npedrazzini/19thc_murder_suicide_news huggingface dataset:
The Sun. — 1842-07-27 (London, England)

EXECUTION OF TAMAR DICK FOR THE MURDER OF HIS MOTHER. Richard Edwards, alias Tamar Dick, who at the last Glamorganshire Assizes was found guilty of the murder of his mother, Tamar Edwards, underwent the extreme penalty of the law on Saturday morning last on a gallows erected in front of the county gaol, Cardiff. Since sentence was passed upon him, this wretched man, whose life has been one continuous scene of dissipation and crime, has manifested a sullenness of disposition for which he has ever been characterised ; but, as the awful period fixed for his execution approached, he yielded to the expostulations of the Rev. Mr. Stacey, chaplain of the gaol, and has directed his thoughts to his sinful and wretched condition, and the necessity for supplicating pardon at the Throne of Grace for his great and manifold transgressions. He had promised on the Sunday preceding his death, and on the 18th he made the confession which is subjoined to this account. On the morning of his execution the culprit maintained a firm, and, as some consider, even a hardened bearing. At six o'clock he ate his breakfast, consisting of tea and bread and butter, after which he asked far his pipe, which he sat down and smoked, occasionally conversing with the Governor, to whom he said that he felt in very good spirits. At about half-past seven o'clock the Sheriff arrived, and proceeded to the condemned cell, to demand in the usual form the body of the convict for execution. Edwards was then pinioned, during the progress of which operation he repeatedly protested his innocence of the murder. The melancholy procession then proceeded to the platform, preceded by the chaplain, who read the burial; service. The convict then said in Wesh, " Hear me ! I have been guilty of every crime, except thieving and murder." The rope was then placed round his neck, and in a few moments the bolt was withdrawn, and he unhappy criminal launched into eternity. He 'struggled for a moment, but very slightly. A very large concourse of persons had assembled to witness the execution, from Merthyr and other parts, and from 8,000 to 10,000 were estimated to have been present. The following is the confession of Richard Edwards, taken this 18th day of July, 1849, before me Thomas Stacey, chaplain of the county gaol of Glamorgan : "I was not alone when my mother came by her death. There were three present beside me. My child (ten months old) was in bed in the room. My mother died on Thursday night. When dead, two women placed my mother in bed beside my little boy. where the corpse remained until the Monday night following. The two other persons present besides me and my wife, were the nearest relations of Peggy (my wife). Peggy and the other person had been in the womb of the other. These three persons told my father-in-law and my mother-inlaw's sister that they had pa.sed that night on Cefn Coed Cymmer. I gave my mother a blow about the jaw, because Peggy cried out- that my mother was beating her. My. inuther fell down under my blow. Peggy, her mother, and brother, then laid hold. on my mother. My mother did not speak. She groaned for some time.
The Sun. — 1842-11-05 (London, England)

MELANCHOLY ';,CATASTROPHE AT RUFFORD. It is our painful duty this week to record an even which has caused no little consternation in the neigh bourhood in which it has happened. George Brooks, waggoner to the Right Hon. the Earl of Scarborough, aged 38, and Ann Brooks, his wife, aged 30, resided in a cottage near the mansion of the Noble Earl, at Rufford ; and it appears that on Monday, the 24th inst., Ann Brooks had been whitewashing one of the bed-rooms up stairs, in which she and her husband usually slept, and in order to dry it the sooner, she placed an iron pan in the room, into which she put some sticks, and set fire to them. This was during the course of the day. At night when they went to bed, they took the warming pan up stairs to warm the bed ; and it is supposed, either the woman or her husband incautiously recruited the embers, and shutting the door close, went to bed. About four o'clock the next morning, brooks not coming to look after his horses as usual, one of his fellow-servants went and rapped at the door The boy, on opening the chamber-door, and entering the room, was almost suffocated with the smell of sulphur. On looking towards the bed he was horrorstruck to find Brooks partly on the bed, but with his face on the floor, surrounded by a pool of blood. He was quite dead and cold, and his wife also was laid in bed beside him a cold and lifeless corpse. On the Wednesday following an inquest was held before P. R. Faulkner, Esq., Coroner, when the beforementioned facts having been deposed to, the Jury at once returned their verdict that the parties had died from suffocation. Ann Brooks appears to have died without a struggle, as she was laid straight in bed, and her features the same as though she was asleep. They have left no family behind them. It is supposed that poor Brooks himself had been partly conscious of the state in which the room was ; and, attempting to get out of bed to open the room door (there being no fire-place), was overpowered by the sulphureous effluvia of the sticks, which had been burnt to charcoal, and falling on his face, caused the blood to flow freely from his nose and mouth. Brooks' father and mother live at Wellow, where the two unfortunate victims to their own injudicious conduct were interred on Thursday last, amidst an immense concourse of spectators from the circumjacent neighbourhood. They were carried to their last resting place (for they are both interred in one grave) by the labourers and labourers' wives, in the employ of Lord Scarborough, his Lordship defraying every expense. We may add that George Brooks was nephew to Mrs. Ann Hancock, who was so inhumanly murdered at Caunton by John Driver, on the 16th March, 1839.—Doncaster Gazette.  The Prussian navy, royal, and commercial, amounted last summer, to 790 vessels, of 10,600 tons burden, and employing 6,800 sailors. Towards the year 1790 Prussia had 2,000 vessels, and 10,000 men.
The Sun. — 1842-12-19 (London, England)

NORFOLIC.--STRANGE STORY.—Messrs. Gulley, of Cossey, have lately built a didling boat, and employed men to take the soil from the bottom of the river in front of their mills. A few days since these men found a human skeleton, and a coroner's inquest has since been held. It appears that about nine years ago a Jew, whose name was said to be Abrams, visited Taverham in the course of his trade, sold some small articles, for which he gave credit to the purchasers, and left the public house there in the evening, on his way to the Lion, at Drayton (the next village), with, as now reported, a sum of 901. in his possession. At Drayton he disappeared, nor did he ever again come to claim the amounts due to him at Taverham. Some time afterwards a mars named Page was apprehended for sheep-stealing, tried, and sentenced to be transported for life. During his imprisonment he told divers stories of robberies and crimes, most of which turned out to be false. But, amongst other things, he wrote a letter, promising that if he were released from gaol and brought to Cossey, "he would show them that, from under the willow tree, which would make every hair in their heads rise up." The man was not released, but the river was drawn, and some sheep's skins and sheep's heads were found, which were considered to be the objects Page alluded to. From under this willow tree, however, the skeleton has been fished up by the didlers, and it it. said there is proof ,that the corpse /'as fixed down by ts muck crome. The common belief in the neighbouringvillages is, that these are the bones of the missing Jew, and that Page knew of the murder if he were not an accomplice. The Magistrates, we understand, believe that they have obtained a clue to the murderers, and have been and still are earnestly engaged in pursuing the discovery."—Norwich Mercury. BROKEN••WINDED HoasEs.—The public ate frequently imposed upon by horse-dealers selling brokenwinded horses, which are termed " warns ;" and which defect they contrive temporarily to conceal from the purchaser in the following manner :—" They thrust a quantity of leaden shot, intermixed with a portion of lard, down the horse's throat, which so operates upon the lungs, that it keeps the health of the horse in order for more than twenty-four hours, so as the most ingenious dealer cannot detect the disease." If the animal can be sold during this time, well and good ; if not, a dose of castor oil removes the shot, , &c. The next day the shot is again applied, and so every alternate day the horse is fit to be exposed to sale, which in the end seldom fails to entrap a purchaser. MR. WlLSON.—ahis favourite vocalist, who 'ass honoured by singing before her Majesty at Taymouth Castle, and who has since met with continuous success in Scotland, will make his first appearance for the season, at the Music Hall, Store-street, next Monday evening.
The Sun. — 1842-03-01 (London, England)

MACAO, OCT. 13.—The mate and one of the hands of a British smuggler were decoyed on shore, near Chusan, and murdered by the mandarins ; in consequence of which, we are told, the crew of several of the smuggling vessels lauded, and with the assistance of the crew of her Majesty's steamer Phlegethon, burnt a village and killed all the Chinese they could get at. At Amoy affairs remained quiet, and many of the inhabitants had returned there. No edicts have of late been received from Pekin. Sir Henry I'ottinger is expected to return when the expedition shall have gone into winter quarters, probably in the course of the next month ; and from the tone of the proclamation issued by him, on his arrival here, there is reason to believe that some steps will be taken to punish the Chinese for their violation of the treaty, in endeavouring to ;block the channels of the river, in which they are still engaged.  THE LEVANT MAIL  The Malta Times says:l " On Monday, the 7th, a grand fancy ball was given at the Palace by his Excellency the Governor, Sir H. F. Bouverie, which was attended by a large assembly of the rank, fashion, and beauty of Malta. The magnificent hall of St. Michael and St. George, with the adjoining suites of apartments were thrown open at half-past nine o'clock, and soon after they were crowded by a partycoloured throng, in which, though the red and blue of the army and navy predominated among the gentlemen, there was a very fair sprinkling of characters, whilst the ladies had dipped the pencil of their fancy into all the hues of the rainbow in honour of the occasion." We find the following in the Malta Times of the 15th instant :  " A fatal duel took place on Wednesday, the 9th instant, at about twelve o'clock, behind Fort Ricasall, be tween Lieut. Adams, of her Majesty's 88th Regiment, and Capt. Levick, of her Majesty's 59th Regiment, and now on the retired list. The seconds were Capt. Jeffreys, of the 88th, and Lieut. Mattel, of the Royal Malta Fencibles. Lieut. Adams expired on the evening of the 10th, his adversary's ball, after fracturing the small bone of his right arm, having penetrated his side. Many are the statements given as to the par particulars of this unhappy affair, but we abstain from entering into any before the result of the investigation now carried on is made public. This unpleasant affair seems to have originated in Capt. Levick's supposing Lieut. Adams to have insulted one of his daughters on the last day of Carnival. Captain Levick and Lieutenant Mattel have been arrested, and are now undergoing a trial of investigation. Captain Jeffreys is stated to have left the island on the evening of his principal's death. This fatal event is generally lamented. The deceased was, we are informed, a most amiable young man, and generally beloved by h i: brother officers. Captain Levick is a gentleman enjoying the esteem of all the public; he is an old resident of the island, and served many years as lieutenant and adjutant in the Royal Malta Fencibles, and lately in
The Sun. — 1842-12-28 (London, England)

MURDER, OR HOMICIDE, AT RUTHERGLEN.—From the number of depredations which have of late been committed on the potatoe-pitsof the farmers in various quarters. around the city, it has been the practice to set a watch upon them during the night. On Thursday night, a man named John M‘Bride, farm servant with Mr. Mason, at Bulloch's Mill, in the neighbourhood of Rutherglen, was sent out with a gun to watch the pits on the farm. About two o'clock on Friday morning M‘Bride discovered three men busily employed in helping themselves from one of the pits, on which he gave the alarm, and the parties instantly took to their heels. The man, M'Bride, then fired after them, but, from the darkness of the morning, they managed to get out of sight. On examining the place where the men had been, it was found that three sacks which the thieves had left contained upwards of twelve pecks. About daylight, sonic children going for milk discovered the dead body of a man lying in a field, about 220 yards distant from the pit at which the thieves had been scared; and the alarm being given, a gentleman, who was passing at the time, generously paid the hire of a cart, and had the body conveyed to Rutherglen Court Hall. The ground around where the body was lying was found saturated with blood, from several wounds in the man's arm, inflicted by the small shot, which had severely grazed ; the shot had also entered other parts of th body. The deceased is an old veteran, wanting the left arm, blind of the left eye, and of wretched appearance. He has been recognised as a person named John 'Allan, residing about Havannah-street. On the information reaching Rutherglen, M`Bride was apprehended and lodged ingaol there, from whence he has been brought to Glasgow prison. We understand that the Sheriff directed an examination of the body to be made by rDrs. Easton and M‘Grioxn. on Saturday.—Glasgow Argus.  Some wag in Bangor (Me.) advertises, at great length, that he is preparing an immense balloon, to carry the people of that city out of harm's way when Miller's conflagration happens in April. He says he has sent to Europe for an immense amount of silk, and the car is to be 450 feet long and 90 wide. Seats in the balloon 200 dollars each. The books are to be opened on the Ist of April, and a great body of constables will be on hand to prevent a rush.—New York Tribune. Montely, the murderer of the messenger of the Orleans Bank, is now quite recovered' from the effects of his late attempt at starvation. He takes his meals as usual. Last Saturday, as his breakfast, consisting of eggs and a cutlet, was placed before him, he exclaimed, " What, eat meat on a Saturday ! Not so bad as thrit! Give me the eggs." Montely's scruples call to mind the conduct of the Calabrian robbers, who kill a man with one hand and make the sign of the cross with the other. The trial will, it is supposed, come on next month.—Galignani.  A man in Missouri planted some beans late one afternoon, and next morning they were up—thanks to his hens.
The Sun. — 1842-09-24 (London, England)

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT. OLD COURT. MURDER ON THE HIGH SEAS.  (Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.) Mr. CLARKSON then proceeded to address the Jury on behalf of the prisoner, and called a witness, when The Foreman of the Jury said that the Jury had made up their minds at the conclusion of the case for the prosecution that the evidence was not sufficient to warrant them in convicting the prisoner. Mr. AnoLritus said that at present the Jury appeared almost to reprove the Government for having taken up the case, and he was therefore anxious to satisfy them that the Government had only done what its duty to the public required. With regard to the complaint of a witness having been kept back, he could only say that that individual was never understood to be a witness for the Crown, and he was not examined at any time in that capacity. Mr. Justice WIGIITMAN said there was not the least ground for complaining of the conduct of the Government, which had acted only with a due regard to the interest of the public, and its duty to a foreign State, one of whose subjects was alleged to have lost his life at the hands of the prisoner. It was a most serious charge, and one which demanded full inquiry. The Jury said they did not wish to throw any blame upon the conductors of the prosecution, but in their opinion the evidence was quite insufficient to support the charge, and they would have stated their opinion to the Court, but for the expectation, when Mr. Clarkson rose, that he was about to submit to their Lordships that there was no case against the prisoner. Mr. Justice WxGruratas said that after this impression of the opinion of the Jury, whose peculiar province- it was to consider the effect of the evidence, it would be useless to proceed any further. The prisoner was then acquitted. There were two other indictments for murder against the prisoner, but upon the application of Mr. Adolphus, they were ordered to stand over until this morning. Robert Smith, aged 27, sailor, was indicted for the wilful murder of John Preston, upon the high seas.  At the commencement of the case, Sir. Justice CRESSWELL intimated his opinion that the offence of the prisoner only amounted to manslaughter. Mr. Adolphus conducted the prosecution, and Mr. Ballantine defended the prisoner. It appeared that the deceased and the prisoner were seamen on board a vessel called the True Briton, and on the 20th of June, when the vessel was in the "Western Ocean, a dispute arose between the prisoner and another of the crew named Gibbs, and a scuffle ensued, and the deceased, who was not in any way concerned in the quarrel, struck the prisoner, and he immediately seized a piece of wood, and struck him with it, and the result of the blow was the death of the deceased. The prisoner, after the occurrence, expressed the utmost regret for the unfortunate affair, and there was every reason to believe that the fatal result was entirely unpremeditated. The Jury found the prisoner guilty of manslaughter. Mr. Justice CRESSWELL directed that he should be imprisoned and kept to hard labour for four months.
The Sun. — 1842-10-12 (London, England)

CORONER'S INQUEST.  THE MURDER AT BERMONDSEY. Yesterday an inquest was held at the Coopers' Arms, Russell-street, Bermondsey, before Mr. Carter, to inquire into the circumstance of the death of Elizabeth Jessup, thirty-five years of age, who was murdered by her husband on the morning of Monday last. Jane Burton Shepherd, of No. 3, Goulstone'sbuildings, Bermondsey, New -road, deposed that on Monday Morning last, about six o'clock, he heard the cry of murder,. and on looking out of his window he saw a lad named Thomas Jessup, standing at his father's door, No. 14, in the above buildings, with only his night-shirt on. He it was who had been calling murder. He immediately went across to him, and with another neighbour, named Crampton, entered the house, when he saw William Jessup on the floor in a kneeling posture, with a razor in his hand, in the act of cutting his throat. Crampton wrenched the razor from his hand. In the back room he saw the deceased lying on the floor with her head near the stairs, and a deep wound on the left side of her neck, from which the blood was flowing. She breathed faintly and expired. The police and Dr. Sterry were sent for, and after the latter had bandaged up the wounds in Jessup's throat, he was taken to Guy's Hospital. Henry Crampton said—Jessup was sensible, and on my saying to him, " Why did you do this," he replied, " I had a call from the Lord to do it in the night." I said, " The Devil you mean." He made answer, " The Devil then. I had a call to do it, ant the time was come." Witness said that he spoke nothing more on the subject. Thomas Jessup, 16 years of age, stated that the deceased was his niother-in-law. On Monday morning, about six o'clock, she got up first and went down stairs. In about five minutes his father went down, he had only his shirt and stockings on. Directly afterwards witness heard his mother call out, " Tom," as if in a state of alarm. He ran down and saw them both struggling together at the foot of the stairs. He made towards the door of the house, and on turning round saw his mother fall, and blood: appeared to be issuing from her neck. He then called out " Murder." Mr. Henry Sterry, surgeon, stated that he was called in, when he found the deceased on the floor quite dead. There was a deep wound on the left side of the neck, eight inches long. The carotid artery and jugular vein were divided. She must have died instaneously. The wound appeared to have been inflicted by a sharp instrument, such as a razor. After some other evidence, the Coroner explained at some length the law, as applicable to such cases; and the Jury, after a short consultation, returned a verdict of wilful murder against William Jessup. The Coroner then issued his warrant for the removal of the wretched man to Newgate when sufficiently recovered ; Mr. Slow the Beadle, on behalf of the parish authorities of Bermondsey, was bound over to prosecute, and the several witnesses to give evidence.
The Sun. — 1842-09-16 (London, England)

LORD MAYOR--Mr. Rougemont will arrange to supply Mr. Ambila with funds to return to Lima, and Mr. Ambila will lave with Mr. Rougemont the be bills in hed and remitted to possession, in order that the proceeds may Ambila at Lima, in order that that gentleman ma y not return to England. His LORDSHIP, in the course of a conversation with the parties, .made several other suggestions, which were immediately assented to by all, and after expressing deep regret at the unpleasant produced by the apparently culpable consequences culpable conduct of explanation was extremely atncrdl talc thathim hteh wasthe harged. several times during satisfactory,:AlrA .ik:llAmbila, a the examination, bowed and retired with his friends. A woman named Jane Streater, , the wife of a tailor carrying on business in the country, 3 and a young who shed tears. man been taken, when in of the husband, were b charged with having robbed the wantna moefd bread, Robert u nAdusertz '4— the who had onse, and come off to town as man and wife. _ roofho  James Quick was charged before Mr. Burrell on suspicion of having wilfully murdered his wife, Mary Quick. (Some of the particulars are given in anothe part of the paper.) The Police Inspector said he went to the lodgings, No. 47, Old Pye-street, Westminster, where the assault was committed, and there saw a large pool of blood by the side of the bed ; the sheets were also stained with blood, and had recently been washed out ; they were still wet. The place indicated that a protracted struggle occurred there. The prisoner, on the charge being read over to him was cautioned, that whatever he might say would be given in evidence—•to which he replied, that he had struck his wife with his fist to prevent her stabbing him with a knife, it was only one blow that had made the cut on her lip. Inspector Beresford said that the upper part of the face of the deceased was much swollen and bruised, and she appeared to have received a heavy blow on Ile eye. He was remanded until Tuesday.  The poor tailor said that his kindness to the young man was repaid by the worst sort iof ngratitude, for his wife had not only abandoned him, but three children. into custody) said that The AustinNvife (before she at all wasto taken blame, for she had gone oft with him because she was not treated kindly by her husband. should he lI;OIRADaceNdLait the havingbar, she then ordered that she repeated that she and her husband were the culpable parties, and that it was improper to detain Austin. The guilty parties having been remanded, the unfortunate husband appeared again, but evidently in a very forgiving temper. The LORD MAYOR having examined witnesses, who proved that Austin had taken a lodon___ g for himself and the woman as man and wife, and that clothes which had been stolen from the husband were found on the premises, asked the complainant whether he meant to take back his wife ?—Streater replied that he had not made up his mind upon the subject. The