npedrazzini/19thc_murder_suicide_news huggingface dataset:
Weekly News. — 1890-11-27 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

GLADSTONE AND MR. PARNELL.  The following letter from Mr. Gladstone to Mr. John Morley was communicated to Mr. Parnell in the course of Tuesday afternoon "1, Carlton Gardens, Nov. 24, 1220.  " My dear Morley,— " Having arrived at a certain conclusion with regard to the continuance at the present moment of Mr. Parnells leadership of the Irish party, I have seen Mr. McCarthy on my arrival in town, and have inquired from him whether I w likely to receive front Mr. Parnell himself any communication on the subject. Mr. McCarthy replied that he was unable to give me any communication on the subject. I mentioned to him that in 1082, after the terrible murder to the Phrenix Park, Mr. Parnell, although totally removed from any idea of responsibility, had spontaneously written to me and offered to take the Chiltern Hundreds, an offer much to his honour, but one which I thought it my duty to decline. " While clinging to the hope of a communication from Mr. Parnell to whomsoever addressed, I thought it necessary, viewing the arrangements for the cornmencernent of the Session to-morrow, to acquaint Mr. McCarthy with the conclusion at which, after using all the means of observation and reflection in my power, I had myself arrived. It was that, notwithstanding the • splendid services rendered by Mr. Parnell to his country, his continuance at the present moment an the leadership would be productive of consequenzes disastrous in the highest degree to the cause of Ireland. I think I may be warranted in baking you so far to explain the conclusion I have given above as to add that the continuance which I speak of would not only place many hearty and effective friends of the Irish cause in a position of great embarrassment, but would render my retention of the leaderahip of the Liberal party, barred as it has boon mainly upon the prosecution of the Irish cause, almost a nullity. "This explanation of my own view I begged Mr. McCarthy to regard as confidential, and not intended for his colleagues generally, if he found that Mr. Parnell contemplated spontaneous action. But I alas begged that he would make known to the Irish party at their meeting to-morrow afternoon that such was my conclusion if he should find that Mr. Parnell had not in contemplation any wacp of the nature indicated. "I now write to you in case Mr. McCarthy should be unable to communicate with Mr. Parnell, as I understand you may possibly have an opening to-morrow through another channel. Should you have such an opening I would beg you to make known to Mr. Parnell the conclusion itself, which I have stated in the earlier part of this letter. I have thought it best to put it is terms sniple and direct, much as I should have desired had it ben, within my power to alleviate the painful nature of the situation. As respects the tuannerof conveying what my public duty has made it an obligation to say, I rely entirely on your good feeling, tact, and judgment. " Believe me, "Sincerely yours, " W. E.
Weekly News. — 1890-09-18 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

TERRIBLE MURDER AT PLUMSTEAD. A shocking murder was perpetrated at Plumstead on Saturday morning. It appears that between 12 and I o'clock, Walter James Lyons, aged 20, a machinist in the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich, living at 32, Conway-road, Plumstead, went home and found his mother (a widow) had gone to bed and left the house in darkness. Suspecting something wrong he procured a light, and on entering his mother's room found her in bed with a Quarter- . master-sergeant in the Artillery, named Stewart, , stationed at WoMwith Barracks. A violent alter- , cation took place between the son, mother, and Stewart. The two latter got up, left the house, and walked into Griffin-road, a street adjoining. When they did not return to the house the son went out ati half past lin the morning to look for them. He found them together by a fence in Griffin-road. Another violent altercation took place, resulting la young Lyons stabbing Stewart in the cheat with a butcher's knife, which he brought from his home. The knife penetrated nine inches and entered the heart. Stewart fell and expired on the spot. Mr. Reavell, principal foreman in the Royal Laboratory, who was returning home, saw the knife glitter by the gaslight, went to the spot and procured help. The eon was apprehended by Sergeant French, who took him to Wixilwich police-station, where he was charged with murdering Stewart. He math- a statement that his motive for the deed was his strong disapproval of Stewart's conduct. The knife was secured, and the body of the murdered man conveyed to the parish mortuary in Plumstead . churchyard. The widow is about 40 years of age, and lost her husband Ave months ago At Woolwich Police Court on Saturday afternoon, 'Walter James Lyons was charged with the murder. Hrhe Court was crowded with soldiers and others. —Police Sergeant Rolfe said: "This morning, at half-past one o'clock. I was in Plumstead-road in company with Constable 470 R, when we heard r screams of a woman in Griffin-road. We went to the spot, and saw several men standing in the 'road, and the deceased man lying on the ground near the middle of the roadway. The prisoner came to me with the knife produced in his hand. (The sergeant held up a butcher's knifewith a blade eight inches long.) The prisoner said to me, "1 stabbed him; here Is the knife." The deceased, who was fully dressed in regimentals, was (mite dead. I told the prisoner I should take him into custody for causing the death of the man, and he said, "All right; I stabbed him. and I know my doom." He appeared to have had a glass of drink, but he knew perfectly well what he was doing.— Prisoner being asked if he had anything to say, answered, " No." A man in court wished to speak on behalf of prisoner, but was not p emitted to do so, the magistrate remarking that nothing could avail the prisoner at this stage of the case. Lyons was then remanded until Friday.
Weekly News. — 1889-12-19 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

LYNCHING IN AMERICA.  Robert Bland,who attempted to commit an assault on Miss Annie Gee, aged 16 years, daughter of the Hon. Charles Gee, United States Inspector of Lumber at Sitka, Alaska, was taken from the gaol of Prince George County one night a fortnight ago, and lynched. A mob, consisting of 40 mounted men, well masked, went to the residence of Henry King, the negro gaoler, and demanded the keys of the gaol. He stoutly refused to surrender the keys or to go to the gaol and unlock the door. The mob then burst open the doors of the gaoler's house and again demanded the keys. On refusal to give them up they placed • rope around King's neck and dragged him to the gaol, several hundred yards from the house. Despite this treatment King still refused to tell where the keys were, but just before the gaol was reached the keys were heard rattling in his pocket. The mob took them from him, carried him into the gaol, and made him lead the way to the cell in which Bland was confined. Bland had nothing to say when the lynchers came to his cell, but was perfectly quiet. He was tied hand and foot and carried off about 75 yards from the gaol, where ha was swung up by a rope to the branch of a tree. He begged piteously for life, but the lynchers were deaf to his appeals. His body was riddled with bullets and left dangling from the tree. Bland was about 21 years old, and of a worthless character. He was first arrested by a posse of men who went in pursuit of him, and he had been Rent on for trial as the December term of the County Court.  The Rev. Edward Bradley, better known by NMI de plume, "Cuthbert Bede," the author of " Von lent Green" and other works, died at his residence, ,oar Grantham, on Thursday morning. Mr. Bradley had been in failing health far the past year. He was in his 62nd year. Two men, named Samuel M'Mullan and William Nixon, have been committed for trial on the charge of murdering James Cunningham, who was hi ld in a fight among a party of mill workers near Bally. nah inch, on Saturday night.  • -- -Mr. Claude Marks, Mr. Charles Woolfe, and Mr. James Maria appeared before the Alderman, at the London Guildhall, on Friday, to justify bail in connection with the alleged blackmailing mtge.—The Chief Clerk stated that the case by certiorari had been moved from the Old Bailey to the High Court, and that the bail had been fixed as under—defendants themvelves in £2OO each, and two sureties in £lOO, that they should appear on the 13th of January to take their trial and to pay such costs as the Court might order. Lord Carnarvona edition of "The Earl of Ches.. terfield's Letters to his Godson," issued through the Clarendon Press, was wholly taken up by the booksellers on the day of publication. The next "reminiscence book" promises to be very interesting. Messrs. Macmillan have in hand, to be published at the end of next month, " Leave. of a Life," by Montagu Williams, Q.C.  . _ Mr. Gladstone is writing an article on Mr. Motley and his works, which will appear in an American review, and which is to contain some very interestinw uersonal reminiscences of the famous historian.
Weekly News. — 1889-09-07 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

CURIOUS PUNISIIMZ!!TS.  We all know that, in England, the mode of punishing murderers is by hanging, but hanging is not universal. Perhaps the most humane method of capital punishment is by the guillotine, so called after its inventor, Dr. Guillotine, who introduced it into France in the year 1789, a few years previous to the " Reign of Terror. „ The first person to di of it was a highwayman named Pelletier, who was decapitated in 1792. It has been stated that De. Guillotine fell a victim to ]s invention, but such is not the case, as he died a natural death in 1814 or 1815. . _ . . . .  The garotte is prevalent in Spain. It consiets of a stout post, to which an iron collar is affixed, there being a turnscrew passing through the poet, which is no arranged that, with a turn or two, the condemned man can be choked in an instant. In Japan the mode of execution resembles that of France, so fax as decapitation is concerned; but, instead of a guillotine being used, a sword, wielded by a masked Jap, is substituted. No sooner has the criminal knelt down than with one swinging blow, his severed head lies in a pool of blood. As readers will already know, the Americans are anbstitutiug electricity far hanging ; and,as this mode of punishment has been discussed in our newspapers, this passing reference will, no doubt, suffix*. In Samoa, the most heinous crimes are punished by the criminal being degraded to the position of a being likened to a pig. The offender's[hands and feet are tied (at the wrist and ankles respectively), and then a pole—and not a very smooth one either—is placed in the two circles thus formed, if such they can be designated. Two men, one at each end of the pole, then carry the offender, with his beck to the ground, of course—somewhat similar to the way in which a pig is carried to the oven—through the streets of the village to the house of the person against whom be has offended, who is generally perfectly satisfied with the severity of the sentence. How many English burglars would like tobe so treated? In Siam, Burmah, and in parts of India and the surrounding countries, the culprit, after having his hands and feet bound, is fastened by a chain to the hind leg of an elephant, which is then urged throngh the streets at a sharp Met, giving the chain a sudden jerk at each step, and so causing unutterable pain. After thia has gone on for some time, the offender is put out of misery by the elephant crushing him beneath its ponderous feet. In Abyssinia, the loss of a hand or foot is generally the punishment inflicted. A thief is publicly horsewhipped. A debtor is hauled to priaon, and fastened by chains to the walls of his cell, until the debt is paid. The chain is fastened to the wrists so tightly that the circulation of the blood is impeded, the hands becoming benumned and finally dropping off from mortification. _
Weekly News. — 1889-10-03 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

FOUND MURDERED IN A TRAIN.  On Saturday an inquest was held at Battersea, into the circumstances attending the death of • newly-born child, found in a railway carriage. William Broadhurst, • guard in the employ of the London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway Company, said he was in charge of a train from London Bridge to Battersea Park, and on arrival at the latter station he found in cue of the third-cies carriages • brown paper panel, and banded it to toe inspector. He did not notice the parcel until the train arrived at Battersea.—James Perry, an inspector, deposed to receiving the parcel from the last witness. He opened it, and a child's foot protruded. He banded the parcel to the police.—Police-constable Cox stated that the parcel was handed to him, and he took it to the police-station. It had on it a label from the Co-operative Stores and was addressed to the "Hon. Sir T. L Carlos-street, Grosvenor-street, W." Inside the wrapper was the written word "Layard." The body was wrapped in some linen and tick.—Dr. Burroughs said the deceased had been dead about five days. In his opinion the child was suffocated by the tying of a napkin around its Ihead.—A detective intimated that he had made inquiries at the hotel named in the paper,and found that the cover in which the child was found formed the wrapper of a parcel sent to the hotel for the Hon. Mr. Plunkett two years Imo. Since that date he had not been to the hotel.—Tbe case was adjourned.  'Thursday being the commencement of the Jewish New Year (WO) it was observed as a general holiday among the community in London, and most of the principal Jewish places of business were closed.  It is stated that Dr. Forbes Winslow has handed over to the police, at the request of the Government authorities, all the documents in his possession relating to the clue which he alleges he has worked up in connection with the Whitechapel mysteries. A terribly revolting story comes from Calcutta. Early one morning an 18-months.old child, who was loaded with ornaments, was left by the maid in charge of it with a butcher in Bow Bazaar, in Calcutta. When the servant returned to take the child home she was informed that its father had already done so. This having been foutd to be untrue, the police were informed and a search was made. It was then discovered that the child had been murdered by the butcher for its ornaments, its body cut up,and a portion of the flesh actually sold as goat's meat to a customer.  Messrs. Cassell and Co. have printed for the National Liberal Club an excellent reproduction of the very beautiful album which was presented by the club to Mr. and Mrs. Gladstone on the oc“ision of their golden wedding. The beauty and allegorical suggestiveness of the designs have been generally and warmly acknowledged, and these engravings preserve the spirit of them with great success. The last page is devoted to facsimiles of the written memoranda in which Messrs. J. MWhirter, L. F. Day, Henry Holiday, Walter Crane, Marcus Stone, Alfred Parsons, and Arthur Severn explain the artistic motives of their several drawings.
Weekly News. — 1889-12-26 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

THE ACTION AGAINST LORD SALISBURY  DECISION OF THE JUDGES. • On Saturday, in the Queen's Bench Division, before Justices Field and Manisty, the application for • new trial on behalf of Mr. W. O'Brien against Lord Salisbury came up for judgment. The action was brought to recover damages from the Marquis of Salisbury for libel contained in • speech made by the Premier at Watford, in the course of which he commented upon a speech made by Mr. O'Brien at Ballyneal, and imputed, it was said, to have given incitement to crime and outrage. Mr. Justice Field said the action was tried before Mr. Justice Stephen at the last summer assizes at Manchester, when a verdict was passed for the defendant. A new trial was asked for on the grounds of misdirection and that the verdict was not warranted by the evidence. Having referred to the position of the partie., the learned judge said that of course in that court political considerations had no place. Having dealt with the hita Ty of the National League and the system of boycotting "land-grabbers," the learned judge said that on the 30th of Septem. her, 1888, Mr. O'Brien made a speech at Ballyneal to a meeting nf some 4,000 or 5,000 persons, in which he made a strong appeal to the people of Tipperary in favour of boycotting, which lord Salisbury, in his speech at Watford. considered would be understood by those who heard or read it as conveying the meaning that "land-grabbers " in the neighbourhood where the language was used should be treated in the future as they had been in the past. The plaintiff took the innuendo in the remarks of Lord Salisbury that he (Mr. O'Brien) had solicited and incited those who heard him to murder, rob, and onmmit other agrarian outrages upon men who took unlet farms. On the part of the defendant, it was denied that the words in question bore the meaning attributed to them in the innuendo, and it was further alleged that in the sense in which the words ought to be reasonably understood they were fair and honest comment upon the plaintiff's public conduct, speeches, and writings. He (Mr. Justice Field) had come to the conclusion, after carefully considering the whole matter, that Mr. Justice Stephen directed the jury rightly, that the jury fully understood the question they had to decide,and that there was no ground for disturbing the verdict.— Mr. Justice Manisty concurred, and a new trial was refused, defendant's costs being disallowed.  . Princess Louise, who has occupied her house in Kensington Palace since her return from Scotland, is engaged in finishing a portrait of the Queen which 'he began during her visit to Balmoral in the autumn. It has been reported to the War Moe that since the commencement of the current volunteer year, on the let of November, about 50 officers have resigned their commissions. Many regiments are experiencing serious inconvenience. .  Her Majesty's storeship Wye has arrived at Portsmouth from Montevideo and Ascension. She brings home her usual consignment of turtles from the latter place, one specimen, which is about 100 years old, being intended for the Queen
Weekly News. — 1889-08-03 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

LOST ON MOUNT OLYMPUS.  The fate of Mr. Macmillan instill shrouded in the deepest mystery. The Constantinople correspondent of the Daily Chronicle, under date July 24, sends the following particulars of his disappearance. Mr. Macmillan, who is a son of the well-known publisher, came to Constantinople about three weeks ago on a pleasure trip. On the 11th inst. he left for Broussa with Mr. A. Hardinge, one of the secretaries of the Embassy here. On the 13th, attended by a servant, they started to ride up Mount Olympus. At the second plateau of the mountain they dismounted, and, after lunching, set out to walk to the summit, leaving the man in charge of the horses. After climbing for some distance, the travellers separated, Mr. Harding. making for the higher peak, while Mr. Macmillan ascended the lower, with the intention of following his companion afterwards. Arrived at the summit, Mr. Hardinge saw Mr. Macmillan on the lower cone, and waved his handkerchief to him. Mr. Macmillan began the descent, and he MY last seen about half way down the smaller cone. Finding that his friend did not come, Mr. Hardinge came down and went to the place where he had last seen him. There was no trace of Mr. Macmillan. Expecting to find he had returned to the starting point, Mr. Hardinge came down to the second plateau. He was not to be found, and Mr. Hardinge and the servant, after searching in all directions, returned to the town and telegraphed to the British Embassy at Therapia the news of Mr. Macmillan's strange disappearance. Mr. Block, dragoman of the Embassy, was sent to Browns. He organised search parties, sending out 10 men in various directions, and offered a reward of £.500 for Mr. Macmillan living, and £25 for his body. The Governor of Broussa dispatched 15 zaptieln,and the prospect of the reward has led about 200 men besides to engage in the search. All has been fruitless. The man who accompanied the travellers says that he was within earshot of Mr. Macmillan all the time, and that when he last new him he will about half way down the peak. Some distance from the spot at which the horses were tethered there are three huts belonging to Albanian shepherds. It is believed that men in hiding within theee huts could have reached Mr. Macmillan near the point where he was last seen without attracting the attention of the man in charge of the horses. Conjecture is rife as to the fate of Mr. Macmillan. There are numbers of Circassian& and others who would not hesitate either to kill or carry off any traveller. But they are business-like gentry, and if they had him alive would almost certainly ere this have named the ransom they demanded. Had he been killed the murderers would probably have 'found "the body and claimed the £25. The guides state that there are on the mountain no crevasses or fissures intowhich a traveller could fall; and even had there been his body must have been discovered by the searchers. Mr. Block has returned, the search being considered hopeless; but the peasants and others are still scouring Mount Olympus and its neighbourhood.
Weekly News. — 1892-04-14 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

ANTI-JEWISH OUTRAGE AT PORT SAID. The approach of the Passover, says the Berlin correspondent of the Daily News, is every year the signal fur all sorts of stories of alleged murders of children by Jews for ritual purposes. From Corfu great excitement on this account is once more reported, and the anti-Semitic papers report from Port Said the latest tale of this kind. The Kreurteitung gives the following story! A Jew named Carmona, who acted as clerk of the Jewish synagogue in Port Said, enticed Helen Vasilios, a Greek child, who was playing in the street, to follow him into his house. The mother, upon missing her child, was told that Cannuna had been seen with her, and the house of the Jew was soon surrounded by a crowd who threatened t) storm it. Carmona swore that he had not seen the child, and allowed a number of Gre(ks, with the child's mother, to enter the house. When it seemed that they had searched everywhere a small room was discovered, looking into the yard. Here they tound an old Jewess holding the child, who was gagged and blindfolded, down on the floor. The old woman was beaten till she was iosensible, Cannona received wounds from which lie died soon after, and another Jew was also killed. The Chief of Police arrest( dl5 Greeks, but at the instance of the Greek Consul released them, as it was feared that the excitement would assume still greater dimensions. The Tayeblatt, however, presents the matter in another light: On the afternoon in question two childr n were playing together in the street. One was a Greek, the other a Jewish child. In the midst of their play they ran into a small room in the house ot the Jewish child's grandparents, and which opened on to the street. The children in their haste closed the door aft r the in. When they tried to return they found that the old lock could not be opened from the inside, and began to knock as leudly as they could. Some good-for-nothing Greeks, the scum of the seaport town, who were sitting opposite in a coffeehouse, had noticed all this, arid conceived the idea of injuiEg the Jews by making out a case of attempt( d ritual murder. They rushed across the street, penetrated int.° the house, and knocked at the doc rof the prayer-room in which the Jewish child's grandfather, a poor old blind man of 85, was pra3ing. His ife hearing the cries flew down to her husband, told him what had occurred, and urged him to let out the children, and to sliew the unharti.ed Cref.k (had to the inob. The poor old man op: ned the door, and at the same moment was felled to the ground. His skull was smashed, and both legs and seven ribs broken. When the corpse was placed in a cart to be taken to the hospital these inhuman creatures, not having had enough, threw large stones upon the dead body.