npedrazzini/19thc_murder_suicide_news huggingface dataset:
The Express. — 1861-08-15 (London, England)

THE MURDER AT PROMIL-IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES.-VERDICT OP WILFUL MURDER.  FROSIE, WED/180AT. The inquiry into the circumstances attending the death of ',Trish Greenland was resumed this morning Wore Mr. Fry, the-coroner. In opening the proceedings the coroner said his endeavours to procure the presence of the prisoner had been ineffectual.  The evidence of Elizabeth Greenland, widow of the deceased, was taken, and she made statements of a highly important nature. She said—l know the prisoner well. He quarrelled with my deceased husband three times since our marriage, which took place two years and two I months ago. Ibe first time was about the prisoner having attempted in my. house to take indecent liberties with me, and when I rousted he said it was no harm se I was his niece. I was afraid to tell my husband at the time, bat I told him afterwards. I feared they would tight, and that my husband would get the wont of it, as I had hoard that the prisoner would pull out his knife in company. I told the prisoner at the time he assaulted me that if he did not stop I would scream and call the police. The second time they quarrelled was about work, and the third time the prisoner struck the deceased at his own door, and used insulting language towards me. He called me a vile name. I believe the prisoner had a spite against the deceased, because in husband had a warrant against him. We lived about twenty yards from the primmer. When my husband left to go reaping I begged of ham not to work with Byard, as if he did the Lord would I surely take his strength from him ; because my husband I had said that if ever he worked with Byard again he hoped his arm would drop from him. My husband told me when they quarrelled the second time that the prisoner drew a knife and told him, " make thee feel this." My husband said to the prisoner, "Throw your knife over into the geld and I'll fight you manfully." Byard refused to do that. The knife handle was then produced, sod the witness said—l have not seen that in the prisoner's hand, but I have seen that (another knife which had been found in prisoner's housei. On the morning after the third quarrel my husband went for Polios-coostable Millward. He came down to see Byard, who had a bayonet in his hand and was thrusting it into the wall. The prisoner was intoxicated at the time. Millward said, " What are you about to dor The prisoner rid, " I shall not injure you." Millward mid, Nor anyone else whilst lam here." Millward saw I him safe home, and the prisoner's wife looked the door. After Millward left the prisoner came out again. I beard him say he would be if be would not go and foil him —meaning, as I believed, my husband. I followed the prisoner, and met my husband in the street. They then shook hands. I believe that my husband was angry with the prisoner for attempting to take liberties with me, and that the prisoner was angry with my husband for knowing that he had dons so.  Afttr some further evidence, The Coroner summed up, and, after a brief deliberation, the jury returned • verdict of "Wilful Murder against Bymd Greenland."
The Express. — 1853-12-15 (London, England)

GUILDHALL.  Jas. Barran was charged with the following savage es unit upon a young women of the name of Tubbs : Margaret Tubbs, who app •ared with a frightful black-eye sad the whole of one side other face contused and swollen, sald, I lodge in the same house as the prisoner, and oa Saturday night I went to the prisoner's room to call out my husband who was drinking with him and several of his companions. The prisoner, with a filthy expression, said " Meehan not come. I've known you walking the streets more than once, and I'll make your husband leave you altogether." My husband then tried to get me away and pushed me out ; but the prisoner Immediately rushed towards me sad dragged me by the hair of my head into the roost. He then struck me on the eye, knocked me down and kicked me with his heavy boots repeatedly about the face and body, while I was lying on the ground. I screamed for assistance, sad had it not been for Mrs. Finnigan. who rescued me from the prisoner's violence, I believe he would have murdered me. lam so dreadfully braised all over my body, that I can neither stand nor sit without experiencing great pain in all my limbs. Sir R. W. Carden—Who gave you that black-eye ? Complainant—(pointing to the prisoner). That gentleman,  Sir R. W. Carden—That gentleman ! Don't all hit even a man ; oall him a brute ; a man who would be gailty of such conduct to a woman deserves no better title.  Taw, witnesses corroborated the complainant's statement. Prisoner—lt's all false, your worship. 1 never struck her at all, I only pushed her out of my room. It was her husband gave her that black eye. Sir R. W. Carden (to complainant). Did you husband strike you at all on that occasion ? Complainant—He did not, sir. He only pushed me once or twice in trying to get me out of the room. The prisoner then called his father and mother, bat their evidence tended to oontlnal the complainant's story. A young man, of the name of John Carr, then got into the witness-box, and his testimony was so palpably false, that Sir R. Carden ordered him instantly to gait the court. Sprangate (the gaoler) stated that the primer was • journeyman tailor, and for the last twelve Jeans he had continually been in and oat of prison for smelts, and dnuaken and disorderly conduct. The last time he was is the Compter be had six weeks for assaulting his wife. Sir R. W. Carden regretted that the proposed enactment to empower magistrates t t unish such as the tigsrir by tdogging had not received the sanction of the tau. Had he had the power, he would certainly kayo ordered him to be tied to a cart's tail and dogged through the town, and he would have placed the scourge in the hands of the prisoner's victim, so that he might have known how she felt when suffering from has brutal sage. Imprison_ meat was not sufficient punishment ; and lth (Sir R. Carden) trusted it would not be long before the rejected mode of punishment was adopted. He then sentenced the fallow to six months' imprisonment with bud labour.
The Express. — 1853-04-14 (London, England)

SUSPECTED MURDER AT CHELTENHAM.  CHELTENHAM, WEDNESDAY EVENING. An inquest is now being held in the town before J. Lovegrove, Esq., one of the coroners for Gloucestershire, on the body of Richard Mace, wheat death occurred under the following circumstances : The deceased, with a sawyer named William Baker, had arrived in Cheltenham from the neighbouring town of Wiuchcomb, and stopped at a beerhouse kept by OR. John Williams, in Queen-street. After drinking hero until they both became partially intoxicated, they sallied out 'for a walk through the streets of Chettenham,havingfirbtengaged and paid for a bed at the beerhouse. They proceeded along High-street to Wellington-square, where tney found two women swearing. They caked them what was the matter, on which one of them, named Margaret Bell, ran up to the deceased and struck him, knocking him down. Her companion, whose name was Bridget Wimble, then kicked hint while on the ground, and as soon as the deceased gut up again a man named Hart rushed out of a passage and knocked the deceased down. His companion does not seem to have rendered him any assistance, for the unfortunate deceased was afte:warda again attacked. After the first affray the two tompanions, Baker and Mace, walked along the street, when Baker expressed his intention of returning at once to Winchcomb, but Mace &aid he should return back to the beer-house, where he hail engaged a bed. After ineffectual attempts to prevail upon Mace to accompany him, Baker proceeded aline to Wiuchcomb, where he arrived about six o'clock in the morning, having parted with his companion, as he says, about eleven o'clock at night, and the distance between Wiuchcomb and Cheltenham being five miles. After Baker had left Mace the two women and Hart again attacked Mace, whom Hart beat in a very severe manner, knocking him down several times. While on the ground the witnesses observed blood flowing from his head, and one witness, a widow woman named Finch, who had gone to her door in consequence of of bearing a disturbance in the street, saw Bell and Hart hollowing up the deceased and repeatedly striking bin. At last a simultaneous attack was made by Hart and the two women, when Mace was knocked down four times, and while upon the ground the woman Wimbles, who had a child in her arms, jumped upon him and etamped upon him repeated) y with her feet, until he lay motionless, on which they left him, one of the party observing that "he won't want any more." What became of the unfortunate deceased between this time (about 11 o'clock at night) and 3 o'clock next morning does not yet appear. It seems that he partially recovered, so asto be able to walk, and he was then lett, and nothing is seen of him until he was found lying in Wellington-square by a policeman a few hours afterwards. He was then groaning and insensible, and lying in a pool of blood. He died shortly afterwards, but it appears that the policeman left him in the street for an hour before he took him away. The inquest was proceeding when our report was despatched.
The Express. — 1853-07-29 (London, England)

BACTON MURDER.  Wallies Flack, aged 18, and described in the calendar as a labourer, was charged with the wilful murder of Maria &eggles, of Bacton. The prisoner, who is a simple looking country lad, pleaded not guilty. The village of Bacton is about four or flys miles from Stow Market, on the road between Haagliley and Botesdale. The deceased was about 67 years of age, and was housekeeper to the it,,. Mr. Barker, a gentleman very much advanced in life, being upwards of eo years of age. The rectory house, where the murder was committed, is distant alsiut a mile and a quarter from the church. Oa Sunday morning, the Bth of May, the service at the church commenced as usual, at about half-past ten o'clock. Oa that day, the only domestics at the rectory were Maria !Regales, the housekeeper, and a housemaid named Percy, with the exception of a man named Proctor, who was engaged to saddle Mr. Barker's horse, that he might ride to church, but this man did not reside in the house. Proctor came at his usual hour in the morning to saddle the horse, and after he had done so he left, and proceeded in the direction of the church. The housemaid, Sarah Percy, soon after left the rectory, and was shortly followed by Mr. Barker, upon his hone, both of whom went to church. The only person left in the rectory was the housekeeper, Maria S teggles, lento prepare the dinner for the rector on his return. When the rector cams back the housekeeper was lyiag on her back upon the door, her skull beaten in, them being eight woods ow her head. Her throat was cut, and a pool of Wel 1111111 dila by. A poker, with which the wounds on the head seemed to base been inflicted, was missing. A sword, with which the throat had been cut, was found naked and bloody. The prisoner was seen going to the rectory on the morning of the occurrence, and also rcturning some time afterwards. He had formerly been employed there. He had been often heard to discus with earnestness the possibility of identifying the property. which had dsap peared from the rectory. It was proved that before the murder the prisoner was short of money, where's immediately after he was making large purchases. Witnesses proved that he had sold property which had been stolen from the house, such as rings, a breast pin, a knife, etc. One person had heard him say that he meant to kill the de, COWL  The wife of a labourer said that three months before the murder, the prisoner said to her he would " steal some of the old parson's mouldy sovereigns." Some one of the neighbours who stood by remarked to the prisoner, " You don't know how to get in ;" hut the prisoner said he did. The defence of the prisoner .was the insufficiency of the evidence. The jury returned a verdict of Guilty, end be wu sentenced by his lordship to be executed. The prisoner heard the sentence perfectly unmoved, leaving the dock laughing.
The Express. — 1853-06-13 (London, England)

THE VICTORIA EXODUS.— Amongst the numbers Of old residents now leaving the colony, the passengers by the fine old Indianian, the Bombay, occupy a position worth? of remark. Amongst them we havo Mr. Johnstea, late member for the city and long well known in connection with public business in the colony. As an active anti-transportoi tionist, and identified with the popular and progressive party in our political world for years, Mr. Johnson leaves behind him many sincere friends. Another passenger is ter. Green, whose activity and promptitude in the conveyance of our mails in the earlier stages of colonial history, rendered very great services to his fellow colonists Mr. Green has been a great patron of our public institutions, and has always displayed a kind heart and energetic temperament. 1 We also notice Mr. James Murray, very well known as one iof our oldest colonists, and very generally and deservedly respected. Mr. Macredie, his son•indaw, Mr. Cordell, first mayor of Melbourne and member for the city; Mr. Collyer, of Green Hills; Mr. Furlonge, and others. It is rather a sorrowful thing to find so many of our oldest WWdents leaving us, but it is some satisfaction to know that few of them go without a fair share of the good things of the richest country in the world ; and if we can only !Ito' cecd in et irring up our empty mockery of a government into securing some approach to a better condition of society, we have a very strong conviction that numerous as are the desertions at present from our shores the time will came when moat of our runaways will be glad to come hook I again." The Bombay left Melbourne on the 27th of Febrairi last, a few days after the Atraveida. which brought she latest news we have received, she left with a very rough and inadequate crew, not one of whom would Join the vessel without 451. for the run home. The name of the captain of the Bombay is Flamansk. She heel on beard about eighty passengers 27,000 ounces of gold, 2,40 J bolos of wool, and thirty tons of tallow. She made a good too, to Cape Horn in five weeks, near the Falkland iths oat e, the crew became mad, and attempted to murder the captain and wounded him SO lillSgelBllSly don the mate was obliged to take charge of the shit'. Al"ut two days afterwards the Bombay sprunk a leak of an alarming nature. The crew were unwilling and unable to ow nage the ship and manage the pumps, aii,l the latter del was obliged tube undertaken by the pass tigers. The frw tlemen passengers worked at the pumps incessantly for eight dare and nights, while the ship WAS making 20 mot of water in 2 I hours. The lady passengers were obliged to act as cook and stewardesses. While in this fearful extrema? a gale come on, and carried away nearly every hit, of :.1.1.1.  piss Tei  alinm tt d 801 l sell six  337 son cliii Nc itch fou  Me, fro, bou eau don  Brit mei by can frot the  fold the hie cou Bri con
The Express. — 1853-02-16 (London, England)

MARYLEBONE.  Mary Asa: Griffin, aged 22, was charged with having murdered her male infant, by cutting its throat. The prisoner, who was evidently in • very week condition, was allowed to sit during the inquiry. Having lately lost her father, she was attired in black, and when told what the charge against her was. as it appeared on the police-sheet, she burst into tears and buried her face in her bands. Frances M'Clauihrey, on being sworn, said—l am nursemaid at W. Hart's. Esq., 7, Gloucester-place, Hyde-parkgardens. Prisoner was in the same service, and slept with the cook. On the 27th of January, in the morning, I had been doing needlework with prisoner is her room, and at one o'clock I lett her to go down to dinner. I asked her to come down. She was then in my master's bedroom, and she said she would be down in a minute. She, however, diot not make her appearance during the meal. When I went up saran to her bedroom I saw her standing by the fire, and asked her why she had not come down, to which she replied that she was not well. I left her and went to Mr. Hart's room, and at a later period I went to prisoner again. I asked her how she was, and she said that she should be better soon ; she was then sitting in a chair. I sat beside her, and in a few minutes she got up and went to a chest of drawers, against which she stood and seemed ready to faint. I led her to the bedside, and heard a noise which seemed to come from the prisoner's box ; it was like • gurgling in the throat of • chill. I said to the prisoner, What's that noise ?" and the answer she made me was, "Oh! it's only my inside." She got up from the bed and went into the nest room, and I still heard the same noise coming from the box. I went down for the lady's maid, who came up with me directly, and we both went into the prisoner's room. The noise I have spoken of continued, and the lady's maid asked fur the key of the box. Prisoner gave it to her, and on her opening it, I saw an infant wrapped up in two petticoats. There were also several towels ; and upon the whole of the articles I have named there was a considerable quantity of blood. The lady's-maid asked her what she had been doing, and she told her thatch. had miscarried. She (the lady's-maid) took the child out of the box, when its head fell back, and then I saw that it was bleeding from a wound in the throat. The lady's-maid screamed, and instantly the prisoner seized bold of a pair of scissor!, with which she attempted to stab herself in the neck. We took the scissors from her, and I went down to my mistress. A doctor was sent for. On the following Monday the prisoner and the baby were conveyed to the Paddington workhouse. Behind the psisoner's box I found another pair of scissors, upon which were marks of blood.  It was stated that the child lived until Thursday last, Dt withstandir.g the serious nature of the wound. The prisoner, who had nothing to my, was remanded.
The Express. — 1853-12-12 (London, England)

MOIR XL BANOS NAMUR.. XI:11MM IN STOCKPORT. _ _  Mums Moore wasindieied-Krth;Murder of Jamcs and John iiigham, at Stockport, on the 2nd September lut.  It appeared from the evidence that the prisoner was the I stepfather of the deceased boys. lie married their mother about two years since, and at that time she had the two children by her former husband—James, aged 8 years and 8 months, and John, 4 years and 4 months. The prisoner resided in Moreland-street, Stockport, near the high road between that town and Manchester, and was in the habit of going out for recreation with the children. On the morning of the 2nd September, about 9 o'clock, the boys went out to play, and about 10 the prisoner went out also, and took with him an umbrella, as it was " misaling rain" at the time. It appears, shortly after the prisoner left the house, he met the children, and had been seen by sever ii witnesses to go in the direction of the canal with them. He returned to his home in the evening without them, his clothes , being quite wet, whieh he accounted for by saying that in help& woman to raise a bucket of water to her head on the canal steps, he had fallen into the canal. This was the only evidence connecting the prisoner with the murder. On the Monday morning following, the bodies were found in the canal, and the umbrella with them. The motives which were endeavoured to be attached to the prisoner for the commission of the crime were that in the year 1852 he became on bad.terms with his wife, who, together with the children, received some relief from the Stockport Union, and the wife's father had, or was about to summon the prisoner for the offence. The children were members of two burial societies, and, on their deaths, a sum of about 2W. was due to their parents. Mr. Wheeler, for the defence, urged that there was no evidence to connect the prisoner with the crime. When he went out on the morning of the 2nd September, the fact wash, met the children who went out earlier to play ; and having walked a little way with them, he gave the elder boy the umbrella which he had taken oat, telling him to go home with it, and at the same time giving him a message for his mother respecting his diaher. It had been deposed by one of the witnesses, that the boys were in the habit of going to the river side, and what was more likely than that, instead of going straight home, they had gone to the side of the canal and fallen in. His Lordship addressed the jury, going carefully over all the evidence, and agreeing with Mr. Wheeler with respect to the absence of all motive and direct evidence of the prisoner having murdered the children. The jury retired for about ten minutes, and returned into court with a verdict of Net Guilty. The court roes at nine o'clock, when the assizes terminated.
The Express. — 1853-11-19 (London, England)

WORSHIP-STREET.  Jana as Wane, a general dt.lcr, carrying en business in Piumbir street, City-road, was charged with having iiire►ted and threatened the life et wife.  The complainant, a pallid, deiicate-looking woman, who had en infant in her arms, stated that she had beta married twelve years to the prisoner, by whim she bad a family of five children, and that he had been in the habit, during the whole of that period, of subjecting her to such constant brutality, that her life was a complete burden to her. ' Shortly before nine o'clock on the previous night the prisoner returned home in a state of intoxication, and harshly ordered her to repair to bed, at the same time threatening that if she ventured to return down stairs he would murder her before the morning. She accordingly proceeded to her bedroom, and laid herself down by the side of her infant child, to whom she had only recently given birth, but had only keen there a few minutes when the prisoner entered the room, and, after passing a light before her eyes to iveertain if she was asleep, he cautiously descended the stairs to the street door, and admitted some one into the house. Witness shortly afterwards heard the sound of female voices in the passage, and, after remaining for some time in, a state of extreme terror, as she apprehended that he was about to carry out his deadly thri at towurds her, she at length made her;way down to the parlour door, and on into the room she observed the prisoner drinking with two prostitutes, who w ere partaking with him of a hot supper. The moment she made her appearance the prisoner nee from the table and commenced an unmerciful attack upon her, in the course of which he repeatAly struck her with all his force about the head and face, and ultimately drove her back into the passage. The prisoner then opened the Street door, and after letting oat the two women, renewed hie attack upon her, and after knocking her dawn by a terrible blow on the forehead, he caught her up in his arms and flung her heavily on the floor. The prisoner then left her, and ran out of the house ; and although witness had nothing on but her nightdress, and was without shoes or stockings, she followed him into the street and gave him into custody: The complainant added, that the prisoner bad been in the habit of depriving her of proper food and nourishment until her health and strength were impaired to a serious extent, and that she had been compelled on four previous occasions to obtain warrants against him. The prisoner carelessly remarked, that their frequent disagreements were occasioned solely by the jealous and violent temper of hie wife, sod that the evidence against him had been very much exaggerated. Mr. Hammitt said that it was a most aggravated case, and he should order the prisoner to be committed to the House of Correction and kept to hard labour for six months, in addition to which he should require him to produce two responsible sureties to be answerable for his good behaviour for the further term of six months.