npedrazzini/19thc_murder_suicide_news huggingface dataset:
Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1889-03-02 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

EMPEROR WILLIAM AND THE QUEEN. The Berlin correspondent of the Standard says that the Emperor William's visit to Queen Victoria in England is arranged to take place in June. Precise details cannot, of course, be given as yet, as the com• municationn on the subject passing between Berlin and London are kept strictly secret. The affair is regarded as pre-eminently a matter of high politics, and only in a secondary degree as a family question. The political significance of the journey is, indeed, estimated so highly at Berlin as a proof of the excellence of the Anglo-German relations that it is look, d up..n as an assured thing. The Empress Frederick's arrival in that city, adds the correspondent, has nothing to do with the matter. The date is quite uncertain, as it depends entirely on the event expected in the family of Prince Henry. Her Majesty will stay only a short time, and will then continue her journey to Friedrichshof, in the Taunus Mountains, where she will superintend the alterations that are proceeding there.  Lord Randolph Churchill has backed Sir Joseph Pease's Bill abolishing the coal dues in London. The proprietors of the Times have applied to the Scotch Court of Session for a certified copy of the proceedings in Mr. Parnell's action, in order to lodge it in the Court in Dublin, in support of their contention that gr. Parnell's action there should not be allowed to go on, seeing that an action, referring to the same libels, is pending in the Scottish Court. An inquest has been held at Alpraham, Cheshire, on the body of William Williams, a shoemaker, who committed suicide by banging himself. Deceased Married a widow with 16 children, and, having septtrated from her, becarne a hopeleAS drunkard. In summing up the coroner said if there was one. thing more than another which proved his insanity It was marrying a woman who was the mother of 16. children. A verdict of temporary insanity wasrecorded.  1
Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1889-04-20 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

MURDER.AND SUICIDE IN A TRAIN.  . . A shocking murder and suicide occurred on Saturday on the Midland Railway; at Trent Station, near Derby. The murderer is a foreigner named Robert Feror, aged 20, and his victim an actress named Lillie Bamford, aged 21, and a native of Spennymoor, Durham. The murderer has for some time past been engaged as a foreign correspondent in a large manufactory at Derby. The young woman, having been thrown out of a situation had been staying with her relatives at Pear Tree, an outskirt of Derby. An attachment sprang up between the parties, and for some time past they had been on most affectionate terms. The other evening Feror called upon Miss Bamford, and gave her a bunch of lilies. She had been expecting him, and was ready to receive him. Previous to his arrival she had remarked to some one in the house that "She must putoon some clean clothes, as she was going to die before the evening was over." Her remark, however, did not arouse any suspicion.. After staying a short time in the house, Feror, togrther with his sweetheart, left in, a cab, and proceeded to the Central Station of the Midland Railway. Feror then went to the bwking-office and took two first-class return tickets to Nottingham. Leaving Derby by the 6.54 express, they arrived at Nottingham at 7.27. From the station they walked as far as the market-place' where they partook of refreshment at the Talbot Hotel, and subsequently returned to the station. Having partaken of more refreshment, the two entered a first-class carriage in the 9.20 express train, occupying the carriage alone. Nothing further was seen or heard of them until the train reached Trent station, a distance of six miles, when, on going to collect the tickets, one of the porters was horrified to find both lying on the floor of the carriage in a pool of blood. Assistance was speedily summoned, and an examination shewed that both man and ,woman had received bullet wounds in the head, almost in the same spot. Feror was quite dead, and the woman although she shewed some signs of he, died a few minutes afterwards. A silver-plated revolver of six barrels, with four undischarged, was found on the carriage floor. The train being an ex. press to Derby, no time was lost in leaving Trent, and the bodies, in charge of several Midland Railway officials, were conveyed to Derby Infirmary. On an examination by the house-surgeon, two bullet wounds were found on either side of the head of the man, while the woman . had a bullet wound on the left side of the head. On searching Feror's clothes six more bullets were found wrapped in paper, together with some coins and several love letters which had passed between the two. It has transpired that the young woman had recently resolved to abandon the profession of an actress, and apply for a situation as a barmaid at the Midland Hotel. None of the passengers who travelled by the same train heard the reports of the revolver, or became aware of the murder until Trent was reached.
Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1889-04-20 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

WON. A curious case of a woman donning male attire has been brought to the notice of the Jersey police. On tbe arrival of a. passenger steamer from St. Brieuc, the commander informed the police that a woman, attired as a man, was on board. She had taken passage for St. Mem, but the captain, having noticed certain peculiarities about the passenger, on reaching that port summoned a medical man, and he declared that the pseudo-man was really a woman. He further certified that she was suffering from slight concussion of the brain, and the French authorities, in view of her mysterious conduct, refused to allow her to land. On the steamer entering St. Helier the woman took a cab and proceeded to a boarding-house, where she had previously lodged for some time under the name of Louis Hertnann. She had every appearance of manhood, and wore a fur waistcoat, a long overcoat, a hat, and a turned-down collar. She smokes a long pipe, or a cigar, with the air of one accustomed to the habit, and has led a most romantic life. Left an orphan at the age of 13, she resolved to adopt male attire. She has now reached the age of 55, so that for 42 years she has been travelling the world, and has been known as a man. Her calling has been that of a courier, and in that capacity she has travelled widely. She has a knowledge of several Continental languages, and is otherwise well informed. The name by which she was generally known was Louis Hermann Tobush, but in some cases she has dropped the last name, and was simply called Louis Hermann. During the last year she had a balance of upwards of £l5O to her credit in a banking firm. When arrested by the Jersey police' at the boarding-house she had only is. 6d. in her possession and she is indebted to the host to the extent of a 10s. She first arrived at the boazding-house last August, and during her stay conducted herself in a strange manner. She scarcely ever left the house, was continually expressing the wish that she was dead, and took large quantities of opiates, as she was unable to sleep. While on board the steamer she was very ill, and fell prostrate in a state of insensibility. It was then found that she had a lot of stones about her person, and the inference is that she contemplated suicide by jumping overboard.
Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1889-03-09 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

PIGOTT'S TRAGIC FATE.  EVEN those who condemned in the strongest terms the infamy of Pigott's conduct must have felt a thrill of commiseration when they heard that the wretched creature had put an end to his cwa life. When the game was up, and he saw that sudden flight was the only course left open to him, he made every effort to raise enough money to carry him beyond the pursuit of justice. With a sum in his possession obtained by the sale of obscene literature, he made his way through France into Spain, being well aware no doubt that extradition treaties are lax in that country. He appears to have miscalculated, however, for, very soon after his arrival in Madrid, a police inspector presented himself and took the wretched man into custody. But the officer bungled over his work. Pigott asked permission to go to his room, and his request was rashly granted. No doubt the idea of suicide was familiar to his mind. Without friends or money, destitute and disgraced in his old age, there was nothing for him to look forward to. He required only a moment to put his design into execution. Drawing a revolver from his bag before the police officer could rejoin him, he placed it to his mouth, fired, and one of the most remarkable ,careers of crime the world has ever known was at an end. Pigott was a man of undoubted ability, but he was unable from the first to "run straight," and his innate moral baseness prevented any chance his intellect might have had of asserting itself. The last scene of the drama has been a tragic one ; it cannot be said that he has atoned for his crimes by the final act, but he has placed himself out of the reach of human condemnation. In the presence of death the pen of the most relentless critic is checked.
Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1889-03-09 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

FIGOTT'S CAREER. The story et Pigott's life has been to a very large extent told by Mmself in the witness-box, and if he had had the assurance to stand the fire of Sir Charles Russell's cross-examination several chapters which are now missing would no doubt have been added. He was born 54 years ago, and at an early age he entered on a career of journalism and duplicity. He became proprietor of the Irishman in April, 1866, and was soon afttrwards sworn in as a member of  the Fentan'ttrotnernooa. in renruary, 186tC, he won themartyr's crown by being sentenced to 12 months. imprisonment, subsequently reduced to six, (or publishing an article on the Manchester execntions ; and soon afterwards he gained further distinction by four months' imprisonment for contempt of court. Journalism was too. exciting for him, and in 1879 he opened negotiations for the sale of his paper, which ultimately passed into the hands of Patrick Egan. It was about the time of the disposal of the Irishman that Pigott wrote the piteous appeals to Mr. Forster for monetary assistance of which we have recently beard so much. The most generous and unauspecting of men, Mr. Forster, was easily imposed upon, and he made Pigott several advances from his private purse, and promised to introduce him to Mr. Knowles, the editor of the Ninacenth Century. When at last the stream of Mr. Forster's charity ceased to flow, the grateful Pigott turned round upon him and savagely abused him. About this time Macmillan's Maga:ine published an article bearing Pigott's signature in which he endeavoured to justify the then c)mmon argument that the Land Act of 1881 had left Ireland nothing more to {wish for. His net public appearance was in the Contempocary Review of April, 1883, when he denounced what he called the "Land League Fenian Invincible Confederacy." In June, 18h5, he contributed an article on the " Parnellite Programme" to the Fortnightly Recicw, the object of which was to excite distrust of Mr. Parnell in Ireland. Pigott next played the part of forger, foisting on the Times, as the productions of Mr. Parnell and others, letters which he subsequently confessed to have fabricated. After forgery, perjury was easy. His suicide has been a tragic end to a singularly dramatic episode.
Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1889-10-19 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

TRAGIC SUICIDES.  Mr. Thomas Rayne Orme, nail manufacturer, of Derby, committed suicide in his bedroom early the other morning. The deceased, who was a prominent politician in Derby, had been nominated to fill a vacancy on the Derby Town Council. He, however, withdrew his candidature, and allowed his opponent to be elected. He was greatly excited by these events, and during the night he committed suicide by cutting his throat with a razor. There was a terrible struggle in his bedroom with his wife before he succeeded in overpowering her. Mrs. Orme's screams aroused the household, and a doctor was sent tor. Mr. Orme when deprived of the razor tore open the wound with his fingers, and when the medical man arrived he wag! dead. John Watson, signalman at North Shields Railway Station, has committed suicide by hanging himself in the signal cabin. The affair was discovered through a passenger train from Newcastle to North Shields and Tynemouth being delayed entering the station for some time owing to stopping signals not being changed to allow the train to enter the station.  A case of suicide of a very singular nature has been discovered in a dwelling-house at Port Glasgow. James Clark, a bolder-on, returned home from work at the usual hour, and found his wife under the influence of liquor. He went out, and about two hours later his little boy met him in the street and said his mother was not in the house. Clark went home, and after searching the house he opened the lid of a chest for some articles be wanted, and was horrified to find his wife doubled up in the chest suffocated. Clark got the assistance of some of the neighbours, and had the body taken out and placed upon the floor. Dr. M'Bryde was in immediate attendance, but the woman had been dead for fully an hour before she was discovered, death having resulted from suffocation.
Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1889-08-24 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

SHOCKING DOMES IC TRAGEDY.  DOUBLE MURDER AND SUICIDE.  A German gentleman named J. Lachmann von Gamaearels shot two persons, supposed to hare been lalig wife and child, and then shot himself at a private house at Stratford-on-Avon on Monday. Lachmann, accompanied by a woman supposed to be his wife and a girl about 4 years old, took apartments a few days ago at a cottage occupied by a widow named Freeman, near the River Avon. The three appeared very happy and comfortable, and occupied their time in strolling about the town and neighbourhood. On Monday morning shots were heard in their bedroom. The door was burst open, and the man was found lying on the floor, and the woman and child were in bed, the clothes of which were saturated with blood. All three were dead, and all three had large bullet wounds on the left temple, and a revolver and pistol, both recently discharged, were found near the man, who was wearing only his shirt and drawers. The woman and child were undressed. The room presented the appearance of a slaughterhouse, and the floor was covered with pools of blood. The man had in his possession a Press pass for the Spanish Exhibition and some guidebooks, but only a halfpenny in money has yet been found. A bunch of keys had affixed to them a metal label bearing the name of the National Safe Deposit Company, Queen Victoria-street,E.C.,and the number '27,434. The man had intimated to his land• lady that he intended returning to London during the day. His supposed wife had the appearance of an actress, and was a finelooking woman, 29 years old. The deceased, whose full name is Johann Lachmann von Gamsenfels, is a native of Prague, 40 years old, and was formerly an artillery officer in the Austrian army. About 12 years ago he founded the Londoner Journal, and is described as a singularly reticent man. He was a man of high education and striking appearance, married, with one child, a boy, to whom he was devotedly attached. He had been estranged from his wife for a long time, and had been in the habit of making an allowance of 17s. 9d. per week, for which the boy called every Saturday. On Saturday he made his call as usual, and was told that his father had left town on Wednesday. Nothing more was heard of the boy or his mother, and on the receipt of the news of the terrible tragedy it was conjectured that Gamsenfels' wife and child had followed him to Stratford. The inquest was opened on Tuesday, and adjourned for evidence of identification. This, it is understood, will be given by the wife of Herr J. Lachmann von Gamsenfels. The surgeon who examined the bodies said his theory WAR that the woman and child were shot in their sleep, and that the man then turned the revolver on himself.
Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1889-09-14 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

OVER NIAGARA IN A RUBBER SUIT. Graham's feat of passing Niagara in a barrel has been surpassed by a man named Steve Brodie. He went over in a rubber suit, and escaped alive. Brodie is the man who jumped from Brooklyn Bridge a few years ago. At about daylight he went to a point about 600 ft. above the Falls accompanied by two friends. They padded his body heavily with cotton and surrounded it with steel bands, and then pulled over all a rubber suit, finally placing him in the water with two paddles, with which he was to keep himself upright and steer. He was whirled rapidly to and over the Falls. His friends were watching below. For fully two minutes after he first disappeared he remained invisible amid the mist and foam at the foot of the falls. Suddenly a small black spot was seen tossing like a cork in the seething mass of waters, whisked first to the American shore, then to the Canadian side at a bewildering speed. As it neared the latter a man jumped in, and, casting a rope about Brodie, pulled him ashore. He was insensible, and blood was oozing from his ears,. nose, and mouth. He was stripped and given brandy and ammonia, and slowly recovered consciousness. He was believed at first to be fatally injured internally, but a careful examination shewed that his injuries are confined to a severe strain of the left ankle and back, and many bruises all over the body. When able to talk, Brodie gave the following account of his experiences : "After entering the river I weakened and would have given anything if I could have got once more on land. I attempted to swim ashore by using my paddles, but the swift current swept me back and turned my foot towards the brink of the cataract. When I saw it would be impossible to get out, I felt as a man does who is to meet his death, and I prayed for dear life. Just as I came to the brink I became unconscious through fright and remained so until I struck the water at the base of the 1.4115. There the force with which I struck temporarily brought me to, but I knew no more until I found myself lying ashore." Brodie was afterward' arrested by the Canadian authorities on a charge of attempting to commit suicide, but released on giving bonds not to try the trip again within a year.
Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1889-09-14 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

THE PRIZES OF LITERATURE.  CARLYLE'S reply to the young gentleman who sought his advice on the subject of literature as a profession, to the effect that he had "never in his life heard a madder proposal," was entirely characteristic. All proposals that the Chelsea sage disliked or disagreed with were the Maddest he had ever heard of; and he was never tired of urging upon people who particularly wanted to do something that he himself did not wish them to do, that they had much better throw themselves from the top of the Monument. The space beneath the Monument would have needed to be turned into a graveyard for suicides if Carlyle's correspondents had accepted his suggestions. George Henry Lewes, to whom the same or some other young man applied for his advice as to the literary profession, was much more sensible and to the point. "Very splendid talents and wide knowledge are often incompetent," said Mr. Lewes, "to secure bread and cheese, and except in the department of journalism there is but a perilous outlook for any one who has not already proved that his talents are commercially valuable." To be sure the outlook in any profession is more or . less perilous for any one-who has not proved that his talents he in that direction, but' the literary nrofe;sion has this advantave over others.'  that trial can be made of it before it is actually adopted. Moreover, there is no doubt that the opportunities of journalism and of literature are far greater nowadays than they were in Lewes's time, and in Carlyle's early clays; but both professions are and must always be fuller of uncertainties and of the element of chance than almost any other. .Per contra, a very moderately successful man of letters earns a good deal more than the City clerk, and on the whole in a more agreeable fashion; and if the great prizes of literature are few, there are modest rewards in abundance with which modest people are content.
Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1889-02-09 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

INQ-IN-STATE AND FUNERAL.  114,  ,  - I  Thwistetral of the ill-fated Crown Prince Rudolph of Austria-HunFraty, who committed suicide •at Meyerlmg last week, took place on Tuesday, and was, together with the lying-in state on the previous day, an'#iiinpressive"'M Well a mehrnful ceremony. WAITING„ , TO SEE THE Bony.  . , The throngof personsdesir,aus to view the lyingin-state en Monday was enormous, and som& serious accidents resulted: As early as 6 o'clock. the cit,l and sub:lrbil tvere alert, and streams of sightseers converged towards the two entrances to the Court Chapel. By 7 o'clock thousands of • people stood • closely packed in both' the squares, and the infantry and dragoons, Who arrived on the scene too late, had to force a passage for themselves ',through the crowd, occasionally by using the flats of their swords. . Terrible scenes :occurred even before day had fully broken, and Ott 9 o'clock a rumour spread that six people had been crushed to death. Fortunately this proved to be unfounded but the last: report WAS that 20 persons were slightly hurt, two • dangerously injured, and one killed. Women were trampled upon without mercy by the mob, which (the Standard'i correspondent 's.ays) Was exa.sperated by the excess of zeal displayed by the soldiery, 'and even refused to make ,way , for the officers of the Voliultser Ambulance Corps, whose services were needed fronts an early hour. One woman was knocked down and trodden under foot, and several others were seriously crushed. Many were carried in an unconscimia state to the hospital, or into the nearest houses. Snow,began to fall at noon, and an bouriater lay.deep upon the ground. The black flags flying from the roof of nearly every house, the streamers; and other black draperies were' Powde'red with flakes, ,which fell thick and fast upon the faces of the crowd in 'Joseph's Platz and the neighbouring streets. The people did not move, however, and additional soldiers had to be called out to keep order. At 5 o'clock admittance to the Court Chapel ceased.