npedrazzini/19thc_murder_suicide_news huggingface dataset:
The Sun. — 1834-08-14 (London, England)

CORONER--I suppose you mean riotous state? Witness-Yes, Sir, you may call it riotous, but I call it radical.—(Renewed laughter.) He reasoned with him, and advised him to go hope, but it was all to no purpose, and he was ultiinately obliga to take him into custody and convey him to the watchhouse. lr. Williams, the resident surgeon and apothecary in the hospital, deposed that the deceased died of delirium tremens, produced by immoderate drinking. The Jury returned a verdict of " Natural death by the visitation of God."  EXECUTION OF JAMES MURPHY AT DOWN•  On Monday morning, at ten minutes to twelve o'clock, James Mull,by suffered the extreme penalty of the law, in front of the new gaol, for the murder of Archd. M'Gran, at M'Comb's-bridge. The hour appointed for the execution tvas eleven o'clock. at which time a large military and police fere. was drawn up in front of the gaol, commanded by their respective officers. At ten minutes past eleven the unfortunate young man appeared, attended by the Rev. Messrs. Denvir, Curoe, M'Cartan, and Dorrian. He exhibited the greatest dread on approaching tiro scaffold, and became so infirm as to require the aid of two of the • clergy-men, one en each side. By ibis means he was got on the platform, and after Mr. Den. vir had delivered a short prayer, he shook hands with him ; but so tenacious was he of life, that he held a death grip of Mr. Deavir's hand, and would not by any entreaty let it go, saying, " Don't leave me, don't leave me, don't leave me !" and actually followed him off the scaffold. After a lapse of ten minutes, he was again brought up, and from his appearance was evidently weaker than before. He had to be assisted by several officers of the prison before he was got on the scaffold, and after the usual ceremony was gone through, he again made his escape, saying, in a crying tone, " I roust see my father I I can't think of dying without seeing him ! I want a drink ! I must see Mr. Denvir !" The scene now became heart-rending—a thrill of horror seemed to pervade the minds of all present ; never did man show such unwillingness to leave this earthly tabernacle. At the expiration of about half an hour he was again brought, or rather carried up, for a third time, and laid on the scaffold in a sitting posture ; he then listened attentively to the prayers of his church, and repeated, in an audible tone, after the clergyman, "^ Lord have mercy on me—Christ have mercy on me !" after which he was immediately launched into eternity. Though the fall was great, being at least 18 feet, he struggled some time, and seemed strongly convulsed, at least two minutes. Since the unfortunate man received his sentence, he became quite penitent, but never was once known to admit the crime for which he was to die—and on the scaffold he neither admitted his guilt nor protested his innocence. He did not appear to be more than twenty years of age. Though the execution took place an hour earlier than was expected, a large concourse of people was present.
The Sun. — 1834-08-23 (London, England)

WORSHIP-STREET.  TIIE ALLEGED MURDER OF A TRADES' UNIONIST. Patrick Carey, otherwise Cadogan, was again placed at the bar, before Mr. Broughton, to undergo another examination previous to his committal to Newgate on the Coroner's warrant to take his trial, on a charge of having caused the death of a man named Timothy Brien, by suddenly striking bim a mortal blow on his head. The MAGISTRATE informed the prisoner that he had been found guilty of manslaughter, and committed him for trial. Yesterday two children, of the name of Wilson, one a littld girl not eight years of age, and the other, her brother, twelve years only, were brought before Mr. TWYFORD, the sitting Magistrate, charged with obtaining a number of children's chaises.  Sergeant Holland, of the N division, informed t'he Magistrate that on Wednesday last he was sent for by a Mr. Morris, who informed him that the youngest prisoner had just obtained a child's chaise from him on hire at the rate of 2d. an hour. She said she lived in Brick-lane, Spitalfields, and that she was sent by her mother. Mr. Morris asked her if she had the money to leave for the hire, and, finding she had not, sent her home for it, when, in a short time, she returned with it. The time she took in going to Brick-lane being so short, the complainant questioned her if she really had been home ; in answer to which she said yes, but had run all the way, upon which she received the chaise. Strongly suspecting, however, that he might have been imposed upon, notwithstanding that her behaviour and appearance were all in her favour, he despatched a boy after her to watch her. Thomas Webb, the boy, said that he afterwards saw the prisoner, when out of sight of the complainant, give the chaise up to her brother. Witness immediately took it from them, and accompanied them to where they said their mother lived, but on arriving at the house no such person, resided there. Witness, in consequence, informed the officer, Holland, of the circumstance, who took them into custody. Holland told the Magistrate that he had already thirty  charges against them, all for obtaining' chaises in a similar manner. From inquiry which he had made, he had ascertained that the prisoners had no residence in that.district, but lived with their mother in'Gray's Inn-lane, and also that most of the chaises, which cost from 20s. to 80s. each, had, on being obtained, been sold by them for a mere trifle. A broker, named Williams, deposed to having purchased one of them for ss. He had no idea it had been stolen.  Mr. TWYFORI)--YOU ought to go to prison yourself. To the prisoners—Have you a father ? Prisoner—L-No ; le is dead.  Holland—The father, I am told, *was a very respeetabl man, and a shipowner.  Mr. TWYFORD said he should send the prisoners for trial, but ordered them to be brought up again for further examination, to give the other parties an opportunity of coming forward against them.
The Sun. — 1834-01-30 (London, England)

MAR YLEB ONE. I. Hearn, William Tierney, Patrick Galway. John 0' Shaughnessy, John O'Donnell, Luke Barry, John M'Mahon, Thomas Morrison, and Thomas Casey, nine ruffianly-looking fellows, were placed at the bar before Mr. RAWLINSON, charged with the following brutal and outrageous conduct : Michael Wolf, an Irish labourer, resided, as did also the prisoners, in Calmall-buildings, Oxfordstreet. On the night of Saturday last, about halfpast eleven o'clock, he, accompanied by a young man named Drury and two fellow-workmen, were returning home from the pay-table, when, on arriving at the entrance of the buildings, Drury left them for the purpose of purchasing some tobacco. Witnesi had nearly atrived at his own door when he heard cries of " Murder," and immediately ran to the spot from whence the cries proceeded, where be saw Drury on the ground, and the prisoner Morrison standing over kicking him. Witness interfered on his behalf, when he was knocked down by one of the prisoners (all of whom were standing by),  and while down was kicked by O'Donnell and some of the others, whom he could r►ot swear to, till he was rendered pe►fectly senseless. On recovering, he found himself in the pa-sige of No. 12 in Calmall-buildings, five doors from his own residence. He walked out, bu► had not proceeded more than two yards before the prisoner Hearn rushed out of one of the opposite houses, and gave witness a desperate blow on the head with a poker he brandished in his hand. Witness staggered a little, but immediately closed with the prisoner, and having wrested the poker from his grasp, ran away to the stationhouse, from whence two policemen, by direction of the inspector on duty, saw him safe home. John Drury left the witness, as had been deposed, at the corner of the buildings, and in a minute or two after he was met by the prisoner Morrison, who, without any provocation, snuck him a tremendous blow in the eye, wh;ch felled him to the' ground. Several persons then interfered, and he was dragged away.  Mr. RAwuNsoN—What could be their motive for ill-trea►ing you ? Witness—Twenty-five of them have entered into a Union, the same as they do in Ireland ; they call themselves the Loyal Brothers, and are sworn in to strike all those who do not belong to them. Neither I nor Wolf have joined them.  Mr. RAWLINSON —Where are they sworn in ? Witness—At the Grosvenor Arms, George-street, Grosvenor-square, and each then declare their resolution to fight for each other till they die. Ellen Murphy, No. 24, Barrett's-court, heard a disturbance in Calmall-buildings, she being at that time on a visit to a friend there, and on going up to see what was the matter, she saw the last witness lying on his hands and knees ; the prisoners were all standing round him, kicking him. She attempted to assist him up, when one of time prisoners struck her, and she then went away.  The prisoners, who all denied the charge, were ordered to find good bail to answer the charge at the Sessions.
The Sun. — 1834-03-08 (London, England)

ABINGDON, MARCH 6.—On Thursday the 20th ult. a human skeleton was exhumed, by a man in the act of ditching, about a furlong from the public house at Foxcombe-hill. This circumstance awakened, in the remembrance of many, by-gone tales that have been related again and again for the last twenty years by an old man, John Viner, an inhabitant of Sunningwell, whose character as a reprobate of the highest Satanic eminence might well have given currency to the blood-stirring tales he told, had he not also at the same time acquired the unenviable distinction of being such an inveterate liar that not the least dependence could be placed in any fact that he uttered. The substance of these tales was, that when a boy, about ten or twelve years of age, he lived as servant with a farmer of the name of Hedges, who resided at Bayworth, which is in the same parish as is the site of the following tragedy; that he and his master had been to a certain place to fetch some pigs, but that the animals were so unmanageable, it was almost dark before they reached the Fox, which is the public house above alluded to—that his master made up his mind to leave the pigs there all night, and that they then went into the house to take some refreshment—that in the course of the evening the company was increased by the arrival of a Scotchman, with a large pack, who expressed a desire to sleep there, but who was informed by Chapman, the landlord, that he could not be accommodated—that these two had a quarrel when the Scotchman was about to"pay his reckoning, and that Chapman made the poker red hot, and swore that he would run the former through the heart—that subsequently this misunderstanding was adjusted, and the Scotchman observed, as he could not sleep there, he must get on towards Oxford ; but as he was a stranger, and the road by no means easily to be discerned, the landlord and his master insisted on accompanying him a part of the way ; in fact, Hedges's road lay in the same direction, and the narrator (Viner) himself accompanied them ; that the party having arrived at a certain point, Hedges directed him (Viner) to stay there, and give the alarm if he heard or saw any one approaching—that he did remain there till he was convinced that the Scotchman had ,been murdered and buried, which occupied about an hour, when Chapman returned to the Fox, and Hedges and he went home to Bayworth, when his master gave him a pocket full of halfpence as " hush money," and that he never after refused him money when he demanded it, and that he had also promised him a considerable legacy; of the veracity of which he had never doubted, but in which, however, lie was undeceived by the death of this person, whose secret he had till that moment kept. It may be proper here to remark that Chapman, as well as hedges, were massy years ago sum.
The Sun. — 1834-01-07 (London, England)

LORD JOHN RUSSELL AND THE DISSENTERS.—A good deal of intere-t having been excited as to what was the answer of Lord John to the deputation of Dissenters at Plymouth, who waited on his Lordship for the purpose of staring the grievances under which they laboured, we have much pleasure in being enabled to aiti•fy public cu. iosity. We are told that his Lordship's answer was, lint he would willingly co-operate with them in regard to registration of births and marriages, but the other points required consideration ; he could not agree to any principle subversive of an established church.--. Western Time  Sir John Soane, who has contributed more liberally to the encouragement of art than any other private individual in the king.lom, offered to subscribe 1,0001., and the E.rl of Egremont 2,0001., towards the purchase of Sir Thomas Lawrence's collection of drawings by the old masters, for the purpose of placing them in the new National Gallery ; but the example of these red and substantial patrons has not, we regret to say, been followed.  Sir Edward Bauchere Hartop is about to form a matrimonial alliance with Miss Gent, daughter of Mrs. General Gent. Mr. Hartop, who is the possessor of a large domain in England and Ireland, and a mansion near Blelton Mowbray, is the eldest son of Lady Palk by her first husband, Mr. Hartop, who was prematurely cut off a few years after his marriage. A pretended anecdote of Ankerstrom, the reputed assassin of Gustavus of Sweden, and Mr. Wood, the Proprietor of a Hotel in Psnton_square, coupled with a splendid apostrophe of the author about the fate of an empire havirg been decided by the goodeature of a coffee-house keeper, has lately gore the round of the newspapers. In the article in question it is stated that Ankerstrom was a guest of Mr. Wood, to whom he owed a debt of fifteen pounds, and that the assassination of Gustavus took place shortly atter Ankerstrom left London, which he could not have done if Mr. Wood had not generously assisted him in his difficulties. The truth is, that Ankerstrom never was a guest of Mr. Wood, and that Mr. Wood had never seen him. The only p, rson connected with the conspiracy against Gustavus, with whom Mr. Wood Las bad any acquaintance, is a Col. K—, a Swede, who became his guest long after the murder of the King of Sweden. This Col. K— is now in the service of Dun Pedro. Mr. Wood is indeed his creditor, not to the extent of 131. 'merely, but of several hundreds; and but for the good nature of the Hotel, the Colonel would not have had the power of visiting Portugal. The whole story, however, as regards Ankerstrom is a fiction. It may be added .that Cul. K—. has frequently decia:ed to Mr. Wood and others that Ankerstrom was not the actual assassin of the King, but that the murder was perpetrated by another person, who is still living. Ankerstrom, who was one of the ce:nspirators, bed too much generosity to make any attempt to save his own life by betraying the mm who committed the murder.
The Sun. — 1834-08-05 (London, England)

IRELAND.  CLONMEL, JULY 31.  The Assizes for the county of Tipperary commenced this day before Barons SMITH and FOSTER ; the former presiding in the Criminal, and the latter in the Civil or Record Court. After the Grand Jury had been sworn, Baron Smith addressed them on the state of the country and the discharge of their duties. His speech was very eloquent, and shorter than some which he has delivered on similar ocbasions within the last three years. It appeared to have been all written out before hand, as he seldom raised his eyes from a paper which lay before him, at the same time, his enunciation was dkinet, emphatic, and very audible from so old a man. The public prints, will no doubt, furnish a correct report of it in a few days. In the mean time it may not be uninteresting to the readers of your liberal and impartial journal to have an outline of it, from one who regrets in being obliged to admit that, considering the state of faction and parties in this country, the prudence of such exhortations, even from an enlightened Judge, is questionable. Sir William began by saying, that though in a crowded population, such as is to be found in this county, the infirmity of human nature was such as not to allow them any time to contemplate a very light calendar; still he was sorry that he could not on this occasion congratulate them that the number of crimes was within reasonable limits ; for, considering the recency of the last assizes, the names exhibiting on the criminal list upwards of 200 for various offences, afforded no grounds of congratulation. Of that number 47 were for murder, 55 for crimes connected with combination, and the remainder for larceny, and other offences of an ordinary nature, but many of which might have originated from the factious and uncivilized condition of a great part of the community. In commenting on this state of things, he alluded to his predictions, about three years ago, respeLieg the possibly dangerous tendency of the " system of passive :qsistance" which then prevailed. With the exception of this little ebullition of egotism, there was nothing in his speech to the propriety of which every one who heard him ought not to subscribe. And if Sir William Smith had, in the spirit of impartiality which formerly characterised him, and which I do not say he has yet totally abandoned, deprecated the proceedings of ALL factions, as well as those of the "agitators," he would deserve the thanks of every class of Irishmen. But Sir William seems to forget that there are other factions besides those who agitate and murder each other at fairs and markets, who have been long upholding misery and barbarism in Ireland—that faction which cherishes ascendency and would perpetuate an exclusion from civil rights against a portion of Their countrymen. Let tbis truly learned, eloquent, and enlightened Judge only denounce that party—disclaim that partizanship which he has been latterly suspected of, and his addreslns may tend greatly to aid Mr. Littleton in promoting a feeling, and consequently the civilization and happiness of I:eland.
The Sun. — 1834-05-30 (London, England)

EXTRAORDINARY HAIL STORM.--011 Sunday last, during the time of divine service, a shower of hail fell on the line of road between Drumquin and Dromore, in the county of Tyrone, which surprised all who witnessed it. So great was the fall, that the surface of the ground, in about an hour, was covered to the depth of six, and in some places eight inches, and so hard and durable was the hail that traces of it were visible at twelve o'clock next day. What is very remarkable, the shower confined itself to a vein of the country about eight miles in length, varying from one to three in breadth. All the surrounding places were drenched by a heavy rain ; there was also a good deal of lightning and some thunder during the time. —Londonderry Sentinel.  The Gazette des Tribunaux contains an account of the trial of a young man for the crime of assassinating his mistress, who was pregnant by him. The trial took place last week at the Court of Assize at St. Omer's, and the circumstances, as they were stated in evidence, were as follow :—On the 21st of January last, a young girl named Marie Lefebvre, who was employed as housemaid at the Chateau d'Ambers, in the village of Vendin-le-Viel, was found dead in her room, and bathed in blood. There was a dreadful wound on the left side of the head, and a gun, which had burst, near the corpse, left no doubt that she had been shot at. The murderer, however, not content with firing at his victim, had also inflicted three severe wounds on her stomach with a knife, and had the brutality to leave her person exposed. The surgeon who examined the body stated that the poor creature was pregnant. Suspicion fell upon the prisoner, a carpenter, named Jean Baptiste Rose. It was known that he was frequently at the chateau, and that he was paying his addresses to the unfortunate girl Lefebvre. There were some traces of blood upon the butt of the gun, which indicated that the murderer had received a wound in the hand, and this was the case with the prisoner when he was apprehended. His shoes also exactly corresponded with some footmarks in the garden, which were so situated as to leave no doubt that they were those of the murderer. Notwithstanding these evidences of guilt, the prisoner, who was present when the body was opened, preserved the utmost indifference, and asked to have the job of nailing up the coffin. During this operation he dropped his apron, and perceiving, when picking it up, that there was blood upon his shoe-buckle, he tried to rub it off. This action having been observed, led to other inquiries, the result of which left no doubt that the prisoner, having taken advantage of the poor girl, wanted to get rid of her, and. that he took the means into his own hands. The jury found him guilty of murder, but without premeditation, so that the capital punishment was avoided, and he was sentenced to hard labour for life, and to be exposed in the pillory.  SPORTING INTELIAGENCt.
The Sun. — 1834-10-30 (London, England)

MAR YLEB ONE. Henry Macey, an intelligent little boy, aged 12, was brought before Mr. Ravvlinson, by a policeman of the D Division, under the following circumstances : The constable, on the previous night, was asked by Mr. Brown, cowkeeper and dairyman, No. 51, Dorset-street, Manchester-square, to go to the Cross Keys-mews, Marylebone-lane, and to take the boy whom he would find there to the station-house, as he had run away from home in consequence of the ill-treatment he received from his mother, and he (Mr. Brown) thought the matter ought to be investigated before a Magistrate. Witness accordingly acted as desired.  The mother of the lad having been sent for, Mr. Brown rented apartments in his house. Her husband was a courier, at present in Italy. She had five children, and the boy then before the bench, on whom she exercised the greatest cruelty, was the eldest of the male branches of the family. He was kept in a back room with scarcely any victuals, and no covering whatever with the exception of a cotton pinafore for a fortnight together, sometimes not so long, and very often turned out in that state to sit on the stairs for hours together ; the little sufferer was also very often severely beaten by its mother, and would creep down stairs of an evening and ask witness to give him somethit', to eat, as he had nothing all day. Witness had also seen him eating potatoe parings which he had taken out of the dust-hole. About three weeks back witness was alarmed by hearing the boy screaming in a most alarming manner, and on going up stairs into the room found him on the floor, bleeding profusely froni a wound on his face, his mother on the top of him, striking and kicking him in a violent manner. On seeing witness, however, she got up, and he then went down stairs and called in a policeman, who refused to interfere, as he had not seen anything of the affair, or heard any cries of murder. The boy had been absent from home since Saturday, only living upon witness's bounty, who told the policeman to act as above stated. .  The boy corroborated Mr. Brown's statement, and added that his mother was in the frequent habit of kicking him, and taking him up by the legs and knocking his head against the wall. Here he exhibited his neck which was very much bruised, as likewise his face. Mrs. Macey declared that all Brown and her son had stated was false. Mr. RAWLINSON, addressing King, the parish officer (who was in attendance during the examination—l should wish you to take the boy into the workhouse, and tell the Directors and Guadians, who can further inquire into the case, and act as they think proper, or otherwise I will order the mother to find bail to keep the peace towards him. Mr. King should be glad if Mr. Brown would appear before the Board at the workhouse, on Friday, and state to them what he had now done, and in the meantime the boy would be taken into the house. .  Mr. Brown would be happy to do so, and the parties left the office.