npedrazzini/19thc_murder_suicide_news huggingface dataset:
Northern Times. — 1857-06-15 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

MURDER OF AN AGED WOMAN.  On Friday afternoon, an inquest took place at the Swan Inn, Redvales near Bury, before Mr. Price, deputycoroner, on the body of an aged woman which was found in the river Irwell, at a place called Britain, in the parish of Radcliffe, on Wednesday evening last. The matter is still involved in considerable mystery, the following being the principal facts that have yet been brought to light : On Wednesday morning last, between six and seven o'clock, a woman about sixty years of age, called at a lodging-house kept by Rachel Robinson, Cross-street, Bury, and stated that she had come from Ramsbottom, having left the place where she lodged at an early hour, in consequence of their being fighting with pokers in the house. After taking rest and refreshment, she left the lodging-house at Bury, about ten o'clock in the forenoon, intimating that she was going to Radcliffe or Manchester, and that if she did not go to Manchester, she would return to Bary in the evening. About half-past four o'clock in the afternoon of the same day, a woman, named Mary Settle, went to a well for-some water, when she observed some sticks near to the river side, and on going to gather them saw a human hand projecting out of the water. Information was afterwards communicated to the police, and the body was removed to the Swan Inn. A post mortem examination was afterwards made by Mr. Lancashire, surgeon, Pilkington, when he found that several severe wounds had been inflicted. The right side of the head was much bruised and torn ; on the right eyebrow there was a triangular cut, eaca of the three sides being about an inch in length ; the temporal bone on the right side, and part of the skull were laid bare, and the covering next to the bone was stript off; the skin about the left eye and cheek was bruised, and there was an irregular cut extending from near the left eye two inches and .a half in length ,dowTt to the bone, the scalp was almost entirely stripped from the skull, and the bones of the skull were broken into seven pieces. The base of the skull was also fractured. The second, third, and fourth ribs were fractured about three inches from the spine. The spinons processes of the sixth and seventh cervical vertebrae were broken. Mr. Lancashire was certain that thefractures of the skull were produced before death, and by some person or persons other than the deceased. She was killed before being placed into the water, as the heart cauld not have been empty if she had been drowned. The fractures of the skull, and the separation of the cervical vertebrae were sufficient to cause immediate death. She was more than sixty years of age, and was without teeth.—Mrs. Robinson identified the body as that of an old woman who called at .her house.—The jury returned a verdict of " Wilful Murder" against some person or persons unknown. The 7.7,4 a-r. 7n fhA of the day. in such a populous district, could take place without being discovered; and it is difficult to conjecture what motive could be assigned for the commission of such a barbarous act, upon an old, and apparently a poor woman.  THE CENTaAL
Northern Times. — 1857-10-01 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

NOP.THERN TIMES of Tuesday, we published a note from Mr. John Laird, intimating that Mr. James E. Rae, the Minag,r of the Birkenhead Branch of the North and South \Vales Bank, had kindly consented to receive 6 übscriptions in aid of the Relief Fund for the suff,trers by the Indian mutinies. We need hardly say that, such relief, to be really valuable, should be immediate; and, we have no doubt, but that the residents of Birkenhead will cheerfully and liberally respond to the call now made upon them, without the aid of a public meeting to arouse sympathy. The inquest on the bodies those persons who lost their lives by the accident on the Great Northern Railway, has ended in a verdict of accidental death. The Coroner's jury, however, were of opinion that there is not sufficient caution given to engine-drivers working express trains, and that they have too much liberty to work their engines at any rate of speed. The jury also requested the coroner to bring the subject under the consideration of the Government.  A very interesting eeremony took place at the Sailors' Home, yesterday- Captain Sharp, of the ship Ann Pitcairn Sharp, was presented with a gold chronometer watch and chain, from the Presi. dent of the United States ; Captain Graham, late of the ship Abel Gower, with a gold medal, from the Swedish Government ; and William Eccles, of Hoylake, fisherman, with a silver medal, the gift of the Board of Trade, for their gallant conduct on most trying occasions. We refer our readers to our ample report of the proceedings. The meeting of the West Derby Guardians was held yesterday, but the proceedings were of a merely routine charaetar, and does not call for the least attention. The business transacted at the Police, Bankruptcy, and County Courts was also very meagre and uninteresting. A man named John Booth has been found guilty, at Edinburgh, of the wilful murder of his mother-in-law. Previous to the judge passing sentence of death the prisoner requested to speak a few words, which request being granted, hei made a most singular statement, a report of which will be found in another column. The net decrease in the quarter's revenue will amount to about £90,000, and about £200,000 on the year.  The Belfast riots investigation is still going on, and so tar not muc`a evidence of an important character has been taken. It certainly appears that the riots were caused solely by the acts of one Laughlan, an insane Roman. Catholic, who drove through the districts inhabited by people of that denomination, disguised, and brandishing an Orange lilly. A local paper says that not a scintilla of evidence has been produced to justify, in the remotest degree, any one of the numerous calumnies that have been so freely vented against our local magistracy. No attempt has been made to sustain the slightest accusation against them. They have been maligaed and vituperated in the most scandalous manner, not by a low and ruffianly mob merely, but by men whose presumed
Northern Times. — 1857-10-15 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

WATERLOO BRIDGE TRAGEDY.—Government has offered a reward of £2OO for the substantial information respecting the Waterloo Bridge murder; also, £lOO will be paid for'information respecting the person who placed the carpet bag on the bridge, and a free pardon is offered to accomplices not principals. BURETING OF THE R:VINGTON WATER PIPES NEAR Sr lIELEN'S—C -neiderable alarm was created among the p,ople residing in the neighbourhood of the valley Ming between Cowley-hill and L enton's Green, on Friday night last, by the sudden bursting of one of the huge Riving on water pipes. The accident took place in a field occupied by Mr. H immill, and belonging to Sir R L Gerard, Bart., en l through which the pipes run at abeet a yard deep. It was fi s'; disc vered by two glassm tk:rs, who were pessing on tbe highway at the time. Their attentiou was celled • by a loud noise as of the discharge of steam, and immedi tely the water railed out of the ground and spread rapidly over, the adjacent lands, e arving all obstructions, such as hedges, and fencs, and soil, along with it. All the small brooks, ponds, and ditches in the neighbourhood were seen overflowing, and in two hours there was an extensive river of about 200 yards wide, Covering potato, pasture, and stubble lands, and reaching past Dentoe's Green-lane to the brook, upwards of half a mile. A number of thecottagers residing contiguous to the highroad, in Denton's Green-lane, bectme greatly alarmed as the flood of water c,,me sweepi-g through the fields along the valley, and con inned rising for tso or three hours, until the highway for a considerable distance was covered eighteen inches deep, aril snare of the inhabitants were preparing for flight. In the meantime, messengers were despatched to the resident agent of the works, and Mr. Clarke, of St. He'en's, at once proc:eded to the hydrant, at Moss-bank, and tle:re stopped the progress of the water, but for some time after the stream continued to rush oat, as•the breach was made near the centre of a valley some two or three miles long, and it did not subside entil Saturday evening. Some idr a of the force may be imagined, when it is known th tt the p'pe burst udderneath, and the water threw up the earth sand, and soil, and carried it away, leaving a hole of 11 feet 6 inches d ep, and 48 feet by 36 feet 9 inches wide. A great amount. of damage has been done to the field of potatoes b longing to Mr. Hammili, most part of which was inundated, and 'a considerable portion of the soil an manure carried away—to the highways, portions of which were washed away—to the fences, and to a field of potatoes belonging to Mr. Middlehurst, over which the waters swept on their way to the brook. All tbe, ditches about  the neighbourhooll are filed with deposi!ti of sand, and large quantit-es have been loft on the fi-Ids,. A number of workmen have been engaged to get out the pipe. There is an old crack extending from one end to the other, and the beach was made by a large piece at the socket end, and adjoining the crack, being forced out.— Mercury.
Northern Times. — 1857-09-14 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

WILLIAM SCHOLEFIELD. James Bates, Esq." Several other toasts were afterwards drunk, and the guests then separated, after , passing a very pleasant evening.  Ma. lleNr.uv, M P., on INDIA —At the meeting of the Theme Agricultural Society, in returning thanks for the toast of " the County Members," Mr. Henley said—" All social questions that might have attracted some degree of attention in other circumstances are now almost overshadowed and put aside by matters of more stirring interest that have transpired. I believe that though much fault may be found with our conduct in India, still no man can deny that there had been far greater security to life and property, and that there had been much less wrongdoing of any kind during the period of British rule, than during any period in the preceding history of India. (Cheers.) But whatever cense; of complaint there may have been, it is impossible to suppose that there was any real connection between this and what had taken plan- An army of 80,000 or 100,000 men without notice, without grievance,—for everybody is now agreed. that the story of the greased cartridges was a mere pretence—without rhyme or reason, have turned agatast.those whose:salt:they have eaten, whose pay they have taken, and in the most treacherous manner have not only murdered their officers whom they were in. dut!Abound to protect, but have either in their own, persons, or have permitted others more wicked than therneelves, to wreak the most horrid barbarities on woraen and children. There must be a day of reckoniug. (Cheers.) If the 20,000 or 40,000 men who have been, to set this matter straight are not sufli_ cient, I feel sure there will not bo wanting 100,000 men to to rectify tb& terri.ble and grievous wrong. It is a matter which sets aside all social questions for a time. Whether a ten-pounder, .or an eight-pounder, or any other pounder is to have a vo,,e, is a matter which must stand over till we see our Ivey through this hedge which now stands before. us. I believe our best chance of the mutiny b- ling put down is that these black va gabonda should continue to herd together in Delhi. Now if these fellows are all banded together in tea t city, I hope they will stay there till October or Novi-mbar, when our reinforcements will arrive in the Coy ntry; then they will be like rats in a trap, and a good aricount will be given of them. Therefore, instead. of regretting that we have not yet accounts of this city being taken, I believe it will be better to let the thing come to a head. My experience in killing all kinds of vermin is, that it is much better to get Ultra into a corner than to hunt them all over the field. It is just one hundred years ago since a few of our countryman won this empire ; and now with our power so much increased all over the world, with the means of communication three times as rapid as they were, I will not believe that we will not only conquer again, but keep it with the utmost possible safety.
Northern Times. — 1857-11-18 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

LEWIS & COIIPANY. ttanelagn-sutly  The total number of failures officially reported since the let (1 August is about 9;0 in New York alone. It is estimated that the total lishi;ities of these suspensions will a'uoant to full 90,000,000 dots, It will be seen by this that there is plenty of food for a general bankrupt la:v. During the whole of the revulsion ia 1837,the number of failures reported in this city was about 500 ; but the returns under the bankrupt 1 tr 7 iu 1841, showed that 5,000 took the benefit of that A.en snoring liabilities amounting to about the sum of 50,000,000 dole. ROBBERY AND ATTEMPTED MURDER ON WRSTMINSIE7tBBIDOR. —On Sunday morning no little sensation was created in the neighhourhoi i of Lambeth and Westminster in consequence of a repot that a foreign gentleman had been waylaid on Westminster-bridge, twice stabbed in the lower part of his s'ornach, and afterwards robbed of between £lB and £l9, and that he was lying is the Westminster Thspital without hopes of recove-v. Upon the reporter making inuiries, it was ascertained that between the hours of fear and five o'clock in the morning, P.diee-sergeant Budd, of the L division, while on duty in the Belvidere-ro td, Lambeth, noticed a Frenchman staggering along the road with his hands pressed upon his stomach, and apparently in the act of falling. The officer. thinking that he was inebriated, ran to his assistance, when the man pointed to his stomach, and the sergeant saw that his clothes were punctured in two places, and that blood was cipion3l3, flawing from each hole. lie at once took the w( ulded man to a sargeoa's, and afterwards to the Wes us nser Hosaital, whets it was found that he hid two stabs over half an inch in depth cn the lower part of his stnna-]ch. and upon ingairiea being made as to how they were inflicted he sta Cl shit as h 3 was passing along Trafalgar-square he was accosted by a man to whom he paid no attention, but that the same persirn conieued to folow him until ha got to the foot of the bridg', when the fellow gave him two violeet blows on the stomach which to k hes brealth away, and then robbed him of between £lB and £l9. At first he was not aware that he had been stabbed, but noon walking away felt exhausted, arid titers noticed the blood flowing from the punctured wer;sl4s. Everythinghas been don for the man, and the hemorrhage has been stopped by the medical officers of the hospital, and there seems tvery chance of his recovery. Mr. Superintendent Walker and Sergeant Saunders of the detective force have been actively engaged in inquiring into the c -s•, and from the fact of a knife being found in the man's pocket, the point fitting the hales in the dress, and Isis prevaricating is his statements as to the manner in which he Was stabbed, these officers are of opinion that ha stabbed himself with the knife found in hi. 3 possession.  At LEWIS & COMPANY'S, kanelagli•street. BOYS are CLOTHED from the Ages Of Biz .to Twenty Years.
Northern Times. — 1857-08-03 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

NEEMUCH.  A letter from an officer who escaped from this place to Odypore gives the following account of what happened at Neemuch Oa the night of the 3rd of June, about eleven, the cantonment was aroused by the report of one of the guns, on which several bungalows broke into flames. One wing of the Gwalior corps, under Macdonald, was in the fort ; the other, under Rose, in the vacant hospitals. On the alarm, Rose attempted to get his wing into the fort, but the men refused to go ; and , one fellow fired his musket point blank at Rose's head, but fortunately missed him. After some delay, Macdonald came down and got the left wing into the fort; they then made some show of defence, but said, "if guns are brought against us, we must give in." Shortly after a trooper rode down, and told them to be ready and join them. At length the men told Macdonald and Rose to be off, otherwise their lives would he taken by the cavalry. Oa this Macdonald, Rose, the adjutant (name unknown), and Dareort, made a bolt to Daroo, and on the way they were joined by the artillery officers. Cuatcs, all the cavalry officers, and several others, in all about fifteen sahibs and five women. The cavalry men were the worst of the mutineers, and spared no Europeans that came across them. The mutineers created Shaik Riadut Alli, subadar of the first cavalry, brigadier of the station, who issued immediate orders in the name of the King of Doihi, ant distributed the treasury amongst the sepoys. Everything was done in form; a big tent, with a flag flying before it, was made the headquarters of the brigadier, ssho 'appointed the several subadars and jarnadars, colonels, and majors respectively. A Kus.tilman subadar, Shaik Kasha, commands the 7th Gwaliors. Lloyd had received a report that an agent from Sciadiala had been tampering with the troops, and that it is Gwalior's intention to set up a Raj at Nomads. Macdonald attempted to take away with him his colours, but they were snatched out of 'his hand. Abbott, on e afternoon of the 2nd, attempted to surnjhao the cavalry, that as they had sworn to be faithful, they ought to regard their oaths, when they broke out with " why did you break faith at Lahore and again in Oude, and now you want to take away our religion, but you shan't." I have neither space nor time to give you all the details -- told me, bat he says that of all the bloody disasters that .have taken place, the Neemuch one exceeds all in cruelty. Those houses and things that would not burn they destroyed with hatchets. Old Pestonjee they blew away from a gun, and it is believed they treated some European wornou in the same way ; they have all gone up towards Di:hi, and Showers is too late for them Take my advice, disarm the cavalry at your station, and let slip Uohy Singh's men and the Bheels at them ; shoot them down like mad dogs or they will take you unawares, and then God help you. Don't be mistakingly merciful; - declares that the cavalry are sworn to murder all Europeans.
The Daily Times. — 1861-01-16 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

THE MURDER NEAR MONAGHAN.  The inquest on the bodies of James and Robert Shaw, the unfortunate men who were found murdered in their house, midway betweed Glasslough and Monaghan, on the morning of the 4th instant, was resumed by Charles Waddell, Esq., coroner, at the house of Mr. Leeper, situated close to the scene of the murder. The inquest had been adjourned from Saturday last to give the police time to prosecute their search for evidence against the perpetrators of the dreadful crime, and the result is that three persons are now in custody charged with having taken part in it—William Shaw, brother of the deceased ; Thomas M'Niece, their nephew, who lived in the house with William Shaw ; and Richard Jackson, the only evidence as yet against whom is, that one of the witnesses believes it was his voice he heard calling at the door of the deceased on the night of the 24th ultimo. The police have had considerable difficulty in assigning a motive for a murder the like of which has rarely been committed in this country. The murdered men were between forty and fifty years of age. They had considerable wealth, and hoarded it with the greatest care. They lived entirely alone, and though they had three good farms—two held under Lord Cremorne and the other under Colonel Leslie, M.P., on which they were murdered—besides horses, cows, and farm stock, they employed no servant, but performed all the work themselves, even, it is said, to milking the cows and making the butter. The house in which they lived was allowed to fall into disrepair, and no money that could possibly be avoided was spent for their own personal comfort or convenience. Their bed was a miserable one, placed in the same room with two horses. Yet it appears that they were well liked by their neighbours and acquaintances. One of them, Robert Shaw, was a blacksmith, but had ceased for some years to work at that trade. He had considerable skill in the treatment of horses. His assistance was frequently sought by the neighbouring farmers, who did not hesitate to summon him at any hour of the night, and it is thought that, on the night when he met his death, he came to the door—believing that some one's cattle had taken ill, and that he was wanted to see them. The deceased men were in the habit of lending out small sums of money at high rates of interest, and it was first conjectured that, as James Shaw had lately obtained decrees against some of his debtors, his untimely end was to be attributed to their act; but further investigation has led to the general belief that the murder has been the result of a family quarrel. The evidence of Mr. Her shows that the deceased and two of the prisoners, their brother and nephew, lived on the worst possible terms, and it further appeared that the former had stated that they apprehended violence from Mqiiece. Mr. Stuart, County Inspector, Mr. M'Kilvey, Sub-Inspector, and the constabulary, are actively conducting inquiries into this mysterious murder, and Mr. Singleton, R.M., has also arrived in the district, and was present at the inquest.— Belfast News Letter.