Denton and Haughton Examiner, etc. — 1891-09-19 (Denton, Greater Manchester, England)

THE SUICIDE OF SOPHIA GUNSBERG. Sophia Gunsberg, whose suicide has just been announced, was a young Russian woman, only 21 years of age, and of singular beauty and capacity. She was charged with being mixed up with the advanced political party in Russia, and was sentenced to be hanged. Her trial was a military one, held with closed doors, neither the Press nor the public being admitted. Despite the care taken to preserve secrecy, however, a few facts leaked out, and all the world heard that a young girl was to be hanged for holding opinions that were considered unsafe by the Government under which she lived. Meetings were held throughout Europe and America to protest against this latest act of autocratic tyranny. The Russian Government were wise; they had not forgotten the effect produced by some of their earlier executions; so they compromised with the universal demand, and Sophia Gunsberg's sentence was commuted to imprisonment for life. But Sophia Gonsberg had not been in prison maay months when she introduced into her cell a pair of blunt scissors, and with these she did the work that the hangman's rope had failed to do. It is probable that fear of insanity (to which so many are driven), and of the secrets which she might then divulge, had more to do with her suicide than had the simple pain of existence, which her bravery might have enabled her to bear; but, however that may be, her memory will long remain in the minds of those who will follow after her, endeavouring to carry on the difficult work in which she herself was eo soon arrested.  AT an important crowing in the City there is a policeman who speaks French likes Parisian, having, in fact, though English born, lived for many yeses the French capital. A castors and interesting calculation has been made by a Washington professor on the dynamic power of coal. According to the pr .fessor, a single pound of good steam coal has within it dynamic power equivalent to the work of one man for one day. Three tons of the same coal represent a man's labour for the period of 20 years, and one square mile of a seam of coal, having a depth of 4ft. only, represents as much work as 1,000,000 men can perform in 20 years. ENTERAL cases were heard before the High Bailiff, on Saturday, against the proprietors of hotels in Douglas, Isle of Main, for supplying drink on Sundays. The defendants were Cornelius Kay, Grosvenor Hotel ; Herbert Hambleton, Douglas Hotel; and Edward Bedford, Clarendon Hotel. The evidence given on behalf of the police was to the effect that on Sunday evening last a large number of persons were found on the premises, and the constables on inquiry found that they were not bond-fide travellers, but had slept in Douglas the night before, and were not entitled to be supplied. For the defendants it was shown that in each case persons entering the house ' had been asked if they were travellers, and had replied in the affirmative. The magistrate, having regard to the importance of the cases to the hotel interest and the public, reserved his decision, in order to fortify his opinion by reference to several recent cases decided in England. Great interest is taken in Douglas in these prosecutions, as practically the whole hotel interest in the island is insolent in the issue raised. Although Sunday closing is enforced bylaw, visitors are constantly supplied with alcoholic refreshments under the plea that they are bong-dde leanness.