npedrazzini/19thc_murder_suicide_news huggingface dataset:
The Sun. — 1837-12-20 (London, England)

WARRINGTON.  The town of Warringtou has, within the last few days, been thrown into great excitement by the murder of a female of the name of Minshull, the daughter of Mr. T. Higginson, of the Leigh Arms public-house, in that town, who was found lying dead in an outhouse on the morning of the Bth iest. The case was investigated by the Coroner, but no clue arising to excite suspicion against any individual a verdict was given, " That the deceased came to her death by violent means, but under what circumstances was unl:nown." On Saturday, however, something transpired which excited the attention of the police, and a man, named William Hill, a weaver, was apprehended. The case was heard by the Magistrates in their private roam. The first witness examined was Mary Prichard, who usually slept with the deceased. She said on the night previous to the murder the deceased desired her to go to bed, and said she would wait up until the company were gone. The prisoner was then in the house, and the rest of the family had gone to bed long before. Witness tell asleep, and did not awake until five o'clock in the morning, when, finding the deceased not in bed, she became alarmed and got up, struck a light, and examined the rooms for her, but could not find her. She then went down stairs, and found the door open leading to the gate, and discovered the deceased quite dead, lying on her back. The yard-gate, which had been fastened the evening before, was found closed, but unlocked. Mrs. Thomas, who lives next door to the Leigh Arms, stated that, as she was going to bed, about one in the morning of the Bth inst., she heard the scream of a female, as if at the back of Higgiusen's house. She opened her roomwindow, and cried out, as it appeared that some one was abusing a female. There was a fight in the front of the house, and she was afraid to go out. By degrees the female's voice grew weaker, and at length the scream ceased altogether. Several other witnesses proved the prisoner's being in the house ; and one stated that the prisoner swore to him that he would criminally assault the deceased, before he left the hous. There was a fight in the house, and the prisoner assisted the deceased to put the persons out, and he was the only person left in the house. As soon as the company had left the door was locked, and at that time the prisoner had no scratches on his face, but on the following morning he appe :red to have been scratched by four fingers all down the left side of the face ; and, when asked to explain the circumstance, he said he had got them in the row at Rigginson's. He also admitted that he remained with the deceased a quarter of an hour after the company lid left the house, and had drunk some ale with her.  Dr. Davies stated that the deceased had died of strangulation, and the marks of a person's fingers were found on her neck. .  The prisoner was remanded until Monday, in order to afford time for further inquiry.
The Sun. — 1837-04-25 (London, England)

ANSWER.  " Genti.emen,—l have heard with the greatest satisfae tion the congratulations which you ha c e delivered in the name of the g-eneral and constituent Cortes of the Portuguese nation. I thank you for the lively interest the Cortes have evinced tom,rds my person, as well as that of my beloved husband, the Prince Don Ferdinraal. " You may assurc the representatives of the nation, that I will continue to do all that may ,depend upon me to secure the constitutional liberty and happiness of this good and excellent people. " Nothing henceforward can possibly destroy or diminish the sincere union which exists between the nation and the  throne. Portugal and myself confide all to the prudence and wisdom of the General tortes, and I more particularly hope that by means of our limited efforts and by the help of Divine Providence this generous nation will shortly arrive at the highest degree of prosperity' and greatness." Then followed the levee, attended 1..)- the Ministers of State, corps diplonzatiquc, Vice-A cl.m;ral Sir William Gage, several of the British and French officers, and a numerous body of the nobility and gentry.  It i 3 in contemplation to establish :t.n Ornithological Society in London, the objects of which .sx-e the exhibition of living birds, and the propagation and dis persion of new domestic races, as also to establish a museum, library, lectures, and prize shows. An application is intesded to be made to Government for a locality for the museum and library, and, if successful, it is intended that the museum shall be freely open to the public. Two horrible murder cases are con-t'ing on for trial at Trichinopoly ; the one is that of a Pariah woman, who, with the help of her paramour, murdered liver husband, cut off his head, and disembowelling the body, sewed up the head in the place of the entrails. The other, that of a Braminy woman, who was surprised by her son, a boy of about ten years of age, with a gallant. The boy threatened to tell his father, and she threatened to murder him if he did. The boy returned to school in the fort, and told his schoolmaster what had taken place. A.ll hour or two after he was sent for home, before the usual time. The father of the lad, on his return, wonders that his son has not come hozre ; the mother pretends to wonder likewise; when, perceiving some drops of blood fall from a basket affixed to the ceiling, the father takes it down, and finds in it the poor child, with his throat cut. Whilst he is contemplating the piteous sight, in the extremity of misery, the wretched woman, rushing out into the ;street, exclaims that the father is murdering his child ! the mart was seized, but fortunately the schoolmaster cleared up the truth of the matter, and the mother, it is said, has made a confession of her guilt. —Madras Examiner, Nov. 16.
The Sun. — 1837-03-29 (London, England)

THE EDGEWARE-ROA:oMURDER.  (LATEST PARTICULARS') Mr. Fehham, the Inspector of the 1' division, through whose unremitting and praiseworthy ererCons the appalling deed has been brought to light, was during the greater part of yesterday prosecuting the most diligent investigation in and near the dwelling of Greenacre, in ()woof whose boxes has been discovered, with marks of blood Uptm it, a lnindkerchief which is supposed to have belonged to the ill-fated woman, -is also a small fine-toothed saw, with which instrument it is probable the bead and lee-s were removed. The woman Gale is not confined in the New Prison, Clarkenwell;- but in the House of Correction, at which -place, on being set down by the officer who went from High•street office with the van, Greenacre said to her, " Don't be down-hearted, my dear ; you know nothing abouLit, and will be discharged on'Saturday. You must, my dear, then call and see me." On the road •to their destination they several times shook hands with each other, awl shed tears. Gale asked her companion now be thou eht he should get on, to which he replied, " He should like to have a solicitor when he • was brought up again." They seemed much inclined to keep up conversation with each other, but were very properly prevented from doing so by a constable who was placed between them in the vehicle. It is confidently expected that at the next examination a full disclosui-e of all the facts subsequent to thte murder will be made by Greenacre, such as the packing of the limbs, &c., and the manner in which they were • coati eyed away from his house._ Two turnkeys sit up night and day with him, in his place of confinement, in order io guard against a second suicidal ,attempt. During the progress of the hackney-coach containing the prisoners to the office, on Monday, a man was pressed forward by the dense crowd, in High-street, and one of the wheels pass'ng over his leg crushed it to a serious degree. A number of other ,persons narrowly escaped being run over, is their eageaness to obtain a sight of the accused parties.  A rival establishment to that in Capel-court is shortly to be opeasd in Waterloo-place, Pall-mall, under the denomination of -" The Western Stock Exchange," where it is proposed business in all public securities, as well as in railway and other shares, shall he conducted on the same plan as in the city. Something similar was once before undertaken, but it was soon found to be an unprofitable enterprise, as all who speculate or have real business to transact in the funds prcf'r going to the fountain head. It is possible that as a rendezvous fOr the loungers at the more fashionable part of the metropolis, where they can obtain information as to what is going on in the city, it may perhaps answer, but ,it seems ridiculous to suppose that legitimate business to .any extent would bz carried on in such a manner. It is proposed to have twclFe expresses between the two establishments during the day, one starting each hour from the city and the west end. MR.
The Sun. — 1837-06-01 (London, England)

BOW-STREET. A young,man, named Chez: les Taylor,- was brought up by Mr. Sandroek, the Superintebdoit of the F division of  rolice, charged on suspicion of being connected or acquainted with the circumstances of the murder of Eliza Davis, in Frederick-street, II am pstend-rwa In answer to questions put to him he stated that he was Tcquainted with a man named Sanderson, who lived in the house of a Mr. Davis. He first heard of that t;•Attler at about half-past nine o'clock on the morning- On which it was 'committed, when an old woman, wino lived in the same louse with him and his mother, came to them, and ac-• quainted them with the circumstance. He direttly went to the King's Arms public-house, which he bad before been in the habit of using, and he then saw the deceased lying on the stairs with her throat cut. He went and fetched Sanderson, and they played at skittles together all dal' in the ground attached to the house.  Sir F. ROE asked the defendant whether die did not givo a different account of the matter to Sanderson ? The defendant had not. He admitted, however, that be had said • that he saw a lemon, a glass of ale. and h knife oa the bar, and that he had heard it stated that the deceased's throat was cut while she was stooping to pick up the lemon ; but he declared that this had been communicated to hint in the crowd, and that he did not assert it as of his own knowledge, Sir F. ROE inquired of Sanderson, who was iu the room, what the defendant had told him ? SAnclerson that the prisoner had come to him on the morning- of the murder, and had said that he went to Mr. ‘Vatley's house with an acquaintance to play skittles, and the latter went into the bar while he remained in the yard. his companion called for some beer, and having been served with it asked for a lemon. The lemon was placed on the bar, but he purposely threw it down, and while the deceased stooped to pick it up he seized her and cut her throat. The reason given by the man for his doing this was that girl had been in the habit of giving him short measure. Sir F. ROE inquired of the defendant what answer he could make to this ? The defendant declared that what he had told Sanderson he had heard in the crowd, and he denied that he was acquainted with the murderer of the woman, who was besides described as a stranger. Sir F. ROE declared that, at present, there appeared to be no ground for supposing the defendant to ha implicated in the transaction in the manner suggested. It would appear that anything he had said had been put forth either in idle boast, or had been collected from the crowd. The prisoner was remanded until Tuesday on this second charge, and d'aections were given that any fresh evidence that could be collected touching the other matter should be obtained,
The Sun. — 1837-12-01 (London, England)

MRS. GORE'S NEW TALES.—We cannot help thinking it almost too serious an undertaking for a female mind and pen, to construct and carry through to its consummation a regular three volume novel. Our Lady writers, eminently gifted as they arc, invariably begin their productions of the above class better than they end them ; and the reason is that they get tired of their own labour. But for a brief tale— piquant, pointed, polished, and perfect in all its parts, as all brief tales should be—commend us to our female pens alone, and to that above all others which is so happily and so brilliantly wielded by Mrs. Charles Gore. Marmontel himself, though a little more philosophical perhaps, was not so gay, so graceful, so buoyant, and altogether so felicitous in this class of writing, as is this gifted lady ; and we venture to say, that the has never before succeeded more entirely than in the charming collection she has just given to the world under the title of " Mary Raymond, and other Tales."  By the last arrival from India, overland, intelligence has been received that the city of Surat has suffered very much from an inundation of the river Taptee, one of the worst that has ever been known, and it is feared many lives have been lost and great numbers of cattle carried off by the flood. Several other parts of Goojerat have been visited by the same calamity, especially Kairo, Gundavee, and Nowsaree.  Yesterday morning, about half-past 12 o'clock, as a young man of the name of Daniel Campbell, who resides on the Port. Glasgow-road, was proceeding on his way home from Greenock, he met two men, one of whom was carrying a gun, and after a little conversation Campbell charged them with having been poaching, and continued to walk homewards, when he was followed by the men, one of them exclaiming, " I'll poach you at any rate." In a short time a gun was fired by one of the men, and the contents lodged in the left hand and breast of Campbell, who instantly fell to the ground, bleeding terribly. Although the noise of the shot, and the shouts of murder by the young man, were heard by some people, yet the loneliness of the place (nearly half way between Greenock and Port-Glasgow) and the early hour of the morning prevented people from going to his assistance. The poor fellow lay on the road insensible for about 40 minutes, and on coming to himself a little, crawled to the ditch and put his bleeding hand into the water, and, feeling thirsty, drank a little of the dirty water within his reach, which revived him, and enabled him to walk home, a distance of a quarter of a mile. Dr. M'lntyre of Greenock was sent for immediately, and it was found necessary to amputate the thumb and three of the fingers A notorious character of the name of M'Culloch, a turner in one of the foundries, and his uncle, a man of the same name, are in custody.—Glusyew Chronicle.
The Sun. — 1837-07-06 (London, England)

MURDEROUS ATTEMPT.  MANCHESTER, TUESDAY NIGIIT.—An extraordinary 't attempt, which was very nearly successful, was made here.:l this afternoon, to deprive a fellow-creature of life, underm circumstances of savage atrocity, seldom surpassed in thelP annals of crime. A man named Joseph Armitage, having gone to visit a man employed with other stone-masons, in'. ff igging Mr. Knox's factory, situate in what is called Little Ireland from its being mostly inhabited by the lower order of Irish, was importuned by the workmen in question to " pay his footing," as they had been drinking all the afternoon liquor supplied in that way by others. Armitage expostuded, said he had no money, and besides that, was not employed*there. After some considerable altercation they threa• tencd life if he refused to comply. He again stated his initf, ability, and urged their having no chdm upon him, but,: they continued to insist on their demand. At length one •of the ruffians proposed to hang him, and the suggestion?; was immediately acted upon. Two or three of them seized him, and endeavoured to place a rope round his neck, when, finding his life really in danger, for at first he thought them only in jest, he made a desperate effort to free himself, and succeeded in drawing a knife from his pocket to defend himself. A violent struggle ensued, when the rest of the • party, consisting of eight or nine, closed upon him, and obtained possession of the knife, but not before he had received some severe wounds in the hands. They then dragged him ~ to a post, to which they attached him, by passing a rope about his neck and shoulders ; and next, by taking his feet from the ground, and binding them up behind him, placed him in a most agonizing state of strangulation. in this miserable condition they kept him for about half an hour„ they standing by to enjoy his agony, mocking and jeering at Vim ; and they eventually lathim to perish, or be rescued as he might. Fortunately for him and his cowardly assailants, however, a family residing on the premises had partially witnessed the transaction, but whether they kept aloof from fear or criminal indifference, remains yet to be proved. Be that as it may, one of them told some neighbours of the circumstance, and numbers speedily made their way_to the spot. They found the poor fellow almost at the last extremity ; and when released, it was for some time doubtful whether he would survive or not. A number of the police,l, well armed, immediately searched Little Ireland for the ot:4 fenders, but without success. They are all known, however,l anti warrants will be issued to-morrow morning for their! appro .ension.  Saturday, Robert Hoye, master of the Post•office at! Woodford, who had been for some time in a depressed state' of mind, was luuad suspended over a fire in a room used for/ drying bacon. He was quite dead when discove;ed, a portion! of his toes being burnt otr. The deceased, it would appear,' id% b(.d for the purpose, as his clothes were found in his room. Vadiet accordingly.—Essex Herald.
The Sun. — 1837-08-14 (London, England)

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COU.RT.  THIS DAY.  OLD COURT. These Sessions commenced to-day before the Lord Mayor, the Recorder, Alderman Pirie, the She rifff, &e. The calendar contains upwards of 230 prisoiers for trial, and the Sessions are expected to occupy seven or eight days. The swearing in the Grand Jury and hearing excuses of many gentlemen who bad been summoned tlieroon occupied a considerable portion of the morning. Amt eg the excuses was one of a Magistrate in the neighbourhow; of a railway, who stated that his attendance on his magiss trial duties was imperiously necessary in consequence of the frequent disturbances that took place among the naviotors in the neighbourhood. The gentleman was excused. The swearing in of the Grand Jury having been completed, The RECORDER proceeded to deliver his charge to them :—He said that it was not necessary for him to occupy any considerable portion of the time of the Grand Jury, for although the calendar was not heavy in amount, he regretted to find that it presented many serious cases. At present the calendar presented 248 cases, which would probably be increased before the termination of the Session to 300. Although there were many eitremely serious cases, still they turned upon ordinary evidence, and .did not involve matters of late. It had occurred to the J.earned Recorder though he did not think it necessary to enter into the cases in the calendar thr.t he should make snme observations with regard to the alterations of the law with respect to capital punishments. Although those altera“ions did not take effect until the Ist of Oct., still they possessed grounds of too much interest to pass them over altogether. The principle on which the alteration of the law had proceeded was this—to remove the penalty of death f rom offences against property only when unaccompanied by force, and offences against the person with violence wilier° there was cot an intention of actual murder ; and e ven where that was intended; the Legislature had excepted the perpetrator of the offence where the committal of it had not endangered life. One of the clauses in the Act with respect to offences against. the person provided, however, that in the cases of administering poison, and cutting or stabbing where death ensued, the party should be .adjudged guilty of felony, and suffer death. He would amass over the other provisions in the several Aots merely stating to the Grand Jury what the subject of such was, and adverting to the fact that the Legislature had removed from the Statute Book the punishment; of death in ail cases of forgery, acting upon the great principle that property was not protected by the sacrifice of life, where the destruction of that property took place unac,:ouipanied by violence. The Hon. and Learned Recoirder concluded by calling the attention of the Grand Jury to the names of the different Acts for the amelioration of the Criminal Code, and observing shortly upon some of the principal cases in the calendar. The Counz then proceeded to swear in the Petty Jury. No case of any interest came before the Court previous o our Reporter's leaving.
The Sun. — 1837-04-08 (London, England)

CONFESSION OF THE MURDERER  OF HIS FOUR CHILDREN.  (Abridged from the MAttingham Review.) It will be recollected that the inhabitants of the village of Old Basford, about three miles north of Nottingham, were horror-stricken on Tuesday morning, by a report that Thomas Greensn►itb, of that place, had strangled his fotir children, and had absconded.  The murderer was apprehended last Tuesday, and on Wednesday an inquest was held on the bodies of the four children. After the depositions of several witnesses bad been taken, the prisoner made. the following confession :—On my return from Nottingham, whither I had been about a servant for my master, Mr. Brown, I met Mr. Joseph Woodward (who is the father of Mr. Mark Woodward, my landlord) in the yard ; he asked me about the rent, and I told him I had arranged with his son to pay it the next Wednesday but one; he told me he would have it next morning ; I told him it ries impossible for me to give it him the next morning, but that he should have it in the course of the next week ; he said he would not be put off in that way, and if I did'nt get it ready in the morning he would take my goods. I thought if he took my goods, that *I should have no house—no where to go to—no home, nor nothing—and that before my children should be turned into the street, and be separated from me, I would suffer what the law would please to clap on me.—[The prisoner hesitated for a short time and then proceeded.]-1 staid at home till five o'clock the next morning; I then went to Nottingham, from there I went to Carlton, where I had one pint of ale, and then I went to Lambley, to Mr. John Brownley's, who keeps the Robin Hood public house. Mrs. Brownley reached me something out to eat, and I stopped there all the. day until Liglit, when I was taken into custody by the constable, Mr. Colliihe Coroner—Did you turn your housekeeper away that night ? Prisoner.-_I told her she must go; and I intended her to go out, and not stay there that night. Coroner—Did you go up stairs as soon as she was gone ? Prisoner—No. I was not willing to part with my children, so I made up my mind to strangle them, and I did it with my handkerchief. Coroner—When did that idea first come into your mind? Prisoner—Not till that night, after talking to Mr. Woodwal.d. I did not proceed up stairs immediately after my housekeeper left. I staid in the house-place about an hour; I then .vent up stairs, and went direct into the children's room. I think some of them were awake, but I don't know particularly. The threat that Mr. Woodward gave me caused me to do what I did. There were two in one bed, and two in the other. I think I took my handkerchief out of my pocket when I _„,(rot up stairs, but .don't know where. I went to the bed where the two youngest ones were lying (Mark and Ann); I think they were :10t awake at the time. I kissed them all, shook hands and bid