npedrazzini/19thc_murder_suicide_news huggingface dataset:
The Sun. — 1829-11-16 (London, England)

MOST SINGULAR CASE OF SUICIDE.-At eleven o'clock on Saturday an Inquest was held at the Orange Tree public-house, Isleworth, on Mrs. Charlotte Collins, aged 70. • The deceased was a woman of most peculiar habits -but of a cheerful disposition► until within the last fortnight, when a general change in her behaviour took place, the cause of which she did not attempt to conceal. Although horn and residing at Isleworth, she had never, up to that time, visited London, to which place she bore an unaccountable antipathy. She had never been in a Court of Justice, civil or criminal, or before a Magistrate, and considered making an affidavit highly improper, founding her position on the text " Swear not at all." Some considerable time ago, under peculiar circumstances, she became, as a matter of form, witness to the signing of a will, by which considerable property had been appropriated to charitable purposes. This instrument, it appears, became disputed, and subsequent litigation commenced. The week before last deceased received a citation to attend Doctors' Commons, and give evidence on the subject. This greatly distressed her, and it was with considerable difficulty she was sufficiently calmed to pet form what was required of her. She returned as speedily as possible, but very much depressed in spirits at having been obliged to undergo a long examination on oath, but was partially quieted by an assurance that she would not again be wanted. Her usual compo. sure was returning gradually, when, on Thursday, a second notice arrived, announcing tie necessity of heragain attending on astated day. This appears to have completely overcome her, and during the remainder of the day she was gloomy and restless, and repeatedly said she could not go again. At night she retired to bed as usual, but not being seen the next morning by her neighbours, search was made, and the unfortunate old lady was found suspended by the neck from the tester of her bed, and quite dead. She had effected her purpose with a child's skipping rope fastened with several knots.  The Coroner and Jury concurred in opinion that the case was most extraordinary; and under all the circumstances, a verdict of " temporary Derangement" was returned.
The Sun. — 1829-05-28 (London, England)

SUICIDE.  Yesterday afternoon an inquisition was taken before Mr. GELL, at the sign of the Marquis of Granby, South Andley-street, on the body of a young matt (name unknown), apparently about 25 years of age, who shot himself through the head with a horsepistol, in Kensington-gardens. William Everard, gatekeeper of the Grosvenorgate, Kensington-gardens, stated that on Monday afternoon last, between six and seven o'clock, he heard the report of a pistol, about 100 yards front his gate. On going to the spot, he found the deceased lying on the ground, bleeding and quite dead ; he had a small foreign horse-pistol lying on his breast. He immediately called for assistance, and Lord Grosvenor came up, and saw the body. His Lordship said he would give orders at Mount-street workhouse to have the body removed. Witness never saw the deceased in his life before.  The beadle said that every inquiry had been made, but they could not discover who the unfortunate man wag. He was dressed in shabby black. The only thing found upon him was a cotton pocket handkerchief, and some snuff in a paper, and a book and pencil. The pistol and the book were produced ; in tlic book was written in pencil,/ " Thomas Colbeck, aged 25." It was entitled the " Book of Fate," translated from the German, a silly catchpenny fortune-telling book, stated in the preface to have been obtained from the cabinet of curiosities belonging to Buonaparte during the confusion at the battle of Leipsic, after the defeat of the French army, and also affirming that the Emperor always consulted this oracle before he determined upon any enterprise. Directions are given how to work the different problems, and it was evident on a blank leaf in the book the unfortunate man had been consulting this oracle, from the marks he had been making, according to the directions. This being the whole of the evidence, the Jury returned a verdict—" That the deceased shot himself in Kensington-gardens, but whether he was sane or insane at the time, there is no evidence to prove."
The Sun. — 1829-10-15 (London, England)

HERBERT TAYLOR. We regret to learn that the health of his Eicellency Sir Peregrine Maitland is in a precarious state. It is mentioned in letters from Halifax that it is his Excellency's intention to repair to the West Indies during the winter for the benefit of his health, and it is thought Barbadoes will be the Island. The number of arrivals here this season is altogether unprecedented, being already 200 more than at the same time last year. Upwards of 90 arrived on Saturday : all these vessels have come with the intention of being loaded with timber, and the supply of that article had not exceeded the usual quantity in the market. The great increase of demand has produced the usual effect, a very considerable increase in the price. To the great increase of our shipping this year no cause has as yet been assigned, except the scarcity of timber in the lower ports, where it is said the season was unfavourable for dragging it out of the woods.  His Majesty's ship Champion sailed yesterday for St. Patrick's Hole : she takes British silver to Newfoundland, where she is to put herself under the orders of the Tyne till both ships join the Halifax squadron. (From the Montreal Papers.)  His Excellency Sir James Kemp and suite arrived here yesterday, about four o'clock, and was received with the usual salute.  On Thursday Mr. Henry Ennis, purser on board his Majesty's ship Champion, committed suicide. This is settling day in the Consol Market, and it appears to have been a very large Bull account, owing to the quantity of stock sold by the public, and taken for time by the speculators, by which means u fall in the Market has been prevented, anti by the facility with which money was obtained on stock from the Bankers and large capitalists. The extreme fluctuation during this account has not been more than one per cent., from 88j to 89i. This is rather surprising, and to the great disappointment of the Bulls, who fully counted on a further rise, at least of about one per cent., owing to the important events which have occurred during the Account, particularly the peace between the Russians and Turks.  Consols, which left off yesterday at 89ii for the Account, and 89i, for next Account, opened at the same price this morning. Little business is doing at present, as they are chiefly occupied in settling their accounts, which up to the present period are going off well. Report says that a great City Capitalist has borrowed a million of money on stock, and no doubt that a very large amount of stock will go into his name this day, his pocket being well furnished with the needful.  In the Foreign Market little or nothing doing as yet, owing to an armistice between the Colombians and Peruvians. Colombian stock improved yesterday, and maintains its price this morning. The Briton frigate has arrived from Lisbon in 12 days. Nothing has yet transpired.
The Sun. — 1829-10-15 (London, England)

ATTENIPI' 'FO COMMIT SUICIDE.  A young tidy, whose v.-inflections are highly respectable, on Ttn slay afternoon attempted to com• mit suicide, by wall,ing into the river from the banks of the Thames, between the Red-house and Battersea-bridge: The unhappy lady was seen by two young rnilem ,n, %A ho were pa ,sing at the time in a boat, up to her neck in the water, and had no sooner got out of her depth than she sank. One of them immediately divested himself of a portion of his apparel, and in the most prompt manner plunged in after her. For some few seconds the enterprising young gentleman was under water, and great fears were entertained for his safety; but he shortly reached the surface with the object of his search, and succeeded, although with considerable difficulty, in bringing her on land. From the short interval in which she had been in the water, she very soon recovered, and was conveyed to the-house of a gentleman who witnessed the occurrence, in Cheyne-walk, Chelsea. From questions put to her it was ascertained that disappointment in love was the cause of her attempting to rush into the presence of her 11Iaker, without, perhaps, being in the least prepared for the awful consequences. She expressed considerable contrition for attempting the rash act, and was so sensitively aware of the heinousness of her offence that she wept bitterly, and offered up a prayer for her providential deliverance. Our correspondent informs us that should the heroic young gentleman who so promptly, and at the imminent danger of his own life, rescued the young female from death, see this brief statement of the melancholy occurrence, and will call at the house of the gentleman in Cheyne-walk, which he left after seeing the lady safely conveyed, he will receive the card of the parents of the unhappy girl, who are extremely anxious to personally express their gratitude for his noble and manly aid in rescuing an only child from the jaws of death.
The Sun. — 1829-10-19 (London, England)

MELANCIIOLY SUICIDE.--On Saturday, Mr. Coos:, the landlord or the Canterbury Arms, Marshgate, Lambeth, put a period to his existence by suspending himself from a beam in the skittle-ground, in the rear of his own premises. He had left his house about ten o'clock in the morning, giving, at the time, an intimation that he was going to the hair-dresser's; but on his not returning for some hours, apprehensions were entertained for his safety, and persons were despatched in every place where it was thought peobable to meet with him. No tidings could, however, be heard of him ; and it was not till a late hour in the day that he was discovered hanging as above described. Upon the unfortunate man being cut down be was quite cold from the length of time he bad been suspended. The deceased had only been married two years, and was highly respected.  Another melancholy instance of self-destruction by poison was committed on Saturday afternoon, by a lady named JACQUES, sister to Mr. HENRY ADAMS, the proprietor of the Ship Tavern, in Leadenhall-street, opposite the. India-house. It appears that sometime back the unfortunate lady, who was about 40 years of age, put chased a quantity of oil of turpentine and arsenic, for the purpose of destroying bugs ; and, to prevent any mischief arising from its being in the house, she placed a label upon the bottle, upon which she wrote " Poison." For several days past Miss ES had evinced great alteration in her manner, and always appeared in a state of melancholy; but no suspicion for a moment arose in the minds of her family that it was at all indicative of insanity, therefore no particular notice was taken of her, and she continued as usual to superinted the business of the tavern. On Saturday afternoon, about three o'clock, the unhappy lady went up stairs, and meeting with one of the chambermaids she said "My dear ANN, you will see me no more ; I shall not be here to-morrow." From the dejected anti pallid countenance, the girl became much alarmed, and replied, " For God's sake, Miss, what is the matter with you ?" The unhappy woman 'exclaimed, " My dear girl, I cannot live, adding one sin to another. 1 have swallowed the bug poison, and my end is fast approaching." The servant alarmed the family immediately, and Mr. Pocii, of Gracechurch-street, was instantly procured, to whom the unfortunate woman confessed that she had drank a tumbler full of the bug poison, and expressed her conviction that all he could do to save her would be of no avail. The stomach-pump and every remedy was used to preserve her existence, but all failed, and she very shortly after expired. She was a maiden lady, and beloved by all who knew her,  PRICKS OF STOCKS THIS Rank stock 3 per Ceut. Red. 699“,i% 3 per Cent. Cons. 9O 1,4 3hi per Cent. — Ditto Red. 98%N 3 per Cent. 1726 — 4 per Cent. Ann •'0334% Ditto, 1846 Ditto Scrip — Bank L. Ann. l9 9-16 34% India Stock 2:12 Ditto Bonds pm.  PRICES OF FOREIGN FUNDS Tills
The Sun. — 1829-12-11 (London, England)

HARCOURT. He called loudly to the man, who was looking on, paralyzed with fear, to drive forward, which had the desired effect, for the cow immediately followed the car, and gave up all further attack.—Dublin Morning Register.  A Meeting of the Friends of Mr. R. B. WATTS, whose case of meditated suicide has appeared in the newspapers, was held on Wednesday, at the Equestrian Coffee-house, near the Surrey Theatre. Mr. ELLISTON, who took the Chair, strongly urged the Meeting to spare no exertion to assist Mr. WATTS, who was deserving of their sympathy, and who, as the founder of the Philanthropic Societies, had caused relief to be afforded to many thousands. Mr. ELLISTON accompanied his recommendation by subscribing five pounds, and said he would allow Mr. WATTS to have a benefit one night at his house; and after his friends had done the utmost they could for him, he would give him an engagement of 11. a week at the Theatre. This speech of Mr. ELLISTON'S drew ferth loud applause. Several other gentlemen followed Mr. EwsroN's example, and the Meeting then separated.  TRADE IN LElTH.—Business in general has been for sore time past as dull in Leith as it is in any of the inland towns, exclusively dependent on manufactures. There are no new houses going forward, and there is no appearance of activity in the carpenters' yards. In prosperous times above two hundred hands were employed at the glass-works; but the demand has so decreased that not one-half the number are at present employed. The sailcloth manufactured in Leith is allowed by mariners to be superior to that made in other quarters; it consequently sells higher, and though eventually cheaper, there is so little business doing among the shipping, that the owners, obliged to economise, now rig their vessels with the cheapest canvas that can be obtained. Hence there has been a still greater reduction in the number of men employed bot'i in the rope-spinning and sail-cloth manufacture, than there has been among the glass-blowers. Dealers who have been in business for a quarter of a century, declare that they never saw such dull sales, and such a scarcity rf money.—Scotsman.  UNIVERSITY INTEi .I:
The Sun. — 1829-10-02 (London, England)

PRICE 7D.  SEDUCTION AND SUICIDE.  A melancholy case of suicide has taken place at Carshaltoa, in Surrey, by a young female, aged only i 9 years, named Sophia Scott, which has thrown the village into a state of excitement, in consequence of a report which gated that the unfortunate girl had fallen a victim to seduction, and that a young man to whom she was much attached had been the seducer. The person alluded to had certainly kept her company for some time, but from some cause or other not yet explained, they quarrelled, and he deserted her. This circumstance is supposed to have preyed heavily on her mind, and although she was treated by Mrs. Paine, a widow lady, at Carshalton, in whose service she was, with the greatest kind• nes:, nothing could throw off the melancholy and depression prevailed on her spirits. On Finlay last she called at her mother's for .the last time, and then wrote a letter to her lover, notwithstanding•the urgent solicitations of her parent not to do so. On Sunday evening the unfortunate girl by some means procured a quantity of laudanum, which she swallowed, and put an end to her existence. • _  On Tuesday evening an inquest was held on her body, before Mr. CARTER, coroner for Surrey, at the Greyhound, at Carshalton.  The evidence of Mrs. Paine, the girl's mother, and Mr. Wallace, a surgeon, proved the girl's melancholy, and her death by laudanum. Frederick Charles Smith, a tradesman at Carshallot], the young man alluded to by the mother of the deceased, was also examined. He stated that he bad been acquainted with the deceased about eleven months. About six weeks ago he had reason to know that tha deceased was with child.  Juror—When did you see her last ? . Witness— On Friday evening. Juror—Had you any conversation with her at that time ? Witness—None whatever. I did not speak to her at all.  Juror—Have you received any letter from the deceased lately ? Witness—She left a note for me on Friday evening last. Juror—Have you got that note in your possession ? Witness—l have not. I read it, and afterwards destroyed it. In answer to several other questions put by the Jury to the witness, he firmly denied ever having any criminal intercourse with the deceased, although he admitted he had associated with her, and frequently walked out with her. The Coroner summed up the evidence; and the Jury, after a short consultation, returned a verdict— " That the deceased destroyed herself by taking laudanum, in a temporary fit of insanity."
The Sun. — 1829-08-05 (London, England)

SUICIDE AT BOSTON.  On Thursday morning last Mary Atkinson, a se►vant girl in the employ of Mr. John Tonge, brazier, of New-street, Boston, suspended herself by a rope across a beam in her master's house, and though her body was warm when found, pulsation had ceased, and every attempt made by a surgeon to restore animation, proved useless. It appears that she was a girl of a very sensitive turn of mind, and on the preceding day she had been informed of the serious illness of her mother, and of her favourite sister being run over by a horse. These tidings very much affected her, she became melancholy, and frequently burst into tears. At half-past ten o'clock on Thursday morning she was last seen alive,—she was then apparently more cheerful. In a quarter of an hour Aliss E. Tonge, daughter of Mr. Tonge, having occasion to go into her (Miss T.'s) room, found the door fastened. She gave an alarm, and the door was broke open. Miss Tonge then entered, and found the poor girl suspended from an iron bar by a rope. With an admirable presence of mind, she immediately cut the rope; the lifeless body fell into her arms, and then she cut the cord which was tightly fastened round the unfortunate gill's neck. The deceased never evinced any signs of life. Surgical aid was promptly procured, but, as we have stated above, without effect. An inquest was held on the body, at the Falcon Inn, before J. H. How WAY, Gent., Coroner for the borough, and the Jury returned a verdict that the deceased destroyed herself in a fit of " Temporary Derangement." We understand from the father of the deceased that, owing to some words she had with her grandmother, she some time ago made a similar attempt, but was then prevented accomplishing her dreadful purpose. --Boston Gazette.
The Sun. — 1829-07-30 (London, England)

GREENWICH PETTY SESSIONS.  EXTRAORDINARY CREDULITY.  Yesterday the Bench of Magistrates for the county of Kent assembled in Petty Session, at the Greyhound Inn, Greenwich. RICHARD SMITH, Esq., was Chairman; and others of the local Magistrates attended. Towards the close of the business of the day, an inquiry took place, the details of which are, perhaps, so singular and extraordinary, that it is impossible to equal them. A young man named Joseph Thornton, of respectable appearance, was charged with detaining a miniature fraudulently, the property of another young man, named Joseph Dale. The complainant, a very respectable youth, entered at great length into a narrative of the hoax practised upon him by the defendant. He said that about a twelvemonth since he received a note written in a female hand, and signed E. 8., professing the most ardent sentiments of attachment towards him. He was then intimate with the defendant, to whom he mentioned the circumstance, aad the place named for a meeting. The defendant exclaimed, " God bless me, I know the family well; I'm going to tea with them, and I'll manage it." He confided in the defendant, who, from time to  time, handed him letters from the, young lady, all expressive of an ardent attachment to him, but regretting the utter impracticability of her meeting. He was fully possessed with the truth of the letters, and the defendant repeatedly took him to Dartmouth-terrace, Lewisham, and pointed out the house where the young lady lived, directing him to walk past, in order that she might " delight her eyes with his presence." He often sought an interview with her, but such was the strict surveillance of her parents, he never succeeded. Months passed away in this manner, during which the defendant gave him nearly one hundred letters. Of course, in return for this kindness, he was obliged to feed the defendant, and supplied him with clothes, money, &c. About April last the defendant said the young lady was anxious to receive his portrait, and handed him:her's, painted on ivory, and richly bound in a morocco case. The complainant had then somewhat sickened of making love by deputy to a girl whom he had never seen; but this revived his hopes, and he was somewhat shocked at learning from the defendant that the young lady was so distracted at his seeming neglect, that she had swallowed laudanum, and nearly succeeded in suicide. In support of this he handed him the following documents :  earstyfollows : " April 2d, 1829. executed My dear Friend,—To your care I commit what I wish which I am possessed of, " to Joseph Dale, of the parish of Greenwich, iu the I bheo dpoenyeo a you will see the ce purtoedp  county of Kent, bequeath all my premises and cash, mounting to 4,0001. To his brother, James Dale, the sum of 4001., which he will receive when he pleags, upon applying at Barclay's banking-house, Lombard-street. The last of my property, with the exception of what is mentioned in the enclosed, I leave to my mother, Mrs. Patrick Elliot. This I solemly conjure you to see clone as you value your future happiness. " Witness my hand, sign-d and sealed, "