npedrazzini/19thc_murder_suicide_news huggingface dataset:
The Sun. — 1862-07-07 (London, England)

MURDER AND SUICIDE IN SHAD WELL.  Saturday afternoon, about half-past two o'clock, a horrible murder was committed by a Spaniard, named Ramon Capele Villa Roca, at 12, Albertsquare, High-street, Shadwell. His victim was an Irish girl, with whom he had been cohabiting, named Honora Scannell. The event has created great excitement, more especially as after his detection in the first crime he succeeded in committing suicide. Roca arrived in this country from the Havannah about six weeks back, and then had 700 dollars in his possession. Soon after he formed an intimacy with Scannell, and nad recently become very jealous of her. On Friday they went to the Exhibition, and were afterwards drinking in a publichouse. On Saturday afternoon, whilst cleaning out her room, she wished him to leave, as he had no money. The landlady of the house also told him to leave. He flew into a furious passion, and threatened them both with death ; and as he armed himself with a pistol and dagger, the girl becoming alarmed, ran out, and was hastening down stairs, when Roca attacked her, and stabbed her several times iu the back, and she fell to the bottom a corpse. The landlady ran out screaming " Murder !" and on a constable arriving and demanding admission, the Spaniard opened the door, and presented a pistol at him, which he saw was loaded up to the muzzle. He shut the door upon the police, and rushed upstairs to the deceased girl's room, and immediately afterwards a report of firearms was heard. On gaining an entrance the police found the body of the girl lying at the foot of the stairs quite dead in a pool of blood, and her murderer on the floor of the room, with his head and face blown to atoms. The pistol bullet had passed through his head, and lodged in the ceiling, and the walls were bespattered with blood. The bodies were removed in shells to the vaults of Shadwell Church, to await an inquest; and the police have taken possession of the premises where the catastrophe took place. Another pistol and dagger were found under the bed in the room, and although no money was found on Roca, there were several brass Exhibition medals in his pockets. Mr. Ross, a surgeon, who was called in, stated his opinion that the wounds in the girl's back bad passed through the lungs into the chest, and caused almost instant death.
The Sun. — 1862-03-28 (London, England)

MLA.) Actaeon (Mr. Roberts) 2 General also ran. Betting—Even on the winner, 2 to agst Actaeon. As in the last race, the winner came in alone; and the second merely walked in to save his stake. with 50 added, for A hßSweepstakestiller rooyf 5 r 81 p y: of,y shHon. H. R. Hare's (R.H.A.) Roulette miles. (Owner) 1 Capt. Thornhill's (R.H.A.) Rosie ...... (Mr. O'Connor) 2 Lieut. Maunsell's (8.A.) Nancy (Owner) 3 The following also ran :—La Belle, Ageine, Pilgrim, and ;elt list 1 beandac each each, 3 ft.,enb About three officers of the Repulse. Betting-3 to 1 each agst Nancy and Roulette, 4to 1 each agst Rosie and Pilgrim. A fine race in was won by a neck ; 10 lengths between the second and third. Repulse fell in the brook and returned home. A Purse of 10 sovs, added to a Sweepstakes of 5 soya each, for horses the property of, and to be ridden by, officers of the Royal Artillery ; list 71b. Half a mile. Lieut. Vibart's (R.H.A.) Dramatist (Owner) 1 Capt. Hamilton (R.A.) na. Nancy.... (Lieut. Maunsell) 2 Lieut. Webber's (R.A.) The Sweep (Mr. Roberts) 3 Betting-6 to 4on Dramatist. F.;;;. 4,,r,i, A good race was won by a neck _ ; six lengths dividing the second and third. The Plate of 30 sovs, for horses that have been regularly hunted, did not fill.  SUICIDE FROM LONDON BRlDGE.—Between three and four o'clock yesterday morning a young female was observed crying bitterly, and following a sailor on London Bridge. Suddenly she mounted the parapet in one of the recesses, and threw herself into the river. An alarm was instantly given, and the body being distinctly seen by a policeman on duty, boats were promptly put off, guided by a signal from the constable, but'she had disappeared just as a boat reached the spot. Drags were obtained but the body has not been recovered.  POLICE INrELLIG ENeP.—( This Day.)  ATTEMPTED SUlClDE.—Erasmus Walstone, a man about 50, was charged before Mr. Yardley with attempting to commit suicide by drowning at the Serpentine.  Edward Robinson, park constable 39, said he was gatekeeper at the Serpentine-bridge, and on the previous evenI ing saw the prisoner get over the bridge on to the parapet and stoop down. lie went up to him and asked what he was going to do, when he replied " Only to look at the water." lie then took the prisoner into custody, and on searching him he found two letters, one addressed to Mr. Evans, and the other to Mr. Mundy, the members of Parliament for Derbyshire. On snaking inquiries he found from the groom of Mr. Evans that the prisoner's brother was the Post-office keeper an Quorndon, Derbyshire, and that he was acquainted with him.  Prisoner said ho was born at Quorndon, and worked there as a pressman to Mr. Moxley, but had come to London, there being no work.  Mr. Yardley said it always excited his suspicion when he found persons begging of members of Parliament representing the places where they said they were born. Prisoner said his brother kept the Post-office at Quorndon.  Mr. Yardley sent the poor fellow, who was in a deplorable state, to St. George's Workhouse, and ordered that after he had rested and recruited himself ho should be sent to Quorndon.
The Sun. — 1862-09-25 (London, England)

DISTRESSING SUICIDE FROM STARVATION IN KENSINGTON-GARDENS•  1 _ I Dr. Lankester, the Central Middlesex England 1 ner, held an inquest at the Bank coroTavern, Cambridge-place, Paddington, 41 years touching the death of Charles Pritchard, :yesterday, of No. 2, of ago, an upholsterer, formerly Margaret-terrace, Kensington. gogardens, a resident Gibson, a park-keeper in Kensl t. 3 a inst., as he stated that on the afternoon of the gardens called was passing that part of thed lying on Black Lion Wood, he found the decease s left hand, the ground with his head resotaieng,on hi foamin d g at the with the elbow on the g r person was near him. mouth and groaning-, 1\;`) ;van, you appear very 1 Witness said to him " 3-LY with you ?" He looked up ill; what is the matter and answered " I haveak taken, and myself." I asked and he further replied him what he bad d tthe bottle is in my pocket." " Oxalic acid, off a brother constable to convey Witness ran ou Hospital. When he returned Mary's partly risen up. In his pocket they him to St. deceased had bottle and a tea-cup, and on their found hospital h ebecame insensible ; but previous small .. way to the to that g place he pulled out vious of his pocket a piece paper which appeared of to have been used for the oxalic acid, and had "poison" written upon it. Witness produced two letters found upon his person, one addressed to his ' wife, dated Sept. 3, and the other addressed to Mrs. Cole, his sistir, dated Aug. 22. The one to his wife was to the effect that that letter would be the last he should ever write. He said he was almost driven mad from having no sign of getting employment, arising from 1 is having sunk too low in the world, and described how- miserable had been his life 'during the last four years, mainly from reduced circumstances. The other to his sister disclosed the painful statement that he had not a penny in his pocket, and had not eaten a crust of bread for several days ; that he had wandered about until he could walk no longer; that he was a friendless, homeless wretch, and prayed her forgiveness for committing the dreadful crime of suicide. A brother-in-law of the deceased, named Cole, deposed that deceased had been formerly addicted to intemperate habits, and that he had not been seen for 15 months. The jury deliberated, and returned a verdict of " Suicide," but left the state of deceased's mind at 1 the time he corn .. an open question,
The Sun. — 1862-09-19 (London, England)

INGENUITY IN COMMITTING SUICIDE.—On Tuesday a convict in Spike Island, named Thomas Morris, so violent that handcuffs had to be kept on him in his cell, was found to have committed suicide with great determination in the following extraordinary manner :—.From the window of his cell, the sash of sufficiently low to m which is Ofiron,ataheriet o isf a, a slight slope inwards, coming u man's mounting upon it, even with handcuffs on, and owing to the thickness of the wall there is plenty of *Ace on the slope for a man to rest his body upon. The panes of the cell window ara alternately of glass and perforated zinc, and are about six by seven inchsurface, all puttied in Morris having mounted on the slope,u taking his sheetwitb,him, forced out one of the perforated zinc panes, and got a twisted end of the sheet through, and brought it round to the next zinc pane, passing over the glass, lest, it is suppOSed,;the noise of breaking the glass should create an alarm Having brought the end of; the sheet in, and tied it with a most unfailing knot, round two bars of the sash, he tied the other twisted end round his neck unhappily with an equally unfailing knot, and then, what appears the most difficult to have accomplished, handcuffed as he was, he forced his feet and legs over his hands until his hams came to rest on his arms. In this posture he must have thrown himself off the slope of the window, so taking away the slightest possible chance of struggling against the horrible fate hu courted with such fatal ingenuity. He was found by the officers of the prison in this posture, suspended by the neck from the sash of the window, with his feet scarcely six inches from the floor of his cell. Morris was undergoing a sentence of five years' penal servitude passed on him two years ago, and had undergone a former sentence of penal servitude under the name of Thomas Ellis.  The Orkney and the Shetland Isles were the pledge of the dowry of Margaret, daughter of Christian 1., who married James 111. of Scotland, in 1469 ; and as the dowry was never paid, the islands came to us, with Scotland on the death of Queen Elizabeth. At the same time we had a Queen from Denmark, the wife of James 1., and the mother of Charles 1., being the daughter of Frederick 11. of Denmark. Our present race of sovereigns was also connected with the Danish throne by the marriage of tltewslat; ter of George 111. with Christian
The Sun. — 1862-07-16 (London, England)

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.  ATTEMPTED SUICIDE—NO HOME.—A young woman named Catherine Keafe was brought before Mr. Knox charged with attempting to commit suicide in the Serpentine, from which she was fortunately rescued by a park constable named Robertson, by means of the life buoy. Mr. Knox, finding that she had no home to go to, and with the view of taking care of her till it could be seen what could be done for her, sent her to the House of Detention. On being again brought before the magistrate, a letter was handed to him from the chaplain of the House of Detention (Mr. Jepson), stating that if she was sent back for a few days, a female officer should be sent to the court on the next occasion to take her before a committee of ladies, who would probably take her under their care. Mr. Knox sent her back to the House of Detention, for which she seemed very grateful.  A COWARDLY RtFFlAN.—Henry Lucas, a general dealer, was charged as follows :—Sergeant Lambert, 12 E, was passing along Oxford-street this morning when he saw the prisoner in company of two females. On coming close up to them, Lambert saw the prisoner strike ono of the females, who had a child in her arms, a violent blow, and then turn round and strike the other. Lambert then asked him how he could act in such a cowardly manner, when the prisoner replied, " You can't I do what I like with my own wife." He then told the prisoner he was a policeofficer, upon which the prisoner said, " Then give you the same," and struck him a severe blow on the eye, blackening it very badly, and then knocked him down and either struck or kicked him in the stomach, the effect of which had been to cause him to spit blood. Sergeant Edward Nightingale, of the G division, having assisted him, they got the prisoner, who had been drinking, to the station.  Mr. Knox remanded the prisoner, to see whether any serious effects might result to the officer from the prisoner's violence.
The Sun. — 1862-12-26 (London, England)

MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH.) GRAVESEND, Friday Morning. Arrived, Dec. 25—Crest of the Ocean, from St. Michael's. Rime, rrived, Dec. 26—Treaty, from Dunkirk; Furet, Lionne, and Maria Aline, from Gravelines. Amelia, for Brest. DEAL, Friday Morning. Atichered—Wellington, for Adelaide ; Harmony, for ardiff—both f London; Avondha, from the westward, for London. rom  ATTEMPTED SUICIDE BY A PUBLlCAN.—Yesterday an attempt at suicide was committed by Samuel Wright '0 years of age, a licensed victualler, of East Acton, Middlesex. A heavy fall was heard in his room, and on the kniates entering they found that he had inflicted a frightful gash in his throat with a razor, extending nearly from ear to ear. He was removed to St. George's Hospital, but little hopes are entertained of his recovery. No cause is arraigned for the attempt, but Mr. Wright, it is said, had been in a desponding state of mind for some days past. THUNDERBOLT AND MIRACULOUS ESCAPE IN west the violence of the late storm in the west of Scotland, Mr. Reid, farmer, Tnverguseran—ono of the Principal tenants on the estate of Knoydart, belonging '1) Air. Baird—had retired to rest, when the house was 'tack by thunderbolt, and split from top to bottom. The sea ea which Mr. Reid was lying was blown to the ceiling, mild then came to the ground, while the bedroom door was ,tern from its hinges, and dashed against the window. Mrs. Feld was in an adjoining apartment, and in a state of the Ilatn:mst alarm she hurried to the rescue of her husband, but stair over which she had to pass having been riven away hQe lightning, the poor lady fell into the wine cellar toragh the opening. Every pane of glass, bottle, and piece ill„er ,c'ekory about the building was smashed to pieces, aud 1,„-; l'ew moments the house became a total wreck. On „ having been procured, it was found, strangest of that Mr. and Mrs. Reid and the servants had miracui:filiSly escaped with a few trifling scratches ; but they had ,„ at ;Ilvards to flee for shelter and protection to their relatives -uroadford, in the Island of Skye.—Glasgow Herald. %111 the prisons of Vienna there are at this moment editors—Messrs. Gress, Friedemann, Keipp, Delpf Tkalac, undergoing imprisonment of various terms It°l.,,Pir„ess offences, and Messrs. Naschelsky and Leskorec 11,1vt."ag their trials. It is to be hoped these gentlemen are mmiectea to the barbarous treatment to which Max ail"fiu:, editor of the W anderer, describes. him. self as having re Are& The account he presents of his prison experience sus like a page out of Neapolitan history under Bomba. 11},°117.
The Sun. — 1862-04-26 (London, England)

BEGENT'S CANAL.  Yesterdal e* morning, at ten, an adjourned inquest upon the ody of Margaret Elizabeth Halliday, agedr 23 wie ) was found in the water of the Regent's Canal, last Tuesday week, under circumstances. which have h-iven rise to an impression that she had. been murdered, was resumed by Mr. H. It. Walthew. the deputy coroner for East Middlesex, at the New Globe Tavern, 11Iile-end-road. Wm, Warren, a gardener, residing in the vicinity of the cane), ,Said. that about 2 o'clock on the morning of last Tree.t`thly week he heard a shout or loud exclamation, ed by piercing scream. The dogs in the neighbourhook I began to bark furiously, and he went out to see 'at was the matter, but in the •guish nothing. The body of darkness he could distil. water five hours afterwards. deceased was found in the 9, C,leveland-street, Mile-endEmma Halliday, road—l am sister of the Jles.leased, who was a bugle trimmer, residing with he.r parents. I last saw her alive on the Monday eveni,ag previous to her dea.+lk and' she was then quite cheerful and happy. She had been keeping company with a young man named. Charles Wm. Webb, who said he was an engineer, but whose address he always kept concealed. I always told her that I thought Ile was a married man—he had such funny ways. (La ughter.) About ago she said that if she found out that thileYv, " -as weeksm arried and had deceived her she would revenca..... herself. I last saw them togoaker in the shop on ilhe Saturday night previous to in: death. By the Coroner—She sometimes said she would hang herself, she said it in a joke, and I never supposed she m. 9alat to destroy herself. She -was a very correct moral girl. Webb and she were in the habit of walking out together. She certainly had no idea of suicide on the Monday evening. Since the inquest was acijoteyned we have found out Webb's address, and that he as a wife and child.. Mrs. Patience Halliday said the deceased went out on the Monday evening about 8 o'clock, and upon witness asking her to make a small purchase e answered that she would not be in time as it was. Witness under:stood that she was going to meet -Webb. The coroner's officer here put in the two foi2owing notes which had been found in deceased's room, they bore no date, but the second was marked Alond6ty: ,6 my dear Frienn,—/, am sorry I did not see you alone last night, but I suppose the wet night Frevented your coming. Meet me to-night at the sante spot at 7 o'clock. Do come, there's a good creature, as I want particularly to see you. If you fail to come I shall go and fetch you. Do not forget the book.-Yours very truly, "
The Sun. — 1862-10-30 (London, England)

ALLEGED MURDER.  Samuel Gardner and Elizabeth Humbler were jointly indicted for the wilful murder of Elizabeth Gardner, in Northumberland-court, Fenchurch-street. The case was opened by Mr. Poland for the prosecution, who was about to submit to the jury some statements which had been made by the female, when  The Chiaf Baron could not allow such a course. Not a shade of guilt had yet been thrown by the learned counsel on the woman, and he suggested that in her case a verdict of Not Guilty should be taken, and that she should be called as a witness, which would expose her to a crossexamination.  This course was ultimately adopted, and Humbler left the dock, and the case proceeded against Gardner. It will be recollected that the prisoner carried on the business of a sweep in Northumberland-court. Humbler had for some time acted as domestic servant to the prisoner, but it appeared she had been on terms of intimacy with him, which naturally occasioned an ill-feeling between him and his wife. The body of the wife was found with a terrible gash in the throat, and when her death became known Gardner accused Humbler of having murdered his wife, and afterwards placed the knife in his wife's hand to make it appear as if she had committed suicide.  The principal witness examined was the surgeon, who gave it as his opinion that it was utterly impossible for the deceased to have inflicted the wound which caused her death with her own hand. He also said the position of the knife was strong evidence that she did not do so, because if she cut her throat with it she must have done it with the back of the knife. The knife seemed to have been placed in the hand of the deceased after death with the edge backwards.  The witness was subjected to a long and minute cross-exa urination by Mr. Ribton, who defended the accused, with a view to show that it was within the range of possibility that dectased committed suicide; but in this he entirely failed, the surgeon believing that under any circumstances it was impossible for the woman to have inflicted the injury with her own hand.
The Sun. — 1862-07-02 (London, England)

DEPLORABLE 'SUICIDE OF A GENTLEMAN.  Yesterday morning an inquiry was held by Mr. W. Payne, coroner for the city of London, at the New Puncheon Tavern, Bloomfield-street, Finsbury-circus, touching the death of Mr. Thos. Lock, aged 62, who committed suicide on Friday last, under peculiarly distressing circumstances.  Mr. F. Lock, the son of the deceased, said that his father resided at No. 1, Bell-square, Finsbury =circus, of which house he had formerly been the owner. About 18 months since he had the misfortune to lose those premises, which preyed greatly upon his spirits, and shortly afterwards his wife died, when his mina became so much affected that he was deprived of a lucrative situation which he held in the City- He then separated himself from his family and took effectually, lodgings in his old house, where he seemed so distracted at Ile prospect of poverty that his friends called in two physicians but 1.e.! who, however, deClined to certify to his insanity, his ‘, .enimended that precautions should be taken against door, ,:-=estreyht ghimself. That, however, . could not be done Y for on Friday last, upon witness calling at the house, he i but his room find him, as he thought, standing at struck to findnittaking hold of his hand witness was horrorbe ing suspended from and that deceased was quite dead, iterom the beam of the door-way by a short rope. He was butulediatel cut down and medical assistance procured,death appeared to have taken place some hours before. 1 = Dr. Elwin said that the friends of deceased were not to blame for his unfortunate death, as being a free agent he was able to order them all to k The Coroner remarked on distressingtheepway from naturehim. of the case, and the jury returned a verdict of Suicide while in a state of unsound mind.
The Sun. — 1862-02-12 (London, England)

AMLBOROUGH-STREET.  CHARGE OF MANSLAUGHTER AGAINST AN EATINGHOUSE KEEPER.—Henry Godden, of 72, Munster-street, Regent's-park, eating .house keeper, was charged with being drunk, and causing the death of a female, at present unknown, by knocking her down with a pony and cart, in Regent-street.  Mr. Edward James, of Great Marlborough-street, appeared for the prisoner, and Inspector Garforth, of the E Division, attended to watch the case.  It appears that between eight and nine last night the prisoner was driving his pony and cart down Langham-place towards the Regent's Park, and when near Mortimer-street he saw something in his way and pulled up his pony very sharply, and in doing so overturned the pony, at the time going at the rate of six miles an hour. The prisoner was himself thrown out, and his arm on his being raised was found to be broken. The pony, on getting on its legs again, started off and knocked down the poor woman, who was crossing Mortimer-street. She was immediately picked up and taken to the Middlesex Hospital, but expired on the way. The prisoner was remanded.  A CANDIDATE FOR SUICIDEe—A respectable looking young female named Eliza Curtis, was charged as follows : A young man said he was passing the Serpentine last night about 9 o'clock, when he saw the young woman loitering about the bridge, and sobbing. He watched her, and believing from her violent manner that she was going to commit suicide, he watched her, and then spoke to a constable, who, on s2eaking to her, was told by her that she was going to throw herself in the water. A constable said the young woman had been drinking, and told him she was unhappy and intended to drown herself.  Prisoner said she was unhappy, but not tipsy. Mr. Tyrwhitt remanded her for a week, that she might, by reflection, become in a better state of mind.