npedrazzini/19thc_murder_suicide_news huggingface dataset:
The Sun. — 1863-03-09 (London, England)

MURDER.  Timothy Grundy was indicted for the wilful murder of Emily Jones at Newtown, in the parish of St. Martin, near Worcester, on the 29th of April last. The prisoner pleaded not guilty, and appeared to pay great attention to the evidence.  Mr. Powell conducted the prosecution, and Mr. Cooke defended the prisoner. The prisoner was to have been tried on this charge at the last summer assizes, but he was at that time confined in a lunatic asylum, from which he has E ince been discharged as cured. The circumstances under which the alleged crime was committed left little doubt that the prisoner was the murderer, the only question being bs to his sanity at the time when the deed was done. It appeared from the evidence, which was very lengthy, that the prisoner had for some time been keeping company witb the deceased, who was the daughter of poor people in Worcester, and that he had been in an asylum in 1861. He was ratheraddicted to drinking, and had latterly been very unsteady and had threatened to poison himself ; he had for several days carried a bottle of laudanum in his pocket, and had on the 28th April been taken before the police magistrate at Worcester (Mr. Sidebotham), who had ordered the poison to be taken from him and the man to be set at liberty. His friends then persuaded him to go to Birmingham in search of work, and on the evening of the 28th April he went up to the railway station, and on his w, y met the deceased and her sister, and walked about with them for some time. The sister afterwards left them, and the deceased and the prisoner walked into the country and sat at a public-house until 10 o'clock, when they left. It seems they then wandered about until after midnight, when they went to a hut where a railway gauger was stationed, and remained with him until daylight, when they left. Then were seen between six and eight o'clock in the morning walking about the fields, and the last that was s en of the deceased was at about a quarter to nine, when she was walking with the prisoner along a certain field, in which was a7pool. They wire walking in the direction of the pool, and the man lost sight of them behind a hedge. Half-an-hour later the prisoner was seen burryiug across an adjoinirg field (in which there was no footpath), and he arrived at his mother's house in Worcester about ten o'clock when he said to an acquaintance, "I've done it; I've knocked her over." He was much excited, and his friends got a policeman to take charge of him while inquiries were made about the girl. At eleven o'clock the dead body of the girl was found in the pool near where she was last seen alive. There was a hedge stake lying near her in the pool, and she had received a heavy blow on her head. The jury found a verdict of acquittal on the ground of insanity. The Prisoner—What are the grounds of insanity ? lam an innocent man. Are you going to put me in a lunatic asylum, where there is no prospect. He was then removed.
The Sun. — 1863-03-09 (London, England)

MURDER.  Timothy Grundy was indicted for the wilful murder of Emily Jones at Newtown, in the parish of St. Martin, near Worcester, on the 29th of April last. The prisoner pleaded not guilty, and appeared to pay great attention to the evidence. Mr. Powell conducted the prosecution, and Mr. Cooke defended the prisoner. The prisoner was to have been tried on this charge at the last summer assizes, but he was at that time confined in a lunatic asylum, from which he has ieee been discharged as cured. The circumstances under which the alleged crime was committed lef, little doubt that the prisoner was the murderer, the only question being to his sanity at the time when the deed was done. It appeared from the evidence, which was very lengthy, that the prisoner had for some time been keeping company with the deceased, who was the daughter of poor people in Worcester, and that he had been in an asylum in 1861. He was ratheraddicted to drinking, and had latterly been very unsteady and had threatened to poison himself ; he had for several days carried a bottle of laudanum in his pocket, and had on the 28th April been taken before the police magistrate at Worcester (Mr. Sidebotham), who had ordered the poison to be taken from him and the man to be set at liberty. His friends then persuaded him to go to Birmingham in search of work, and on the evening of the 28th April he went up to the railway station, and on his w-y met the deceased and her sister, and walked about with them for some time. The sister afterwards left them, and the deceased and the prisoner walked into the country and sat at a public-house until 10 o'clock, when they left. It seems they then wandered about until after midnight, when they went to a hut where a railway gauger was stationed, and remained with him until daylight, when they left. Then were Been between six and eight o'clock in the morning walking about the fields, and the last that was sec, of the deceased was at about a quarter to nine, when she was walking with the prisoner along a certain field, in which was a7pool. They were walking in the direction of the pool, and the man lost sight of them behind a hedge. Half-an-hour later the prisoner was seen hurrying across an adjoinirg field (in which there was no footpath), and he arrived at his mother's house in Worcester about ten o'clock when he said to an acquaintance, "I've done it; I've knocked her over." He was much excited, and his friends got a policeman to take charge of him while inquiries were made about the girl. At eleven o'clock the dead body of the girl was found in the pool near where she was last seen alive. There was a hedge stake lying near her in the pool, and she had received a heavy blow on her head. The jury found a verdict of acquittal on the ground of insanity. The Prisoner—What are the grounds of insanity ? lam an innocent man. Areyou going to put me in a lunatic asylum, where there is no prospect. He was then removed.
The Sun. — 1863-12-25 (London, England)

JAPAN.  The following extract of a private letter is dated Yokohama, Oct. 14, 1863: "The action of Kagosima is still under criticism, as regards itself and its consequences. The peculiar features of that affair are :-1. The tatal disuse or forgetfulness of the proper use of the Armstrong guns, which would at long range have effected just as much damage without the loss of s 9 many valuable lives as was done at close quarters. 2. An attack in a gale of wind and rough sea. 3. Euryalus taking position close to a target, about 400 yards from the forts, at which the Japanese had been practising for months. 4. There was no anticipation of a fight, and it was regarded by all as a diplomatic cruise, which was to end in the payment by Satsuma of some thousands of dollars. We also told that no action was apprehended after the capture of the material guarantee, i e., the three steamers. And it is admitted that as the fleet went to sea the firing was resumed by the forts along the coast as the ships passed. There has been no negotiating since the fight, nor any attempt to prevent the repairs of the damaged forts, which are probably as strong as at first. The report of the fight rendered by Satsuma appears to be believed by the Tycoon's Government, for a few days ego a member of the grand council renewed his request that all foreigners should leave the country, and it is rumoured that all the hostile Daimios are mustering in army to carry out this policy, should the Tycoon not succeed in it. " The French have taken the most commanding part of the South -Yokohama bluffs and hoisted the tricolour ; the British portion is outside the French, and commands the sea and some part of the settlement. These heights are the key of the position, from• which the town could lie easily destroyed; they will, therefore, undonbtedly be occupied in the event of hostilities. The French have also landed stores and coats, &c. Our admiral does nothing without home orders, and the present protection of the place is dependent on the Frenchmen on shore, and in case of an attack the English residents would remove to the ships, and thus virtually do what the Japanese want—go away, 'The following item of news is significant. A French officer of Zonaves (and cousin of the Admiral Juarez) was cut to pieces in the country about two miles from Yokohama on the Yedo side, as he was going out in that direction. The body was brought in fearfully gashed. The cause of this is unknown, and will probably remain in obscurity, but it gives the French a famous excuse for military occupation, and it is more than probable that they will use it as a causus belli, into which we shall doubtless be drawn. It is already rumoured that the burning of a town near the scene of the murder has been determined on, if the murderers are not given up by 10 o'clock this evening ; so the Belle Court does not regard money as a corn• pensation for wanton blood as your Foreign Secretary seem,, to do. A doubt exists as to the origin of the murder, and whether the officer infringed in any way the customs of the country. His horse was also badly cut up.''
The Sun. — 1863-09-07 (London, England)

TUE REPLY OP POLISH PATRIOTS TO THE RUSSIAN APPEAL TO THEIR POLISH BRETHREN. For full seven months a murderous contest has raged in our country between two nations ; the one eager to oppress and to enslave, the other fighting in self-defence. You have drawn numerous armies frelH the ren:.ctcst cornet a Of the empire of your Czar to vanquish our few but heroic defenders, and yet you have not succeeded in breaking our courage, our devotion, our endurance. Upon the contrary, you have been able to convince yourselves, that, in al ite of the inhuman oppression you have perpetrated against us, you can never hope to succeed in extinguishing our national spirit. After this recent experience we cannot re frain from returning a word of truth in reply to the appeal you have addressed to us heartlessly demanding our selfannihilation. We desire to reject your cruel request, to enlighten and bring you back from a false and injurious policy to show you that the highest object of a noble nation is not comprised in the oppression of a kindred race or in destructive dreams of domination over two quarters of the globe. You should not feel surprised, brothers in Moscow, that when you—oblivious of the noble destination of a free nation, and of the interests of civilisation—allowed yourselves to be hurried on by a coarse, ambitious Czar to absorbing other countries, and subjugating other nations, the same Czar and the successors who follow in his footsteps should have laid upon you a yoke of iron. The Czars persuade you to be the liberators of the Slavonic peoples, that, flattering the more noble among you by the aid of this idea, they may the more easily cast yourselves and all the Slavonic tribes into fetters. Three quarters of a century have not yet passed since Europe began to rejuvenise, and since that period she advances constantly with giant steps towards freedom and the happiness of nations. You alone have remained encrusted by the rough barbarism of ancient times, and the Tartaric wildness of the steppes. When the object of Slavonic union is held up to you as the reason for your opposing European and modern civilisation, you cannot wonder that we, as well as entire Europe, reject an idea leading to such an end. It grieves us deeply that you compel us to fulfil' sword in hand, the duty of self-preservation against you ; yet we are ready to forgive all the outrages we have suffered for a century, because we recollect that you have beers led astray into an evil course by a Government unparelleled for its:despotism in modern history. We will willingly extend to you the hand of brotherhood as we extend it to every nation, while we hope that you will ulti. ma'ely have sufficient political insight to pt rceive that two people may easily exist in friendship side by side, but that it can never be the part of the one to enslave nor of the other to be brought into subjectioil.  T" soxF
The Sun. — 1863-11-12 (London, England)

THE RECENT MURDERS.  The bodies of the Hunts and their children have been identified by several relations on both sides of the family. Mrs. Hunt's father is a cab iriver, named Blake, living in St. John'-street, Smithfield. He fully confirms the reports of the neighbours as to the frequency of violent quarrels between Hunt and his wife. Blake's daughter (Mrs. Hunt's sister) states that about a month ago Hunt made an unsuccessful attempt to poison his wife. Latterly he used to beat her severely, and the sister ascribes the wound on the unfortunate woman's foot to a blow from a poker, given to her by Hunt. I'he house in which they lived is a small six-roomed cottage, somewhat poorly furnished, and bearing every mark of a household going to ruin. It has been represented that Hunt had fitted up a room in the house as a laboratory wherein to experiment on poisons. This is not the case ; the only signs of drugs or chemicals in the house are a number of bottles on the back parlour mantel. piece, most of which are empty, the remainder containing a few such harmless substances as borax, camphor, flavouring for pastry, and a few other similar preparations that might be found in every household in the kingdom. It is certain that Hunt well knew the properties of the deadly substances which he used with such terrible effect, but the knowledge was doubtless acquired by him in the course of business. When roused by the police he was in lied reading " Tom Brown at Oxford," and came down to the officers in his night shirt. He must have swallowed the aconite immediately he found that he was pursued,for the bottle, containiag perhaps a couple of drops of the poison, was afterwards found in a cupboard in his bedroom. The story he told to the police about Mrs. Hunt having an uncle at Southampton named Campbell, who had given her £5O, is a pure fabrication from beginning to end, the unfortunate woman's friends being all poor hardworking people, living in London. Hunt's body lies at his house, awaiting the coroner's inquest, which will be opened to-morrow. A post mortein examination will be made to-day by Dr. Puck►e. The guilty man's countenance is most forbidding. A receding forehead, singularly massive frontal bones, and a firm-set mouth inspire one with no very favourable opinion of their possessor. The cabman, Gould, who took the Hunts to the Shoreditch station from Camberwell, went to St. Mary's Hospital yesterday evening to identify the bodies lying there. A great deal has been said about the moustache which was worn by the man in the cab, and sworn to by the cabman, but there seems to be every probability that Hunt wore a false one in order to disguise himself. Hunt must have had some other means of procuring money besides that afforded by his business, for not only did he leave 15 months' salary in the hands of his employers, but £4O in notes was found on his person after his death. At pne time he kept a bookseller's and stationer's shop at the corner of Warner-street, Camberwell New-road, but did not succeed in.business. It is also said that he was formerly in business as a chemist and druggist on his own account.
The Sun. — 1863-11-12 (London, England)

THE RECENT MURDERS.  The bodies of the Hunts and their children have been identified by several relations on both sides of the family. Mrs. Hunt's father is a cab iriver, named Blake, living- in St. John'-street, Smithfield. He fully confirms the reports of the neighbours as to the frequency of violent quarrels between Hunt and his wife. ,Blake's daughter (Mrs. Hunt's sister) states that about a month ago Hunt made an unsuccessful attempt to poison his wife. Latterly he used to beat her severely, and the sister ascribes the wound on the unfortunate woman's foot to a blow from a poker, given to her by Hunt. The house in which they lived is a small six-roomed cottage, somewhat poorly furnished, and bearing every mark of a household going to ruin. It has been represented that Hunt had fitted up a room in the house as a laboratory wherein to experiment on poisons. This is not the case ; the only signs of drugs or chemicals in the house are a number of bottles on the back parlour mantel. piece, most of which are empty, the remainder containing a few such harmless substances as borax, camphor, flavouring for pastry, and a few other similar preparations that might be found in ‘very household in the kingdom. It is certain that Hunt well knew the properties of the deadly substances which he used with such terrible effect, but the knowledge was doubtless acquired by him in the course of business. When roused by the police he was in bed reading "Tom Brown at Oxford," and came down to the officers in his night shirt. He must have swallowed the aconite immediately he found that he was pursued,for the bottle, containing perhaps a couple of drops of the poison, was afterwards found in a cupboard in his bedroom, The story he told to the police about Mrs. Hunt having an uncle at Southampton named Campbell, who had given her £5O, is a pure fabrication from beginning to end, the unfortunate woman's friends being all poor hardworking people, living in London. Hunt's body lies at his house, awaiting the coroner's inquest, which will be opened to-morrow. A post mortein examination will be made to-day by Dr. Puckle. The guilty man's countenance is most forbidding. A receding forehead, singularly massive frontal bones, and a firm-set mouth inspire one with no very favourable opinion of their possessor. The cabman, Gould, who took the Hunts to the Shoreditch station from Camberwell, went to St. Mary's Hospital yesterday evening to identify the bodies lying there. A great deal has been said about the moustache which was worn by the man in the cab, and sworn to by the cabman, but there seems to be every probability that Hunt wore a false one in order to disguise himself. Hunt must have had some other means of procuring money besides that afforded by his business, for not only did he leave 18 months' salary in the hands of his employers, but £lO in notes was found on his person after his death. At one time he kept a bookseller's and stationer's shop at the corner of Warner-street, Camberwell New-road, but did not succeed in.business. It is also said that he was formerly in business as a chemist and druggist on his own account.
The Sun. — 1863-02-18 (London, England)

WESTMINSTER.  EXTENSIVE ROBBERY IN A DWELLING-HOUSE, AND 2G4AyReOaTr years Bo ATTACKfa geofrespectable U rON TII E hlI S TRESS —A m appearance, h o gan v about name of Thomas Enderwood, and with it a false address, was charged with being concerned with another, not in who the custody, in committing an extensive robbery in a dwelling • house, and making a garotte attack upon the mistress of it. Mrs. Pearce, of 1, Smith's-terrace, Chelsea, said —Last night I found this man in my room. At half-past 8 I went up stairs with a candle to my bed-romn, and found I could not very easily open the door, and therefore pushed it with my knee, and on entering the room I found two men—this and another—one was behind the door, the other stood facing me. I directly screamed out, when I was nearly strangled and thrown down. Mr. Arnold—By whom was that done ?  Prosecutrix—By the prisoner. He caught hold of me as he rushed by me. He knocked the candle out of my hand, and then ill-treated me as I have stated.  Mr. Arnold—How did ho ill trEat you? Prosecutrix—He took me by the throat with his two hands and threw me down on my back in the passage, and then ran away. Mr. Arnold—Did bwth go away ? Prosecutrix—Both, while I was lying in the passage, but my husband had heard my screams and came up into the passage directly the prisoner and the other had left. Mr. Arnold—Had the men removed anything? Prosecutrix—Yes, all these things (pointing to a table covered with wearing apparel) were packed up in bags they had brought with them, and were ready to take away. They had ransacked all the drawers, and entirely emptied them of their contents. There were three mats,three dresses, twee shawls, and other things worth £2O, Mr. Arnold—How was this man caught ? Prosecutrix—My husband caught him.  The husband said—l was down stairs, and hearing my wife scream, just got into the passage as they had thrown her down. I saw them leave the house, and followed them. After they had run a short distance they separated, each taking a different aide of the way. I followed prisoner, who was directly stopped.  George Langley, 304 B, said ho met the prisoner, who was calling " Stop thief" at the top of his voice.  Arnold—(to Mr. Pearce)—Did you ever lose sight of the prisoner ?  Mr. Pearce—l did not.  Prisoner-4 won't put you to any more trouble. I will plead guilty. Mr. Arnold—You are remanded for a week. Prisoner—Could not your worship dispose of the ease ? Mr. Arnold—Certainly not.  A deputation from the Southwark Royal Reception Committee, consisting of the High Bailiff of Southwark, Rev. Hugh Allen, D.D., Dr. Chellice, M.D., Dr. Evan B. Jones, Mr. John Vickers, Captain Dresser Rogers, Mr. Eli Richards, Mr. E. Collinson, and Mr. James Robertson, had an interview with the Right Hon. Sir George Grey, at the Home Office, on Manday. John Jeavons, the man charged. with hiving cut the drawing-rope at the Padgett's Croft Colliery, near Bilston—an outrage which led to the deaths of three miners— was yesterday committed for trial by the Bilston magistrates, on a charge or wilful murder.