npedrazzini/19thc_murder_suicide_news huggingface dataset:
The Sun. — 1844-03-27 (London, England)

LAW AND POLICE. At the Carmarthen assizes, on the 23d, John Jones, Evan Davies, John Davies, John Thomas, David Evans, Thomas Thomas, and another John Thomas, were charged with having burglariously broken and entered the dwelling house of one Daniel Harris, at Pontybenissar, on the 12th of August last, and with having stolen one sovereign, one shilling, and a promissory note therefrom. The case lasted a long time, and was terminated by the jury finding all the prisoners guilty. Mr. Alderman Wood, who sat at the Mansion-house in the early part of the day, said he had received a letter from the Lord Mayor, which had been addressed to him by Mr. Wedgewood, the commissioner of hackney carriages, complaining of a decision which he had come to in the case of a man named Death, whom he had fined for acting as a conductor, he only having a waterman's badge. The worthy Alderman said that he had looked into the case again, and considering the wording of the Act of Parliament and the evidence given upon the occasion, he saw no reason whatever for reversing the decision which he had given. At Union-hall, William Davis, who described himself as a surgeon, was charged with stealing a bullock's heart from a shop in the New-cut, and a further charge was preferred against him of attempting to commit saicide in the station-house. After hearing evidence, Mr. Train said he had his Lopinion of the case ;'but, as the prisoner asserted his innocence, lie should send it before a jury, if the prisoner wished, but!if not, he should deal summarily with the charge. The prisoner requested that he might be allowed time to reflect which of the alternatives he would select, and, his wish being complied with, after an hour's cogitation, he rose up at the bar, and, addressing the magistrate, said his mind was made up, and that he preferred a summary punishment to a committal for trial. He was then sentenced to 21 days' imprisonment. A middle aged female, named Mary Farley, was placed within the felons' bar before Mr. Norton, at Lambeth-street, on a charge of murder, in having caused the death of George Farley, her infant son, aged eighteen months, and also with having attempted the additional crime of suicide by endangering her own life. The prisoner admitted both charges, and said she had been so comfortably off in her time that the idea of being driven to a workhouse, and having her children separated from her, and treated in so indifferent a manner, had driven her to such a state of distraction that death would have been a happy release to her, and she very much regretted that she had been rescued from a situation which must in a few moments have terminated her earthly sufferings. Mr. Norton remanded the prisoner for a future day, and desired that a note should be appended to the warrant that she should be taken particular care of.
The Sun. — 1844-03-27 (London, England)

LAMBETH-STREET. A middle-aged female, named Mary Furley, was placed within the felons' • bar, before Mr. Norton, on a -charge of murder, in having caused the death of George Furley, her infant son, aged eighteen months, and also with having attempted the additional crime of suicide by endangering her own life. The wretched woman, who appeared to be 'labouring under the deepest mental anguish as well as bodily suffering, was accommodated with a chair in the dock, and in addition to this it was found necessary to support her during the investigation. • The first witness called was Mr. Thomas Gardener, of the Commercial Coal-wharf, adjoining the Regent's Canal, in the Mile-end-road, who deposed that on the pieceding night, about nine o'clock, he was alarmed by' the violent barking of a deg in the yard, and in consequence went into the wharf adjoining the Regent's Canal.; On reaching the edge of the water he saw something floating, and he instantly laid hold of a boat-hook and drew it towards the bank. He then discovered it to be the prisoner, and as soon as he had got her to the shallow water she exclaimed— " Oh, my child ! my child !" Supposing from this exclamation that her child was also in the water, he (Mr. Gardener) released the boat-hook from her- clothes and drew it alongside of her in the water, and in doing-so he brought on shore the body of her child, who appeared lifeless at the time. He however took it in his arms, and carried it as quick as possible to the house of his uncle, the New Globe Tavern, near the bridge, and placed it without delay in a warm bath. A medical gentleman who 'had been sent for had promptly attended, and declared that no better means could be adopted for its resuscitation than that resorted to, but'it proved ineffectual.  Police-constable Henry Cottin, said that .he had been called in to Mr. Gardener's premises on the evening before, to take the prisoner into custody, and on her way to the station• house she said she had something very heavy on her mind, and that she threw herself into the canal with her child, whose name was George, in her arms,: and. that she regretted exceedingly the gentleman had rescued her, as her sufferings must be greater than ever. The prisoner entered into a long statement. She said that she had been in Bethnal-green workhouse for about twelve months, and made complaints that her children had been taken from her, and not well treated ; that she left the workhouse; suffered much, and rather than return was ready to endure any extremity ; that she was bewildered by her sufferings, having been much better off in her time, &c. Her mind was evidently affected. Mr. NORTON, after complimenting Mr.' Gardener upon his promptness and humanity, remanded the prisoner for a future day, and desired that a note should be appended to the committal that she should be taken particular care of.
The Sun. — 1844-05-10 (London, England)

TRAFALGAR-SQUARE.—This splendid ornament of the metropolis was thrown open to the public on Thursday last, and the ceremony was attended by all the boys that could be got together on the spur of the moment from the streets in the neighbourhood. A juvenile party instantly began to " christen" the posts, by leaping over them ; and no square-keeper having been regularly sworn In, the whole spot was a scene of alarming anarchy, until K 12, with considerable presence of mind—although not on duty—invested himself with the striped band for the wrist, and took his station on the top step, commanding a view of the flats of asphaltum which spread themselves slantendicularly down towards the cab-stand. Amongst the other objects of interest at Trafalgarsquare, we must notice particularly, the two extensive washhand-basins, cut out into the shape of the shells used for scolloping oysters, from a design in the possession of the Messrs. Lynn, of Fleet-street. These aqueous receptacles were the subjects of various nautical experiments, in honour, no doubt, of the great naval hero on the summit of the column ; and who, by-the-by, looks as if he contemplated suicide by jumping from the top of it. Several paper boats were launched on the surface of the tawny fluid, and altogether a decidedly aquatic turn was given to the day's proceedings, some of the boys sprinkling their companions festively with the salubrious element. The only drawback to the general hilarity was occasioned by the non-removal of the wooden hoard from the base of the Nelson column. We understand that a difficulty as to the price of the iron railings is the cause of this unsightly continuance of the wood-work ; but it is confidently hoped that the ironmonger will see the matter in a proper light in the course of a few days, and put up those spikes, the absence of which, on Thursday, the assembled multitudes so much deplored.—Punch.
The Sun. — 1844-05-10 (London, England)

EXTRAORDINARY SUICIDE IN PARIS.--A ball took place on Friday night at all the barracks of the MuAn nicipal Guard on the occasion of the, King's fete. extraordinary and melancholy event occurred at the barracks of the rue Notre Dame des Victoires. At about five in the morning, when the animation was at its highest point, one of the men, who had been dancing for a long time, said to a comrade, " The ball lasts too long—l will put an end to it. He immediately left the dancing room, and-a few minutes afterwards an explosion being heard, several of the municipal guards rushed out and found their comrade lying dead in the yard, he having blown out his brains with a pistol. The act is attributable to disappointed love.—Galignani. EcLirsEs.—A total eclipse of the moon will take place on the last day of the present month, Friday, the 31st instant. It will commence at fourteen minutes after eight in the evening, and end at twenty-six minutes after one. This eclipse will be visible.  2. That the said duties shall be subject to the additional duty of 51. per cent. on the amounts thereof respectively imposed by the Acts 3 Vic., c. 17, and 5 and 6 Vic., c. 47, except with regard to cordials and liqueurs, which shall be subject to the duty of 4d. per gallon, also imposed by the Acts aforesaid. 3. That the duties now chargeable upon the importation of sheep and lambs' wool, and upon wool of the Alpaca and Llama tribe, and upon goats' wool or hair, and upon the exportation of wools and skins, and upon " manufactures or pretended manufactures slightly wrought up, so as that the same may be reduced to and made use of as wool again, 'and upon mattresses or beds stuffed with combed wool or wool fit for combing or carding," be repealed.  _
The Sun. — 1844-06-24 (London, England)

RLB O.R 0 GII-S TREE T. Harvie Farquhar, Esq., of the banking firm of Farquhar and Co., St. James's-street, summoned before Mr. Hardwick a pawnbroker living in Gilbert-street, named Dobree, to show cause why lie detained several saddles and bridles, and other artie!e;, his property, which had been stolen and unlawfully pawned. It appeared that- the property in question had been pawned at different times by Mr. Farquhar's groom, who had absconded as soon as his delinquencies came to light. The duplicates patersisroenlaetri,svebtoox,thaendmaissssinogmepro.fiptehre tywer 4 pawnbrokers when applied to refused to give up the property, a summons was taken out in order to ascertain whether, under the provisions of the new Police Act, the Magistrate could not enforce the resti,ration of the articles to the lawful owner. Mr. Humphries attended on the part of the defendant. In the course of the inquiry it came out in evidence that Mr. Earquhar had not used all the diligence in his power to procure the apprehension of the prisoner after the felOny was discovered. He had suffered some time  'I n reply to Mr. CorrusanAlr, the unfortunate girl said she was a flower maker, but that being out of employ, she was reduced to great distress, and had not tasted food for the last two days, and had not slept in a bed for five nights ; that she had no relations in London, and that it was the dreadful state of destitution she was in that instigated her to commit suicide.  The policeman said that since she bad recovered from her insensibility, she had expressed a determination to put her threat into execution. The MAGISTRATE directed the unfortunate girl to be provided with food, and said that lie should remand her until Wednesday; in the meantime inquiry should be made respecting her.  EXPERIMENTS in the
The Sun. — 1844-06-24 (London, England)

UNITED STATES LIVERPOOL. SUNDAY.  The fast-sailing ship Sea, Captain Edwards, arrived at this port to-day, after a quick voyage. She left New York on the 3d inst., and Sandy Hook on the 4th. The Sea has brought five passengers only. The news is very barren of interest. At Washington, on the Ist last , in Senate, the joint resolution of the House, to adjourn on the 17th of June, was adopted. Mr. M'Duffie's tariff resolution, pronouncing the present rate of duties unjust and oppressive, was taken up and rejected—ayes 18, noes 25. In the House of Representatives, Mr. Adams broached the great principle of the Native American party, i. e., the alteration of the Naturalization Laws so as to require foreigners to reside here twenty-one years, instead of five, before they exercise the rights and powers of native-born citizens; and he presented a petition from citizens of Pennsylvania, praying Congress to make this change in the naturalization laws. In presenting this petition, he supposed an opinion would be expected from him on the subject, and he therefore stated that the petitioners being unknown to him, he did not feel bound to support the prayer of the petition. He moved that the petition be referred to the Judiciary Committee. Mr. Murphy called for the ayes and noes on a motion by Mr. Hammett to lay it on the table. The question was ordered, and resulted in 104 votes in favour of laying it on the table, and only 26 against so doing. A murder and suicide of the murderer, of a very horrible description, had been committed at Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Ledger says, under date of Saturday, June 1, that a Frenchman named Jules Lesueur, early that morning, shot his wife in the right side, between the fifth and sixth ribs, and committed suicide by shooting himself in the left side. The Coroner convened a jury about eight o'clock, when the wife was still alive. Augustus Esmoil, keeper of the French boarding-house' Dock-street, below Third, in which the deceased resided, knew of no quarrel between deceased and his wife, but papers and documents were found which made it evident that murder and suicide were premeditated by deceased. In a letter to Mr. Esmoil, found on a table, Lesueur begs " pardon of God for his crime " he was about to commit, gives directions for the funeral, that both shall be interred in one grave, in plain coffins, the expenses to be defrayed out of 170 dollars left for the purpose. It appears that suspicions of infidelity on the part of the woman in refusing to live with deceased, produced this deplorable result. She was alive at noon, Saturday, but her recovery was impossible. She was suffering great pain. She says, he awoke her on Friday night, asked her to kiss him ; and on refusing, he shot her. She is a Creole, of Louisiana, where she has a sister. Mr. Barbace, of whom deceased was jealous, is her agent, and at her desire assisted her to escape from the dower of her husband.
The Sun. — 1844-03-23 (London, England)

HANGING.—At an inquest held before Mr. T. Wakley, M.P., a few days since, on the body ofa boy who had, it was supposed, unintentionally hun himself, a juror expressed his astonishment that as deceased's g feet must have touched the ground he could not save himself. The coroner remarked that there was no accounting for the frequent occurrence of such cases, and proceeded to detail the following remarkable instances which had come under hifi notice in his official capacity :—One was that of a man who was decidedly insane. He effected suicide by tearing a eet into long strips, and having tied one of the strips to th side of the bed-post, he made a noose at the other end, w ich was so low that he had to lie down to put his head in it, and when discovered his nose was absolutely within ve little more than an inch from the ground. Another in-1 at ce was that ofa man on whom he (Mr. Wakley) hadheld an inquest at Hampstead. This man first of all tried to drown hi self in it pond, but, finding he could not do so, he got out, .an sat for some time by the side of the pond, contemplating so4ie other mode of suicide. He at length tied his pocketlisthdkerchief to the branches of two alder trees tightly, and th n knelt down and laid his neck across the handkerchief, an in that position he was found dead. A third case was 1 th t of a pauper in Isleworth workhouse, who sat down on tlui floor, and having tied a rope to a hook but two feet from th ground, he placed his neck iu the noose, and by pressing for and succeeded in effecting his object. Another and m t extraordinary case was that of a lady residing at Islington, who having exhibited a determination to destroy heitself, was watched by attendants night and.day. Notwithstanding these precautions, this lady, whilst in bed, and in the presence of persons who were watching her, actually sudceeded in strangling herself with her capetrings, and she had been dead some hours when her attendants supposed her to be asleep. Medical science had as yet been unable to develbpe accurately the causes which induced persons to take thii means of committing suicide. he Chancellor of the Exchequer acknowledges the rec ipt of a 501. note, No. 02,656, sent to him by a person unkn wn, for conscience' sake. This money has been placed in h! Majesty's Exchequer. :k. p,, uocuNG
The Sun. — 1844-08-17 (London, England)

SUICIDE IN THE MILLBANR PRISON.—A SEVERE SENTENCE.—On Thursday Mr. Higgs held an inquest in the Millbank prison, on the body of Thomas Bentley, aged thirty-two, an inmate. Mr. Hatchard, the deputygovernor, stated that deceased Was admitted on Monday last from Stafford gaol, having been convicted at the last July Stafford sessions of stealing rabbits, and sentenced to seven years' transportation. The eertificate of the previous character of deceased was good, and it stated that he had been a blacksmith, and worked for ten years under the same master. When received into the prison he did not seem depressed in spirits, and exhibited no symptoms of insanity. Thomas Higgins, a prisoner, said that the deceased had told him (they were both tried for different offences at Stafford) that he was innocent of the crime for which he was convicted, and that it was committed by another man, who had been only sentenced to six months' imprisonment. Previous to the robbery of the rabbits, the man in question had asked deceased, he said, to participate in it with him, but he refused. Deceased first appeared as a witness against the man, but something came out during the trial which caused the chairman of the sessions to tell deceased that he was the more guilty of the two, and he was placed at the bar, tried, and sentenced to seven years' transportation. Deceased also said the principal evidence against him was a little blood and some rabbits' fur found in the pocket of his jacket. He likewise stated that he had been married but two months, and that circumstances, coupled with the severity of his sentence, was enough to make him cut his throat. He made the above statement in Stafford gaol, and the authorities having heard of it, he was not allowed to remain in a cell by himself. Mr. Hatchard said if he had known this he would not have confined deceased in a separate cell. William Trevelt, a night-guard of the prison, proved finding deceased early on Wednesday morning in his cell, suspended by the neck from a clothes peg in the wall by means of his handkerchief. He was cut down, and Mr. Sunman, the resident surgeon, was called, who said he had been dead some hours. Verdict, " Temporary Insanity." The Duke of Rutland commenced grouse shooting on Tuesday, at Longshawe Lodge, near Batewell, where his Grace is entertaining a party of friends, including the Earl of Jersey, Lore Forrester, Lord George Manners, Mr. Thoroton, Itcc. The party bagged forty-five and a half brace on the first day. His Grace will entertain a succession of distinguished visitors at Longshawe during the ensuing month.
The Sun. — 1844-11-25 (London, England)

EXTENSIVE BANK ROBBERY.  INre regret to learn that, early this morning, a most extensive robbery was discovered to have been committed on the highly respectable bankinghouse of Messrs. Rogers, Towgood, and Co., of Clement's-lane, Lombard-street. It is supposed the burglars must have entered by means of skeleton or false keys. During yesterday some of the swell-mob were observed prowling about Lombard-street, in the vicinity of Clement's-lane, but as yet there is no clue as to the direction they have taken. About 40,0001. in notes, and we believe a thousand pounds in gold, have been carried off. It will be seen by an announcement in another part of our paper that the numbers of the notes are given, and of course stopped at the Bank of England.  SUICIDE or A DESFERATE CHARACTER IN A STATlON.RousE.—Yesterday morning a most determined act of suicide was committed in one of the cells of the station-house of the B division of police in the New-way, Westminster, by one of the most degraded characters, Sarah Colley, living in the purlieus of the Almonry, a locality most notorious. It appears that, at half-past eleven o'clock on Saturday night, she and another wgmau were creating a great disturbance near the Nag's 144 in Tothill-street, and Colley was at last gaveri charge, and taken to the station-house, where she `was placed in a separate cell. She was visited every quarter of an hour by the min on duty, up to twelve o'clock. A very few minutes after an odd " bumping noise," was heard against the cell, and on the policeman going in he found her suspended by her apron ' immediately released, and it sees tightly one end round her neck, shk a bench and fastened the other to sort of ventilator ; she had then ler and being a heavy woman this was the noise. Although she could ha' very short time, scarcely a minute stan:ly conveyed to the Westminf found she was quite dead on her woman has, in her time, been one in the locality in which she resided. last quarter of a century--desperie with all who opposed her, and a pest rem,
The Sun. — 1844-11-25 (London, England)

WATLINGTON.—AWFUL EFFECTS OF THE GAMELAWS.—On Tuesday last, about half-past three o'clock, the inhabitants of Pyrton, a village within a mile of Wellington, were thrown into the greatest consternation by a melancholy report, which, alas, proved too true, that a poor boy, about sixteen years of age, of the name of Henry Pridcheat, had committed suicide by hanging himself with a pocket handkerchief, from the top of a gate four feet high. It appeared that the poor boy- was employed by Mr. Dickers, a respectable farmer in the parish, to shoot sparrows on the new sown wheat. On Monday afternoon, whileperforming his duties, he started a pheasant ; the temptation being great., and feeling a desire to try his capabilities on a larger scale, he fired at the bird, and unfortunately killed it. At this moment William Clark, one of Lord Parker's gamekeepers, came up, and threatened him with a prosecution ; the idea of appearing before a magistrate, and in all probability, of being sent to prison, filled his mind with the greatest mental agony. The keeper having taken his master's gun he was afraid to return to his employer, and he is described as having wandered about in the greatest distress. On the following morning it is reported that he applied to a person in the village for som poison to kill, as he said, his masters' rats, but was refused, and in the afternoon he was discovered by some children at play suspended from the top of a gate, on the footpath leading from Pyrton to Weston, in a kneeling posture, a breathless corpse. The deceased has been employed by Mr. Dickers nearly five years, who gives him an excellent character. The above may be relied on as an authentic fact, as our cor• respondent has visited the village, and had a melancholy view of the mortal remains of this new victim to the atrocious game laws. So great is the want of agricultural employment in the parish, that no fewer than thirty-three able-bodied persons are employed by our surveyors repairing .the roads, withal, good judges say that the land wants all the labour.—Oxford Chronicle. A few days ago a lady travelling in Liverpool, by one of the Waterloo omnibuses, got seated by the side of a member of the swell mob, equipped for his vocation with a cloak and false pair of hands, the latter being demurely folded before him. While he thus appeared to be sitting harmless as a lamb, he was busily engaged in cutting through the lady's apparel to get at her pocket, from which he succeeded in extracting her purse, containing six sovereigns,— Sheffield Iris.