npedrazzini/19thc_murder_suicide_news huggingface dataset:
The Sun. — 1849-10-18 (London, England)

BOW-STREET.--(THIS DAY.) ATTEMPTED SUICIDE. —A miserably-attired, wrvtt'hed' looking man, who refused to give his name, was &Waged with attempting to commit suicide in St. James's-mall.  Police-cOnstaislo A 97, about a quarter beforo two o'clock this morning, observed the poor fellow its the StJames's-mall, staggering as if in a state of into-ideation. Several times he attempted to pass up the Duke of York steps, but fell backwards on each occasion. While he was thus engaged something was seen to fall from his person, and a man who happened to be going by at the moment picked up a small empty phial which, had contained laudanum. The constable suspecting wh at he had done, questioned him as to whether he had. /ant taken poison, and he at once admitted that he had, rsilding that he was sorry the dose had not taken effect. Mr. HALL, perceiving that the prisoner hrid. evidently seen better days, asked him if he could give any espies' nation of his conduct? The prisoner said he could give none, but admitted that all that had been sta./..ed against him was true. Poverty and distress had driiten him to' attempt the rash act. Mr. HALL asked him what parish he br longed to? The prisoner was not award that he belonged to ail; and latterly he had slept in fields and doorways. Mr. HALL wished to know what he had been? all° prisoner declined giving the information. Mr. HALL asked him if he had any objection to go into the workhouse? The prisoner said that he bad, remarking that the worthy magistrate knew not what °' workhouse was.  Mr. HALL thought he would be more comfortable is!: workhouse than sleeping in the street and fields; and offered to speak personally to the overseer in his bells,' if he would go in. The prisoner felt grateful for the offer, but hit, Pre. judices would not allow him to accept it. Mr. HALL asked him if he bias aware that a rsts‘n bful no more right to take his own life than that of astv other man? The prisoner said that might be the law, but he did not agree with it. Mr. HALL doubted whether the prisoner wash lane. ,1 The prisoner, however, insisted that he was, and said the police were in a situation to know that h was 01 perfectly sound mind. The constable said a well-written paper W 29 found 011 him signed " A Suicide." . _  Mr. HALL said, as the prisoner objected to g o into the workhouse, or to refer to any one who could tike charge of bim, it was his duty to order him to enter in to his own recognizlnces for 201,, and to find one surety of 101, to be of good behaviour. If he could not find "this bail be would be committed ; and if, on examination by medical man, he was found to be insane, hio would be removed to an asylum where every care wo►a]Ld be taken of him. The prisoner was, of course, unable to comply with; the terms of the decision, and he was accord ingly cool milted.
The Sun. — 1849-03-16 (London, England)

SUICIDE IN TUE REGENT'S PARK.—At the early hour of seven o'clock yesterday morning, James George, ono of the park constables, and Sergeant Hockaday, of the S division, observed a gentleman upon one of the seats in the park, near Hanover-gate, and he was in such a position as to induce them to imagine that something of a serious nature had taken place. They hastened to the spot, and there beheld a man respectably attired, and between 30 and 40 years of age, quite dead and cold, his brains having been blown out by the discharge of a pistol, which had beyond all doubt beea fired off in his mouth, so that his head was literally shattered to pieces, and the seat on which he reclined was in a complete pool of blood. The pistol lay at his feet, and he had in his pocket a quantity of gunpowder and percussion caps. He had also in his pocket a case containing two raisers, and the supposition is that if the pistol had not effected its work, he would have resorted to the other instruments alluded to. The body, which has not yet been identified, was without loss of time conveyed to Marylebono workhouse, where it awaits a coroner's inquest, ST. ANNE'S, Sono.—A vestry was held yesterday for the nomination of guardians to the Strand Unions fortn the ensuing year, when a long discussion ensued as and the disposal of the pauper children from Toot the recommendation of the Poor-law Commissionersnions. This establish a union school district with othernanud ultimately proposal met with the fiercest opposition, u to Unanimously:— the following resolution was carriedireeted to write to the " That the vestry clerk bt? In ris s in.n requestinger st them to joiningto opposeguardians of the l'etir,lionndr.yanwfoc,udn, the plan of t with a view of forming a this and other unions together, much evil results by a directly ' district school, as it is placingthel orppiembonndoiefs tohfischveilsdtrr3enthat together; and the gufatrhdeiairiasobwenlncghchildren arreespmoonrseiblliekefol; the management o to give that attention to economy and the wishes of the rate-payers, than under a system where the responsibility becomes divided." A petition against the windowtax was also unanimously adopted.
The Sun. — 1849-10-17 (London, England)

CORONER'S INQUEST.  DREADFUL SUICIDE OF CAPTAIN MERDEN, LATE OF HER MAJESTY'S 23D REGIMENT OF FOOT.—Late on Tuesday night an inquest was held before Mr. M. H. Wakley, the Deputy Coroner, at the Westmoreland Arms, George• street, Portman-square, touching the death of Mr. George Foreman Merden, aged 58 years. Mr. C. Constable, solicitor, of Bognor, stated that he was the legal adviser of the mother of the deceased gentleman, and on Sunday last he came up to town to the deceased's residence, No. 9, George-street, Portmansquare, for the purpose of having an interview with him respecting a proposal emanating from Mrs. Merden, for him to live with her at Bognor, on account of his very intemperate habits. After witness had remaiusd with him a short time, the deceased left the rcom and went into an adjoining sleeping apartment. He was absent some time, and witness opened the door and was horrorstruck at beholding him standing over a military chest, holding a holster pistol to his mouth. Before witness could approach him, the deceased pulled the trigger. exclaiming at the same time, " This is the way we do it." Ilis face was shattered to pieces and he fell senseless to the ground, bleeding most profusely. A surgeon was sent for, who, upon his arrival, pronounced life to be quite extinct. The pistol was loaded with ball, which passed through the brain, and lodged in the back part of the skull. Mr. Francis Smedley, the High Bailiff of Westminster, was next examined, and said he had known the deceased intimately for several years past. The deceased had sold out of the army about eighteen months since, and he had entirely given himself up to habits of intoxication. He had seen much service in India, and while there he had drank to excess, and witness believed at times he was unsound in his mind. Mr. Welby, of No. 9, George-street, said the deceased had lived in his house during the last eighteen months, and he was constantly in a state of intoxication. On Friday last the deceased ordered half-a-dozen of wine, and drank the whole of it on Saturday. The jury, without any hesitation, returned a verdict, " That the deceased shot himself while in a state of unsound mind."  MORTALITY in the
The Sun. — 1849-12-28 (London, England)

SUICIDE ON THE YORK AND SCARBOROUGH RAILWAY.—On Christmas-eve a frightful event ocourred at the foot of Matton-bridge, within a short distance of the station at that town. The line crosses the Scarborough turnpike road at this point on a level, where the latter passes out of Matton to the adjoining parish of Norton, with, of course, the usual gates, and a gatekeeper in attendance to close and open them as the traffic on the line or road require. The mail train from Scarborough is due at Matton at five o'clock, shortly before which period a man was observed lingering about this thoroughfare, which is one of the leading ones of the neighbourhood. He entered into conversation with the gatekeeper, asking when the train was due, which line it came upon, and questions of that nature, when at length the gatekeeper signalled its approach, and warned the deceased to remove himself out of dacger. Instead of doing so he suddenly cried out that his object was to meet the train, that he was tired of life, and darting forward threw himself across the rails in front of the tap proaching engine, which passed over him, severing his limbs, and scattering them about the line in various directions. The act was witnessed by several persons, one of whom endangered his own life by an ineffectual attempt to rescue the deceased. The progress of the train is slackened at this crossing, in consequence of its proximity to the station, but it had sufficient impetus to effect the object contemplated by the deceased, in consequence of the rapid and determined manner in which he courted his destruction. The deceased was named Skelton, aged about 21, the son of a labourer living at Old Matton, and had for some time been employed in repairing the roads in the vicinity. The only presumed reason for his committal of this act is that he laboured under an internal disease of a peculiar character, and which ho considered, as perhaps it was, incurable. The mother of the deceased is servant and charwoman in several families in the neighbourhood, and happened to be engaged at the house of a gentleman not far from the scene of the catastrophe, when a messenger came in on other business, detailing in the presence of the mother, but without knowing who she was, the particulars of the incident which had happened to a person of the name of Skelton. The poor woman at once felt assured that the deceased was her son, a fact which was shortly afterwards confirmed by the arrival of her husband.
The Sun. — 1849-10-12 (London, England)

THE NEWSVENDERS' BENEVOLENT AND PROVIDENT INSTITUTION.—Last evening a quarterly general meeting of the members and donors ot the above benevolent and provident institution, established in 1839, for the purpose of granting temporary relief and assistance to masters and servants engaged as vendors of newspapers, who, frown age, infirmity, or distress, may require the aid of the benevolent, was held at the Newsvendera' Hall, in Black Horse court, Fleet-street, for the transaction of general business. The report for the past year, b'ing the tenth of the society's existence, congratulated the members upon the steady progress of the funds, whilst at the same time the committee urge the necesgify of an increase, in order that the growing claims of the infirm and needy may be met. During the last twelve months 131 was dispensed for temporary relief cases to members and their widows (the standing rules of the society limiting such relief whilst the funds were under 1,0001, the dividends of the funded stock being only applicable for benevolent purposes). The invested capital now amounts to 1.000/. There is at present only one permanent pensioner at 16/. per annum. The financial statement for the past year showed that (including the previous ba• lance) the receipts from all sources had been 1111. 9s. 11d. ; the expenditure, including the purchase of 501. additional stock, left a balance of 111 10s. 93. The report concluded with the expression of gratitude to the various daily journals for their support and assistance, and an appeal to the members of the trade to extend the beneficial influence of the institution. ATTEMPT AT SUICIDE BY A LADY IN HYDEPrix.—Yesterday morning, shortly after eight.o clock, as the superintendent of the Royal Humane Society was proceeding along the north bank of the Serpentine river he sew, at some distance from him, a well dressed female who appeared to be divesting herself of her outside garments, and before he could get up to her, she rushed towards the water, and uttering; a loud shriek threw herself into the deepest part of the river and directly sank. An alarm was immediately given, and Hill, one of the watermen, pushed off in a boat, and on arriving at the spot caught hold of the female by the hair of her head just as she was going down the second time. She was epeedily conveyed to the receiving house, *pre the usual remedies were resorted to, and aft( r Porno time she was so far recovered as to inform the superinte ndert that her name was Newell, that her fi Lez highly mis were respectable, and kept their carriage, and that tho cause of her attempting the rash act was, that her lover had proved unfaithful to her. Had not the Nnprrintendent been near. the spot, she, no doubt, would have carried her object into effect, as at the spot where she sank the water is more than 14 feet deep.
The Sun. — 1849-10-12 (London, England)

COMMUNISM DEFINED.—" The other day," says the Coqstitutionnel, "a workman was declaiming in the midst of a group against communism. One of the group said, ' you talk against communism, and you do not even know what it is.' The workman said nothing in reply at first, but taking off his blouse he tore it into frag. ments, and after giving a portion to each of the persons present, he said, Communisim, my friends, has for its object to make of what may be very useful to one person a collection of morsels which are useful to nobody.'"  CAPTURE OP A WHALE IN THE THAbIES..--In the course of Tuesday, some labourers in the employ of Messrs. Meeson, the lime-merchants, who were at work in the village of Grays, Essex, succeeded in capturing a full-grown whale, which they discovered fast ashore on the Black Shelf, a shoal running abreast of the village. Upon examination it was found to be a fine specimen of the species of whale termed the " Finner," measuring not less than 58 feet in length and 30 in girth ; and the men value their prize at about 2004 A vast number of persons, from Gravesend and other places, have arrived to view it, and a screen being placed round the carcase, the captors are in a way of making a handsome sum by the exhibition of the monster.  PAINTER'S CHOLIC —A man employed in grinding colours at a shop on the Quai Napoleon committed suicide the day before yesterday, by blowing out his brains. He was impelled to commit this act by a desire to put an end to the sufferings that he endured from the malady called the painter's cholic, which he had contracted in grinding white lead. Our readers are aware that the Government has recently ordered that in future the white paint used in public buildings shall be made of the white of zinc, which is not injurious to health, instead of white lead. Considerin,g the results of the use of paint made from white lead, and the dreadful effects that the lead produces in the manufactories where it is prepared, it is much to be hoped that the example set by the Government will bo followed by the public.—Galignani's Messenger.  A
The Sun. — 1849-09-28 (London, England)

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC.  We have received the Paris papers of yesterday. The manifesto of the POPE and the proclamation of the three Cardinals appears in several of these papers, and is commented on in almost • all of them. The general feeling expressed in Paris is. one of wounded pride at the manner in which France has been treated, and of bitter indignation against the. PopE for the manner in which he has deluded the French Government.  The Journal des Debate thus comments on th manifesto :  "This proclamation has turned out as things generally do which have been long waited for, a deception. We feel ourselves divided between a sentiment of personal, dissatisfaction and of grief for the Papacy. If on the one hand, we can obtain nothing better, it is by no means satisfactory for our dignity ; and if, on the other, the Papacy can grant no better without fear of suicide, it affords no great proof of strength or vitality." In speaking of the amnesty the same journal remarks that "the first article appears to grant a general amnesty, but the articles which follow create so many exceptions as to entirely destroy the effects of the first." The publication of these decrees in Rome produced, according to the Debats, an immense in, crease of irritation. Many of the proclamations were torn down by the people and covered with mud: It was rumoured that .General ROSTOLAN was so disgusted with the proceedings of the Cardinals, that he bad broken, off all communication with them, and had again tendered his resignation to the,PRESIDENT of the Republic. The Constitutionnel has the following on the subject of the proposed new Roman loan : "'There has been a talk of a loan contracted by the Pope for withdrawing the paper money-and thelfal,se money which the Roman Republic put inko-cireuhaidn. It has been said that the bankers of Raine had tired to take up the revolutionary moneys, in return for the concession of the monopoly of salt and tobaccO. These statements are inexact. The Emperor of Russia b"us offered a loan of 5,000,000 crowns, guaranteed by the King of Naples, to he repaid by annuities, and bearing only two and two-and-a-half per cent. interest. We are assured that this offer will be accepted." A. letter from Toulon of the 23d instant announces the departure of several military surgeons, ordered by the Minister of War to proceed to Rome, to. the expeditionary army in that city; the tender Marsonin has likewise sailed for Civita Vecchia with supplies, from which it is inferred that the. French troops will occupy Rome for some time. The same letter adds, that chaplains have been appointed to the ships of the line in that barbour.  La Patric contains the following paragraph relative to the refusal of the SULTAN to surrender the Polish and Hungarian refugees :—" We believe that we are authorised to state that the Porte, relying on existing treaties, refuses positively to accede to the demand of extradition of the Hungarian refugees made by the Emperor of
The Sun. — 1849-09-28 (London, England)

DELLA GENOA SER3IATTEI, VANNECELLI CASONI, ALTERIRE."  The,indignation excited among the Roman people by the perusal of this mockery of an armistice was intense, and was only equalled by the deep feeling of wounded pride and anger manifested by the French soldiery at having been unwittingly made the instruments of the restoration to power of such tricksters as those from whom these documents emanated. The state of Rome is becoming worse and worse every day that it continues under the dominion of the priests, of whose proceedings the following may be taken as a sample : " A lad of sixteea' belonging to a respectable family of tradespeople in the Via C, who had borne arms, like many other youths of similar age, in the service of the Republic, disobeyed the order issued by General Oudinot for the surrender of arms, and concealed his musket. The circumstance came to the knowledge of his grandfather, who men.' tioned it in confession. The priest declared. that he must refuse the penitent absolution, except upon-condi, tion of denouncing the fact to the police, in which consitted his only hope of salvatione.Trutr o, anldnidagnavceoitnh;plied with the injunction of his on formation to the police—the old Gregorian staff, as you are already aware, hardened to such things. ' 4 party of carabineers entered the house to search for the weapon, to the-great consternation of the inmates, and bore off the juiciiiile culprit to prison. Such was theterand remorse of the old man at the unhappy consequetce his imprudence, that he had recourse to suicide, and threw himself into the Tiber." Into which, we may add, the whole of the priests, from the Cardinals downwards, =will find themselves throWn by the people some fine morning, if they do not speedily amend their ways ; and we believe that the French soldiers would " assist" at the ducking . without attempting to interfere to prevent it.  - The Government Commission of State had issued a notification abolishing the corps of gendarmerie in all the Pontifical States, and substituting in their place a new political force, under the designation of Pontifical Velites.  The Ministers of the United States t 6 Rome and Naples have been recalled for taking part with the POPE during the recent transactions, and the Commander of the United States frigate Constitution has been severely reprimanded for losing hiti time at Gaeta in doing honour to his
The Sun. — 1849-09-21 (London, England)

COOPER—Had the use of both his hands. Knew many married people who do not live comfortably. Elizabeth Warner had apartments with the prisoner during the summer and autumn] of 1845. Deceased lived with her, they frequently quarrelled. Elizabeth Barker said, in 1846 prisoner lived with her in the City-road. Often had conversations with her about her husband; he did not live with her.  Mrs. Cundell lived, in the early part of the present year, with prisoner, in Napier-street, Hoxton; she was always very jealous of her husband. On one occaiion, about four or five weeks before the murder, prisoner told her that on the night before she had asked the price of a pair of pistols, and she would hear of something before very long. Witness replied that she did not think much of what jealous people said; but it she thought she meant her ,husband should write to deceased.  A number of letters which were found by the policesergeant i❑ the butler's pantry were next put in and read, which showed the prisoner to be labouring under strong feelings of jealousy and revenge for some supposed injury. Mr. COOPER then proceeded to address the jury on behalf of the prisoner. Hi remarked that the charge was of murder with malice aforethought, and commented strongly upon idle tales of years past being raked up by the prosecution to prove the manner in which they lived; he then spoke of the manner of the woman throughout the affair, and put it to the jury whether it was the conduct of a woman who was fond of her husband and meditated murdering him. The prosecution had called a clergyman to prove the pious conduet of deceased, but many of the most religious persons have been known to commit suicide ; the fear of losing his situation by his wife being there, when he knew she was ordered never to enter the house, might-induce him to commit suicide ; the surgeon had said that the deceased could not have done it with his right hand ; but, on cross-examination, he allowed it might have been done with his left. With a few more remarks upon the evidence, he called upon the jury not to convict the prisoner upon such slight and circumstantial testimony.; Mr. Baron PLATT having summed up at considerable length, The jury retired to consider their verdict at four o'clock.  In about ten minutes the jury re-entered the court and returned a verdict of Not Guilty.