npedrazzini/19thc_murder_suicide_news huggingface dataset:
The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1840-10-16 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

INQUESTS.  (Held before P. F. CURRYLEsq., Coroner.)  SUICIDE DURING TEMPORARY DERANGEMENT:—Yesterday an inquisition was taken, on view of the body of a young man named William Jones. Mary Thomas, the first  witness, stated she was a single woman, and lived at No. 5, Great George's-street. The deceased lodged with her. He was 26 years old ; and had lodged with her for about a month. On Wednesday week last he became ill, and was obliged to leave off work. On Saturday last he was rather better, but very low in spirits. On Tuesday morning last, about nine o'clock, he went to bed and did not complain, but was still very dull. Witness advised him to rouse himself, and gave him some gruel, and left some toast and water in his room. Witness and her sister heard him two or three times in the night, as if he was putting the jug of water on the table. About nine next morning witness went up to him and took him some tea, and he drank it, but did not eat anything to it. He appeared to be much in the same state. Witness saw him again between nine and ten o'clock, and he appeared to be quite stupid. Witness told him to rouse himself, and asked him what was the matter with him, and whether he was worse. He said his spirits were very low. About eleven o'clock the same morning, while witness was going up stairs to take deceased some medicine, she heard a noise in his room, as if he was blowing his nose. On opening the door she saw the deceased lying on his back in bed, and very pale in the face. Witness called to him but bedid not answer. On looking at him she found his shirt covered with blood. She gave the alarm, and sent for Dr. Corlett, whose assistant came, and afterwards himself. They and witness found a razor (now produced) on the bed. Mr. Corlett, surgeon said he had attended the deceased four or five days previous to his death ; that he was labouring under nervous fever, and was very low and dull ; that he ordered him such medicines as he considered proper, and recommended him to rouse himself. On Monday witness saw him, and he appeared to have rallied a little and seemed better. Witness called to see him on Tuesday but he was out. He (witness) was sent for on Wednesday morning, but he was out, and his assistant went to him. Witness saw him about twenty minutes after, and found that his throat was cut. He had the wound closed and made up, and did everything possible, but he died in about an hour after. The wind-pipe and external jugular were completely divided, and this was the cause of death. Mr. R. Russell, assistant to Mr. Corlett, corroborated the above testimony. On finding that the deceased had cut his throat, he went directly for articles to dress the wound, and in a quarter of an hour Mr. Corlett came himself. After the wound was dressed, deceased sat up in bed, took a little water, and asked whether he could have fresh clothes as these were very nasty.—The jury returned a verdict to the effect that the deceased destroyed himself while labouring under a fit of inanity.
The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1840-10-16 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

SUICIDE DURING TEMPORARY DERANGEMENT.—Yesterday an inquisition was taken, on view of the body of a young man named William Jones. Mary Thomas, the first witness, stated she was a single woman, and lived at No. 5, Great George's-street. The deceased lodged with her. He was 26 years old ; and had lodged with her for about a month. On Wednesday week last he became ill, and was obliged to leave off work. On Saturday last he was rather better, but very low in spirits. On Tuesday morning last, about nine o'clock, he went to bed and did not complain, but was still very dull. Witness advised him to rouse himself, and gave him some gruel, and left some toast and water in his room. Witness and her sister heard him two or three times in the night, as if he was putting the jug of water on the table. About nine next morning witness went up to him and took him some tea, and he drank it, but did not eat anything to it. He appeared to be much in the same state. Witness saw him again between nine and ten o'clock, and be appeared to be quite stupid. Witness told him to rouse himself, and asked him what was the matter with him, and whether he was worse. He said his spiriti" Were very low. About eleven o'clock the same morning, while witness was going up stairs to take deceased some medicine, she heard a noise in his room, as if he was blowing his nose. On opening the door she saw the deceased lying on his back in bed, and very pale in the face. Witness called to him but he did not answer. On looking at him she found his shirt covered with blood. She gave the alarm, and sent for Dr. Corlett, whose assistant came, and afterwards himself. They and witness found a razor (now produced) on the bed. Mr. Corlett, surgeon said he had attended the deceased four or five days previous to his death ; that he was labouring under nervous fever, and was very low and dull ; that he ordered him such medicines as he considered proper, and recommended him to rouse himself. On Monday witness saw him, and he appeared to have rallied a little and seemed better. Witness called to see him on Tuesday but he was out. He (witness) was sent for on Wednesday morning, but he was out, and his assistant went to him. Witness saw him about twenty minutes after, and found that his throat was cut. He had the wound closed and made up, and did everything possible, but he died in about an hour after. The wind-pipe and external jugular were completely divided, and this was the cause of death. Mr. R. Russell, assistant to Mr. Corlett, corroborated the above testimony. On finding that the deceased had cut his throat, he went directly for articles to dress the wound, and in a quarter of an hour Mr. Corlett came himself. After the wound was dressed, deceased sat up in bed, took a little water, and asked whether he could have fresh clothes as these were very nasty.—The jury returned a verdict to the effect that the deceased destroyed himself while labouring under a fit of insanity.
The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1840-02-28 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

THE " PRIVILEGE" PRISONERS.—The conduct of Mr. Pearse, whose only crime has been the faithful discharge of his duty to his employer, Mr. lloward, has excited the admiration of many of the leading members of the House of Commons, who have not only visited him during his confinement, but kindly contributed to the necessities of his wife and family. Mr. Pearse is an exceedingly intelligent and well-informed man, and in early life held a commission in the army, and participated in many of the glorious achievements of the Peninsular war. He had also two brothers in the army, both of whom fell in the service. Upon the proclamation of peace, Mr. Pearse sold his commission, and, from adverse circumstances, was ultimately compelled to follow the unenviable avocation of an attorney's clerk. Immediately after the order for his committal was made on Tuesday night, a member of the house asked permission of the sergeant-at-arms to speak with his prisoner previous to his being taken below, which being granted, he took Mr. Pearse aside, and, after paying him a very flattering compliment for his firmness, made him a very handsome present. On Thursday Sir Francis Burdett sent a communication, by one of his own servants, to Mr. Pearse, requesting in very kind terms his acceptance of an inclosed cheque. The rooms in'which he and his fellow-prisoner, Mr. Howard, jun., are lodged are on the basement, under the lobby of the house, with the doors facing each other, and are very comfortably furnished. Young Howard, however, is in very bad health, and suffering from the effects of his confinement. A professional gentleman named Russell, residing at Chelsea, is ;carrying on Mr: Howard's business,,!as his agent.-11forAing Herald of Tuesday. .  The Moniteur of Saturday publishes the following return of the slaves freed in the French .colonies since the latter end of 1830 : In Martinique.... Guadaloupe French Guiana Bourbon  19,290 10,373 1,608 3,316  In all 34,587 A few days ago the bell of the church at Fressonville. in Picardy, was heard to sound at an unusual hour, and in a very extraordinary manner. The people hastened to make inquiry, and found a man suspended to the clapper. He was immediately cut down, and, after some pains, restored to life. No account is given of the motives which led to such a fanci.  ful attempt at suicide.
The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1840-02-28 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

THE " PRIVILEGE" PRISONERS.—The conduct of Mr. Pearse, whose only crime has been the faithful discharge of his duty to his employer, Mr. Howard, has excited the admiration of many of the leading members of the House of Commons, who have not only visited him during his confinement, but kindly contributed to the necessities of his wife and family. Mr. Pearse is an exceedingly intelligent and well-informed man, and in early life held a commission in the army, and participated in many' f the glorious achievements of the Peninsular war. He had also two brothers in the army, both of whom fell in the service. Upon the proclamation of peace, Mr. Pearse sold his commission, and, from adverse circumstances, was ultimately compelled to follow the unenviable avocation of an attorney's clerk. Immediately after the order for his committal was made on Tuesday night, a member of the house asked permission of the sergeant-at-arms to speak with his prisoner previous to his being taken below, which being granted, he took Mr. Pearse aside, and, after paying him a very flattering compliment for his firmness made him a very handsome present. On Thursday Sir Francis Burdett sent a communication, by one of his own servants, to Mr. Pearse, requesting in very kind terms his acceptance of an inclosed cheque. The rooms in which he and his fellow-prisoner, Mr. Howard, jun., are lodged are on the basement, under the lobby of the house, with the doors facing each other, and are very comfortably furnished. Young Howard, however, is in very bad health, and suffering from the effects of his confinement. A professional gentleman named Russell, residing at Chelsea, is carrying on Mr. HowArd's business, as his agent—Morning Herald of  The Moniteur of Saturday publishes the following return of the slaves freed in the French colonies since the latter end of 1830 : In Martinique Guadaloupe French Guiana . Bourbon .  19,290 10,373 1,608 3,316  In a 11... A few days azo the bell of the church at Fressonville. in Picardy, was heard to sound at an unusual hour, and in a  very extraordinary manner. The people hastened to make inquiry, and found a man suspended to the clapper. He was immediately cut down, and, after some pains, restored to life. No account is given of the motives which led to such a fanciful attempt at suicide.
The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1840-06-19 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

ATTEMPTED SUICIDE AT KNOWSLEY.-011 Monday morning, at an early hour, one of the servants of the Earl of Derby was found in his bed, in one of the offices attached to Knowsley-hall, with his throat cut in a most shocking manner. The alarm of the inmates of the noble mansion was, as might be expected, very considerable, and the unfortunate man, or victim, as was apprehended, on being questioned, was able to to say, that during the night two men, one of them short and the other tall, entered his bed-room by the window and demanded his money, Watch, &c., and on his refusal to comply with their request, they drew what he thought was a razor across his throat, and inflicted all but a fatal wound. At first his statement excited no doubt whatever of its truth, and inesangers were dispatched to Prescot and Liverpool for the police. Mr. Earl, however, on having search made, and the butler having further questioned him, were led to think that the act was that of the individual him.' self, and not that of robbers or assassins. They were confirmed in this opinion by finding that no robbery had been committed, and that there were no traces of any one having entered the apartment. His watch and money were all safe, but one of his razors was missing. This was subsequently found covered with blood behind a chest in the room, and upon its production the unfortunate man confessed that there was no truth in his first statement, but that the attempt on his life was made by himself. Ile has been a well-conducted man, but eccentric in his habits, and it is a great relief to the inmates of the hall that he has confessed the fact, for had he not done so, room would have been left for most distressing suggestions and reports. The unhappy man is attended by a surgeon from Prescot, but he is by no means out of danger.—Our Prescot correspondent has furnished us with the following particulars in reference to this distressing case :—" The Courier of to-day. contains an account of the occurrence at Knowsley, and as far as I can learn the acount seems correct, except that I believe it is now very probable that the man will recover. If, however, it should turn out otherwise, I will transmit you an account of the inquest. It is something remarkable that Mr. Hulme, (brother of the person in question) who is also a servant at Knowsley, cut his own throat some years ago ; but he recovered, and is still alive."]
The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1840-05-05 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

ROBERTSON. THE following are among the advantages of this Society : ys,—OFFO PREMIUMSr OUng and that middle-taged ssliavreeds ttohpearLtOi participate lst,—The security of an ample Assurance Fund, besides the Subscribed Capital. —Three-fourths of the profits divided every fifth year ptrhofiostes.who have been Assured four years on the equal scale of premiums. The bonus declared in 1834 averaged £l6 per cent. on the premiums then paid • and the bonus awarded in 1830, on the average, is equal to £3l per cent. on the premiums received during the last five years. 4thly,—Assurers may have the bonus applied to increase the sum assured, or in reduction of future premiums, either for the remainder of life or for the next five years only. sthly,—Policies granted without any charge to the Assured beyond the stamp duty. 6thly,—An option given to Assurers, on the increasing scale of rates, after the lapse of any number of years, to commute the future increasing premium by an equivalent equal annual one for the remainder of life, and, thereafter, to participate in the profits. The same advantages are applicable to Assurers on the decreasing scale of rates. 7thly,—Policies on the lives of parties dying by suicide, duelling, or by the hands of justice not void as interests of persons to whom they may have been legally assigned. respectsegal thely  8 No extra charge for residence in any part of Europe, nor for proceeding (in a decked, sailing, or steam-vessel) from any one Port thereof to another during Peace, to Assurers not being seafaring men by profession. Licenses are granted to go to any part of the world upon terms proportionate to the risks. 9thly,—Whole-life Policies on the equal scale of premium purchasable after four years. Lapsed Policies revived on favourable terms to the Assured. *** Assurances may be effected on any and every day. By order of the BoardT. 0. of Directors R 7 Amt.  ,fasbiaits.
The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1833-12-10 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

THE LORD HIGH  CHANCELLOR.  Gratefully thankful we of the press ought to be to these learned persons for giving us something to enliven our readers with in this du!' and foggy quarter of the year, when we have generally little more to record than long gazettes and " Melancholy suicides." After returning our best thanks to these legal gladiators for entering the arena of the. Exchequer, where the " tug of war" was between men of equal renown, in the courts, we have to remark upon the extraordinary coincidences of the. case. In the first place, a Chancellor was obliged to descend three steps from his lofty pedestal to take up the glove of his assailant;—the high Chancellor had to be judged by an exChancellor, and one of the witnesses brought against him was an ex-Chancellor, who, it appears, could not charge his memory with ever having done unto any man a wrong such as the attorney complained if. But, in the name of all that is wonderful, what could have induced Mr. Dices, about whom the 'least said is' the soonest mended," to select the Exchequer in preference to a superior court., where Queen Caroline's go-andsin-no-more advocate presides as lord of the ascendant? We should like, moreover, to put the same questhin to the I r ifessiou generally, with this addition;—are law and equity nu where to be found but in the Exchequer, that you run in crowds to that place, where, but a short time since, a lawyer was as great a rarity as wit in a theatre, or honesty at court? Have-you-not, elsewhere, unthinking varieis! a cheap chief, who is content with eight instead of ten thousand a-year—the superior of either the Mansfields, Kenyons, Eilenboroughs, or Tenteruens of bygone days, when you were content to wait from term to term to let your clients know when they would be cleaned out. If you cockneys turn up your noses at Whig cheap lawyers, what are we provincials to do, who are threatened-with (Leap law—and nothing bit cheap law—to be administered by the scrapings of Westminster-halt. It is hateful to our eyes, mis well as to those of our Whig contemporaries, to see the Old Sanguinary of Pt int., ing-housa-square, day after day, filled -with column following column of law reports,- heati&l Exciirtot ha or GI; Ays' H
The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1833-10-18 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

MURDER AND ATTEMPTED SUICIDE AT MANSFIELD.  A poor woman named Mary Holland (whose husband deserted from her about three weeks ago), from distress of mind, or from other circumstances, came to the dreadful resolution of poisoning herself and three infant children. On Tuesday evening last, she left her three children at a neighbour's, while she went on an errand, and, it is supposed, that she then procured the laudanum necessary to effect her purpose. The little boy who .survives, states that his mother took something out of a bottle that evening, and sweetened it, and persuaded him and his sisters to take it to cure their lips, which were then very sore, and drank some of it herself, she afterwards laid them out clean night-caps, and they went to bed; in the night the two elder children awoke with violent vomiting and incessant thirst, and tried to awake their mother, but in vain; the little girl, in extreme thirst, took up a cup and eagerly swallowed the contents, and it unfortunately proved that she drank what remained of the laudanutn, which soon after caused her death. She was four years old. On the following morning (Wednesday), Mary Holland not arising at her usual time, and not answering to repeated knockings at the door, the house was entered by the neighbours, when the unfortunate woman and helpless children were found to all appearance lifeless. Proper measures were speedily resorted to, by which the effects of the poison on the unhappy woman, and two of the children, were in part counteracted. On Thursday, an inquest was held on the body of the little girl, at the Black Bull inn, when the Jury, after carefully investigating all the circumstances of this painful case, returned a verdict of " wilful murder," against the mother, who is committed to the county jail, to take her trial at the Lent Assizes.
The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1833-06-25 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

HORRIBLE CIRCUMSTUNCE.—John O'Neill, a barber, residing in Mill-street, Newry, had been influence, addicted to whiskeydrinking, and under its baneful excited too by some deadly passion, he, a few nights back, deliberately proceeded to murder his wife, by means of pouring a quantity of aqua fortis into her ears and mouth, when asleep ! After the commission of this crime, his wretched victim still lingering, and, though as yet unable to speak distinctly, intimating her knowledge of his guilt, and determination to bring him to justice, he attempted suicide on the morning of Saturday, by cutting his throat in the most determined and desperate manner with a razor.— He was discovered, about six o'clock, by his daughter, who gave immediate alarm. Surgeon Morrison succeeded in staunching the blood, and sowing up the frightful gash, several arteries having been cut through, and the windpipe nearly severed. The miserable man was removed to the Hospital, were he now remains under the care of Surgeon Morrison, but in such a state as to leave the hope of recovery extremely doubtful.. His wife is not expected to survive.—Aewry Telegraph. EIIIGRATION FROM THE NORTH,—Forty ships have sailed from our port this season for America, with the respective number of passengers on board; from which it will be seen, that emigration has been fully as active • this as in former seaions. Among the ernigrQuis were a good many farmers, who, at one time at least, were in comfortable circumstances, and also a few gentlemen possessed of considerable property. It is remarkable, that the great periodical emigrations from this district which take place have had. no perceptible influence— indeed, we are sure, they have had none whatever, on rents or wages. New tenants rapidly fill up the vacancies caused by emigration ; and they continue; or, at least, they make an effort, to pay the old, rents b,y living more miserably than their predecessors could well submit to. This deterictratioki of the quality of the' tenantry -cannot fail eventuully to produce most bitter fruits. I°tal74lships, 12,987 tons register, 6,504 passengers. There only remains in pert the brig. Ann, for Philaderphia, and ships Forth and ilwretta for St John, N. 8., to sail in the ensuing 4eeic, which vessefs, it is expected, will have nearly their complement.—Derry Journal.  The General Steam Navigation Company's packet the Earl of Liverpool, from Ostend, arrived off the Cu.totn-huuse, London, at three o'clock r.rn., June 19.