the throat, and robbed him of I,loof. His remaining money, being in gold, was concealed in a different part of his person, and escaped the search of his assailants. The Lyons journal does not state the nature or gravity of the wound, or how he recovered from it, but goes on to relate that the incident induced him to change his plan, and go to Chalons with the intention of apprenticing himself to a baker, but not finding such a situation there, he went on to Dijon, where he served as an apprentice for thirteen months, and afterwards worked as a journeyman. He has since his return appeared before the Procureur du Roi and examining Magistrate at Belley, but the depositions he has made as to the men in custody have not transpired. What is positive, how, ever, is that the man believed to have been assassinated is still, alive. A
The Sun. — 1841-02-02 (London, England)

SINGULAR PROCEEDING.—TWO persons, named George Edmunds and William Summersby, attended before the Bench under the following circumstances : Police constable Hill, of the V division, deposed that he was on duty at West Moulsey, whon he heard a great disturbance, and soon afterwards a person came to him and requested him to go to the house of the defendant Edmunds, and on his arriving there he found his son very much intoxicated. He requested him to go away quietly, but he refused, and swore he would go into his father's house. The sister came up and begged him to take her brother away, and not let him into the house, for she was sure from his violence that murder would be done if he went there, and witness upon hearing this, and seeing the state he was in, thought it prudent to take him to a place of safety, and after a desperate struggle, in which his clothes were torn, and himself struck repeatedly, ho succeeded in lodging him in the cage at IVest Mousley, and left him there in the charge of a constable, while he went to inform a Magistrate of the circumstances that had occurred, and when he returned he found that the cage had been broken open, and the prisoner rescued. From the evidence of the other constable it appeared, that shortly after the prisoner had been lodged in the cage, the defendant Edmunds, who was his father, and the other man, armed with a mattock and a large piece of iron, came to him and declared that, they would have the man out. The constable cautioned them not to attempt to break the place, but Summersby began to use his iron bar to the door, and, when witness laid hold of it to prevent him, he struggled with him to get it away, and while he was so engaged, Edmunds, the father, knocked off the padlock, and got his son out.  The CHAIRMAN asked whether he had since been taken ; and a certificate from a surgeon was put in, stating that he was labouring under great mental excitement, and was quite unfit to attend. Thu defendant Edmunds, in answer to this statement, admitted he had acted as described, but said he should not have done so, had he not been afraid that his son would destroy himself, which he declared he would do if he was not let out. He admitted that fearing this should occur, he had broken the lock. He then expressed his opinion that the policemen ought not, in the first instance, to have taken his son into custody. The Constable said he should not have interfered, if he had not been told that murder would be done, and seeing the excited state of the man he apprehended something serious might occur, and thought it bis duty to place him in confinement. The Bench, after some consideration, said that under all the circumstances, they had come to the conclusion of discharging the case, upon the defendants undertaking to repair the damage done to the cage and to the policeman's clothing. They said it must also be understood that the son should attend before them as soon as he was in a fit state to do so.  The defendants agreed to these terms, and they were discharged.  To
The Sun. — 1841-08-26 (London, England)

POLICE.  James Spurle was charged at Union Hall, with setting tire to a house No. 59, High-street, Laml eth, to obtain the insurance. His room was discovered to be on fire, and chips, firewood, and turpentine so placed as to ensure his purpose. A woman and her family slept over the room thus stored with combustibles, and accidentally discovered it by the prisoner's going out early in the morning, and exciting her curiosity. The fire was happily checked in time. He is fully committed. A foreigner of the name of Gettin appeared at Queen.square, for hovering about the premises of Mons. Cresnan, an oil-refiner, at Mil'bank, and threatening to murder him. He had left France to obtain employment under Mons. Cresnan, who had however refused to engage him. On his arrest two razors were found on his person, and a phial of deadly poison, sufficient to kill a dozen people. Unable to find bail, he was sent to prison. In the course of an inquest held on Tuesday by Mr. Wakley, upon the body of a male infant, found in the Regent's Canals, the Coroner remarked that the child might be the offspring of rich or poor people, and might have been brought upwards of 100 miles per railway before it was placed in the Canal. This frequently happened, and he remembered a case where he held an inquest on the body of a child, whose father, wishing its birth to be concealed, carried it many miles, and buried it in a garden belonging to his brother. In the course of two or three days after, however, the body was discovered by a little dog, which scratched up the earth where it was laid. At the Central Criminal Court on Tuesday, a genteel-looking lad of the name of Peerard, fourteen years of age, was tried for stealing a penny, the property of William Ocock, a chemist, in Judd.street, to whom he was apprenticed. The Jury without a moment's hesitation acquitted the youth, when the foreman of the Jury read the following opinion—" The Jurors beg to express their strong sense of the unfeeling conduct of the prosecutor in this case." The Common Sergeant in reference to the conduct of a policeman mixed up in the business, thus described policemen generally, " It appeared to him that policemen often attempted to be Magistrate, Judge, and Jury.'' He might have added and " something more." A man of the isame of M'Csrmack, a rather respectable looking 3oung man, was fined ss. at Queen square on Tuesday, and in default of payment sentenced to two months at the treadmill, for annoying three ladies on Westminster.bridge. At the Liverpool Assizes on the 2.3 d inst. an action was brought by Mr. Ross, a calico printer, at Manchester, against Mr. Worth. ington, an attorney, for a libel, published in the Manchester Guardian, insinuating that the plaintiff had obtained surreptitiously certain designs for printing calico. The defendant at first pleaded a justification, but in the course of last week obtained a Judges' order to withdraw it. Vardict-801. damages.
The Sun. — 1841-05-17 (London, England)

PUBLIC MEETING AT LEITH.__In compliance with a numerously signed requisition addressed to the Provost, a meeting of the electors of Leith, was held on Friday, in the Exchange Building, " for the purpose of addressing the Ministers if the Crown, praying that they will net abandon the country by re: gnation of office at this important crisis of public affairs," Amongst those present were Adam White, Esq., of Fens; Rallies Thom, Muir, and Alexander ; Councillors Mitchell and Gibbs; Treasurer Watson, Convenor Ferney, John Veitch, Esq., of Woodside; James Miller, Esq. ; Robert Lauri*, E=q. ; William Ta)lor, Esq. ; James Hai', Esq., &c. Bailie Timm having been called to the Chair, observed that the absence of Provost Reoch from the meeting was in consequence of the loss of one of his family--nothing but that would have prevented him from attending. Having read the requisition calling the meeting, he expressed a hope that those gentlemen who might address the meeting would have a patient and peaceable hearing. Mr. WHITE then rose and said, that an address had been prepared for the occasion, which the Clerk would read. The address having been read, Mr. White said, he hoped the address which had nosy been read would meet with the approbation of the meeting generally. If that was the case, he had to propose that it be immediately 1 irwarded to Lord Melbourne. A great deal of abuse Lad been heaped upon her Majesty's Ministers, who had always been anxious to do good, and were prevented solely by a captious opposition from doing a great deal more. He hoped the adoption of the address he had the pleasure of moving, would be the means of making other towns and burghs follow the example of Leith.—(Applause.) Mr. BERRY seconded the motion in a speech of some length.  Mr. Pnit.ir proposed that the address should be seat off without delay. The address having been again read, was unanimously agreed to, and thanks haying been voted to Bailie Thom for his conduct in the chair, the meeting, which was numerously attended, separated.  XECUTION OF TIIE CROSSIfII.L lIIIIRDERERS.—Dennis Duolan and Patrick Redding were executed on Friday morning at Crosshill, about three miles north of Glasgow, in pursuance of the sentence of the Justiciary Circuit Court held at Glasgow upon the 22d ultimo, for the murder of John Green, ganger upon the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway. The two unfortunate men were conveyed to the place of execution in a cart, and leit Glasgow jail at eight o'clock in the morning, under a strong escort of cavalry and infantry. The crowd present at the execution was calculated to amount to about 50,000, but the greatest order and decorum prevailed, and the masses began to move off whenever the men were executed. In addition to a large polies force, there was upon the ground two pieces of artillery, nearly 600 men belonging to the 58th regiment of foot, and our troops of the Ist Huy al Dragoons.  The General Steam Navigation Company's vessel the Ocean, J. Fife, from Rotterdam, arriled of the Custom House yesterday with the Dutch mail.  -
The Sun. — 1841-07-12 (London, England)

MARLBORO UGH-STREET. THREE HOURS AFTER MARRIAGE.—Thomas Tyne was brought before Mr. MALTBY under these singular circumstances :—The defendant was given into custody for being drunk and disorderly at a wedding party the evening previous, and the charge was sustained by the following evidence. Policeman Fox, C 117, stated that his attention was attracted to No. 3, Thorns-court, Duke-street, Hanoversquare, by a quarrel and the cries of murder. On going to the house be was told that there had been a wedding that day, and that the person who had acted on the morning as father to the bride had in the evening been found in the petformanee of the bridegroom's duties. The constable inquired if the bride was a consenting party to this novel arrangement of matters, and not receiving a satisfactory reply he said be could not interfere. The landlord of the bowie then gave the defendant into custody  fur being drunk and disorderly; when this was done, the ' faitbleE4s.bride declared she would not be separated from tleputy husband, for she liked him better than her I legal Spouse. The bridegroom said that he had met with his fickle rib not more than about four days before he comniqted ttiatKimeny. On the evening of the wedding day he ! • •:,u, $4.4 went out some purchases, and to take places for the honeymoon trip, le tip his wife and her friend together. When he came home, to his great grief he 'found his bride and the defendant in a situation that no husband could tolerate. The shock was so great that he swooned away, and did not regain a sense of his miserable lot for three hours. As soon as he came to himself he charged the defendant with attempting to seduce his wife from him. Notwithstanding what had taken place, such was his lore for the faithless fair, that if the prisoner would consent not to interfere in his family matters, he would forego the charge. In answer to questions put by the Magistrate, the complainant said he did not disadmit that he had been drinking, as was quite natural on such a happy occasion, but he certainly was not drunk. All he now wanted Was tindivided possession of his own lawful wife, and to prevent the defendant from decoying her away. If the defendant would snake that promise he would forgive him. Mr. MALTBY put the question to the defendant, and the defendant having given a promise to keep away from both wife and husband, was discharged. The wife soon afterwards made her appearance, and on hearing what had taken place, said she would not part with her friend, for she was not aware, when taken to church, that she was to be married to her present husband, and she was so much taken by surprise that she allowed the ceremony to proceed. . The friend is a tall young man, about twenty-eight years of age. The wife is about twenty-five; rather good looking, and the husband appeared to be neither tall, young, nor good looking.
The Sun. — 1841-07-12 (London, England)

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.  THREE HOURS AFTER MARRIAGE.—Thomas Tyne was brought before Mr. MALTBY under these singular circumstances :—The defendant was given into custody for being drunk and disorderly at a weddin.g .party the evening- previous, and the charge was sustained by the following evidence. . • Policeman Fox, C 117, stated that his attention was attracted to No. 3, Thoms*-court, Duke-street, Hanoversquare, by a quarrel and the cries of murder. Ongoing.. to the house he was told that there had been a wedding that day, and that the person who had acted on the morning as father to the bride had in the evening been found in the performance of the bridegroom's duties. The constable inquired if the bride was a consenting party to thiz novel arrangement of matters, and not receiving a satisfactory reply he said he could not interfere. The landlord of the house then gave the defendant into custody for being drunk and disorderly; when this was done, the faithless bride declared she would not be separated fr, m her deputy husband, for she liked him bean than her legal spouse. The bridegroom said that he had met with his fickle rib not more than about four days before he committed matrimony. On the evening of the wedding day he went out to make some purchases, and to take places for the honeymoon trip, leaving his wife and her friend together. When he came home, to his great grief he found his bride and the defendant in a situation that no husband could tolerate. The shock was so great that he swooned away, and did not regain a sense of his miserable lot for three hours. As soon as he tame to himself he charged the defendant with attempting to seduce his wife froin him. Notwithstanding what had taken place. such was his love for the faithless fair, that if the prisoner would consent not to interfere in his family matters, he would forego the charge. In answer to questions put by the Magistrate, the complainant said he did not disadmit that he had been drinking, as was quite natural on such a happy occasion, but he certainly was not drunk. All he now wanted was undivided possession of his own lawful wife, and to prevent the defendant from decoying her away. If the defendant would make that promise he would forgive him. Mr. MALTBY put the question to the defendant, and the defendant having given a promise to keep away from both wife and husband, was discharged. The wife soon afterwards made her appearance, and on hearing what had taken place, said she would not part with her friend, for she was not aware, when taken to church, that she was to be married to her present husband, and she was so much taken by surprise that she allowed the ceremony to proceed. The friend is a tall young man, about twenty-eight years of age. The wife is about twenty-five, rather good looking, and the husband appeared to be. neither tall, young, nor good looking.