npedrazzini/19thc_murder_suicide_news huggingface dataset:
The Pontypridd District Herald and Rhondda Valley, Llantrisant, Caerphilly, and Mountain Ash News. — 1892-01-09 (Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

ATTEMPTED SUICIDE OF A NOVELIST.  It is reported from Paris that M. Guy de Maupassant, the well-known French novelist, who has been recently staying at Cannes, made a determined attempt at suicide there the other night. Placing a revolver to his head, he fired six times, but without effect; for his family apprehending the attempt, had extracted the bullets from the cartridges. M. de Maupassant then seized a razor and inflicted a slight wound in his throat; but the injury was not serious. On the following morning the patient was so violent that a straight-waistcoat had to be used, and after a strong dose of bromide of potassium, M. de Maupassant was removed to a private lunatic asylum near Cannes. The brilliant writer was struck down in the middle of his novel, "The Angelus." According to the doctors, M. de Maupassant is the victim of overwork, and too little rest. He is, however, an indefatigable yachtsman and bicyclist, and often passes whole nights on the road between Cannes and Nice, and even between Paris and Rouen.  Prior to attending the launch of the vessel to be named after him at Belfast on the 20th inst., Mr. Balfour will visit Queen's College. The Quarter Sessions held on Monday throughout Cheshire and North Wales show a remarkable decrease in crime. At Birkenhead there were only two prisoners for trial, at Chester only two, while at Chester City Sessions there was not a case. At the Flintshire Sessions there were not any prisoners, and at Denbighshire only two.  A discovery of immense importance has just been made in Mid-Northamptonshire. Borings for minerals in the Wellingborough and Tl.rapston district have resulted in proving the existence of valuable seams of coal, being apparently an extension of the great Midland coalfield, and covering a wide area. Owing to the scarcity and high price of fuel Northamptonshire pig-iron smelters have been hitherto compelled to restrict operations.  MOttZ
The Pontypridd District Herald and Rhondda Valley, Llantrisant, Caerphilly, and Mountain Ash News. — 1892-01-09 (Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

DEATH FROM A BROKEN HEART.  Mr. Wynne B. Baxter, the coroner for East London, held an inquiry on Tuesday at the Stepney Sick Asylum, respecting the death of Joseph Norris, aged 67, formerly a timekeeper in the service of the Regent's Canal Dock Company, who died in the above institution on Friday. Mr. Robert W. Goldie, medical 4ficer, stated that the deceased was admitted sufferffig from old age and debility. He said he suffered from pains all over him. He accounted for that by saying that he was set upon and knocked about by three men in the fog on Wednesday, December 23, in Stepneycauseway, and robbed of 2s. or 3s. The witness examined him, but could find no signs of injuries as if he had been illused. The deceased afterwards repeated the statement to the witness in the presence of two nurses. After death the witness made a post-mortem examination. On opening the pericardium he found a large blood clot weighing 9 oz., which was due to the rupture of the left ventricle of the heart. This was a most rare cause of death, it being really a broken heart. During a long experience the witness had only known one other instance of the heart breaking.in this manner, and that was due to an ulcer. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence.  The Paris Savings Bank, which began the year With .£148,933,000f. of deposits, has ended it with 151,709,000 f., an increase of 2,776,000 f.  A prisoner named Tansey, undergoing six months' imprisonment in Durham Gaol, hung himself on Saturday morning with some strands of the oakum he was told te pick. Edith Buss, aged seventeen, a pupil teacher, of Sittingbourne, was this week indicted at the Kent Quarter Sessions for attempting to commit suicide by throwing herself down a well, in which she remained several hours waist high in water before being rescued. She was discharged with a caution.
The Pontypridd District Herald and Rhondda Valley, Llantrisant, Caerphilly, and Mountain Ash News. — 1892-12-03 (Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

YOUNG GIRL'S SUICIDE.  On Sunday the Bradford police recovered from She canal the bod:, of Ada Mitchell, aged 16, who was the daughter of a widow, of West Bowling. The girl had been missing for several days, and the circumstances of her disappearance were singularly like those which surrounded the death of a girl Edith Walker, who committod suicide in romantic fashion rather more than a week ago, and whose example the girl Mitchell appears to have followed. Mitchell was a mill hand, and appears to have been friendly with a youth named Fortune, who works at the same establishment. Though this friendship appears to have been nothing more than of an ordinary character, it seems to have been construed by some of the girls into a love affair, and the remarks made in consequence were taken by the deceased very much to heart. When leaving the mill, the girl was followed by some companions, who jeered at her, and one of them is said to have called her a " nasty, deceitful, little thing." These taunts hurt the girl's feelings, for after her companions had gone she was seen crying bitterly in a neighbouring street. Eventually she went home, but made no complaint. During the evening conversation turned on the case of Edith Walker, who was well-known to her, and Ada asked her brother "how long it took to drown," and on being answered, she said, 'I thought they were dead the third time they, came up." Next morning she left home to go to work as usual, but she never returned. The two letter given below were found on a window-sill, addressed to Fortune and a companion, Nellie Dean, respectively :—"Dear Fred,—l write these few lines to at last bid you good-bye. The lies that have heen told about me by the hands are something sickening, and I am now going to the place where Edith Bell ( Walker) went. I will again say good-bye.—Ans." "Dear Nellie,—l write these tew lines to bid you good-bye. To-night lam going to have my music lesson as usual, so mother won't know. You may think me foolish, but lam about sick of the lies that are going about. I again bid you good-bye.—Ana."  John Makin and his wife, Sarah Makin, were on Monday committed for trial at Sydney, Australia, on the charge ..ef manslaughter, owing to the discovery of the bodies of 15 infants in houses occupied Ly them at different times. Makin's daughters, who were also arrested have been discharged.
The Pontypridd District Herald and Rhondda Valley, Llantrisant, Caerphilly, and Mountain Ash News. — 1892-11-19 (Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

SEQUEL TO A STRIKE.  The Sheffield coroner held an inquest on Monday on the body of a labourer named William George Poole, who committed suicide by cutting his throat. He was found in his house in a dying state, the discovery being made by a woman who was passing by and saw a stream of blood flowing under the door. While being removed to the infirmary he said, "Let me die. It is all through trade," and the following letter was found in his house: —"Good-bye, dear friends, I am committing a mall deed, but I cannot help it. The strike at Osborn's has preyed upon my mind so much. I cannot bear my grief at seeing the poor men go down to such a degree. I never intended to second the proposition, but it was out of my mouth before I could stop myself, but believe me I was not right when I did it. I have as good a wife as ever lived in this world." In a memorandum book partly illegible was also found the following : "It is through the strike that I destroy myself. . . . lam not a man to cut wages down." :t appears that eighteen months ago there was a strike at Messrs. Osborn's steel works, where deceased was employed, and he seconded a proposition that the men should return to work.—The jury returned a verdict of "Temporary insanity."  A telegram received at Queenstown from the Old Head of Kinsale states that a disabled Warship under full sail has been sighted about 20 miles south east of the Head. The ship is believed to be her Majesty's ship Calypso, one of the training squadron which recently left Plymouth far the West Indies, and lost her propeller. A large force of Dervishes is reported to be t 9 the south of Wady Haifa, and others are crossing to reinforce Osman Digna. More troops have lett Suakin.
The Pontypridd District Herald and Rhondda Valley, Llantrisant, Caerphilly, and Mountain Ash News. — 1892-05-21 (Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

STRANGE SUICIDE OF TWO WOMEN.  The mystery concerning the finding of the bodiea of two women in one of the ponds at Highgate the other morning has now been solved. At an early hour in the morning a police constable was informed by a boy that there was a woman in the No. 1 Highgate Pond. On hastening to the spot the constable found two women—who were fully dressed, with the exception that neither of them had a hat or bonnet—in the water. The constable went into the pond and dragged the women out, the water at that point being between three and four feet deep. Having sent for medical aid, the officer and a bystander endeavoured to restore animation in the women, who were both alive but in an unconscious condition, caused partly by immersion in the water, and partly by an attempt they had evidently also made to strangle themselves. Around the neck of each woman a long piece of Indian muslin was found tightly tied. Dr. Goodchild quickly appeared on the scene, and for some time continued the efforts to restore animation, but these proved unavailing, and eventually the doctor pronounced life extinct in each case. Each of the women had three large stones in her pocket. The bodies were removed to the St. Pancras mortuary to await an inquest. The deceased had the appearance of being sisters. One was apparently about 60 years of age, and the other about 50. They were both comfortably dressed. It has since been ascertained that the deceased were two spinster sisters, the elder one being Mary Ann Latch, aged 63, and the younger one Georgina Cox Letch, aged 51, who had together occupied apartments in Deepard-road, Highgate. They were both dressmakers at a West-end establishment, the elder one being a forewoman. On leaving their lodgings they called out "Good-bye" to their landlord, and left a note behind them saying they should be out all night, cud that he would not see them alive again.
The Pontypridd District Herald and Rhondda Valley, Llantrisant, Caerphilly, and Mountain Ash News. — 1892-10-01 (Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

ROBBERY FROM THE MEDITER RANEAN SQUADRON.  Information having reached the Admiralty, communications are now passing between the latter department, the Postmaster-General, Lord Rosebery (as Minister for Foreign Affairs), and the Turkish Government with regard to the wholesale robbery of letters and their cmtents addressed by the officers and seamen of the Mediterranean Squadron to their Mends and relatives at home. From these communications it would appear that arrangements existed whereby the Admiral of the Fleet was empowered to issue postal orders to those seamen desirous of sending remittances to their wives and families resident in England. Officers also frequently availed then-Helves of the privilege by using these orders in lieu of cheques when remitting small sums to tradespeople. So popular had the system become, the large sums of mosiey, principally composed of the earnings of bluejackets and marines, were, by means of postal orders sent home on pay day—which occurred once a mouth. The absence of the usual letters acknowledging remittances gave rise to inquiries, when it was discovered that on the occasion in question the mails were collected as usual by the tender Scout and despatched. It further transpired that the m,til bags had been stolen, and all the I.:tters from the squadron containing money orders, cheques, and valuables had been appropriated by the thieves, the postal orders, which formed the bulk of the remittances, being subsequently presented for payment at the British Post Office, Constantinople, by a banking firm in that city, the value of the orders, amounting to some hundreds of pounds, having been realised before suspicions were aroused or inquiries made. It fell to the lot of the Postmaster-General to request not only the payment of the amount of the stolen orders, but also the name of the "payer in" to the bank in question. Neither request, hosever, was complied with. That a gross fraud and wholesale forgery was resorted to w as admitted, and suspicion pointed very strongly to a Turkish subj.:et resident in Constantinople, who must have an accomplice. Lord Roseberry is hopeful that the latest communications which he has addressed to the Turkish Embassy in England and to the British Embassy at Constantinople will have the desired effect, and that the relatives of the seamen of the Mediterranean Squadron will at least be saved pecuniary loss. In the meantime, however, the issue of postal orders as a means of remitting money for the fleet has been suspended, Post-office orders substituted, and experienced officers despatched from St. Martin's-le-Grand to inquire into and re-organise the postal arrangements that at present exist on the Mediterranean station.  The Rev. H. Holmes, rector of Garthorpe, Melton Mowbray, was found drowned in a well adjoining his residence. His hat and coat were found near the well, and it is inferred from this that he committed suicide. The deceased, who had been married, was 76 years of age.
The Pontypridd District Herald and Rhondda Valley, Llantrisant, Caerphilly, and Mountain Ash News. — 1892-10-15 (Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

SUICIDE OF AN UNDERGRADUATE.  A sad case of suicide has occurred at Oxford, where an undergraduate of Christchurch, named P. J. Bryce, shot himself in a most determined manner. The deceased gentleman, whose home is at Bysdock, near Exmouth, was in the company of two fellow undergraduates, Messrs. Calthorpe and Betterton, up till shortly before midnight. Neither of them noticed anything strange in his behaviour, although they state that he was always of somewhat reticent disposition. His servant, however, on going in to call him at eight o'clock in the morning, found him lying on the rug apparently asleep, and on endeavouring to wake him he was horrified to find that he was quite dead, having a wound over the heart. Lying by his aide was an ordinary double-barrelled sporting gun, one of the barrels having been discharged. The deceased had pulled the trigger by means of a strap which he had fastened round the fender. The only cause assigned for the rash act is that the deceased had on the previous day failed to pass his examination In an extra subject for responsions, and it is supposed that this had preyed on his mind, it being the commencement of his fourth term of residence. He much liked throughout the college, although of a quiet and rather retiring disposition. At the inquest the coroner said the father, who was much distressed, had let him have a letter which had been found on the sideboard in the deceased's room, and it stated that he hoped the terrible act he was about to commit would not have a lasting effect upon his father or any of his family ; it teemed a horrible thing to contemplate, and he asked his father as his dying wish to comfort his mother and sister as much as was in his power ; the reason of his committing the act might perhaps seem incomprehensible, but he supposed it was chiefly his morbid desire for death from his childhood had grown too strong for him ; it might be madness, but he feared not. If it was not he would be somewhat exempt from the sin when he reached the world whose threshold he was on ; he would prefer to be buried in earth in a wicker basket; it was terrible to know one was going where one knew not would happen, and he sincerely hoped in doing this he would not be bringing his family into disgrace.—The jury returned a verdict that the deceased committed suicide, but they were unable to decide whether he was or was not of unsound mind.
The Pontypridd District Herald and Rhondda Valley, Llantrisant, Caerphilly, and Mountain Ash News. — 1892-12-31 (Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

THE ALTHORP TRAGEDY.  •IRDICT AND SENTENCE.  The trial of Andrew Macrae for the murder of Annie Pritchard was continued at Northampton on Friday. The evidence for the prosecution being closed, Mr. Hammond Chambers, for the prisoner, submitted that there was no case to go to the jury, because, even admitting that the body was that of Annie Pi itchard, and that he had mutilated and placed it where it was found, there was no evidence that he had murdered the woman. The evidence was all consistent with the theory that she had committed suicide. Mr. Bustard said that the argument of the prisoner's counsel amounted to this, that whenever decomposition had gone so far as to prevent the discovery by medical men of the cause of death there could be no conviction for murder, however strong the other circumstances. The mere statement of the proposition showed its absurdity. Mr. Justice Kennedy ruled that the case must go to the jury. Counsel on both sides then addressed the jury, after which the Court adjourned. The trial of Andrew George Macrae for the alleged murder of Annie Pritchard was resumed at Northampton on Saturday. Mr. Justice Kennedy, summing-up, said that as this was a matter of circumstantial evidence the jury were bound to see, not only that certain cireumstances in the lump made one way or the other, but to see that each circumstance was clearly proved as a matter of fact, and that the inference drawn from the circumstance was the logical deduction, and excluded the possibility of any other'cleduction. The summing up occupied over five hours. The jury were absent an hour and a half. They returned with a verdict of guilty. The prisoner, on being asked if he had anything to say, replied that the sentence had no terrors for him because he was innocent. Turning to the jury, he told them they would have this verdict on their consciences as long as they lived. The judge then passed sentence ot death in the usual form.  A sentence of three months' arrest and 10.3fi of rank, which was recently passed on Prince AV:: Sckwarzenberg, a lieutenant in the Austrian Arm), for abgenting himself without leave, has been con.muted to one of four months' arrest, without loss of rank.
The Pontypridd District Herald and Rhondda Valley, Llantrisant, Caerphilly, and Mountain Ash News. — 1892-12-31 (Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

EXTRAORDINARY SUICIDE WITH  A NEEDLE.  On Friday Mr. A. Braxton Hicks, cOroner, held an inqueit at the Lambeth Coroner's-court on the body of Romaline Smith, aged 31 years, a school teacher, lately residing with her parents at No. 8, Jeffrey's road, Clapham, who committed suicide under extraordinary circumstances. Ann Waterman, a nurse, said that she was called in to nurse deceased on Tuesday, the 13th inst. She (deceased) was then suffering from delirium and a discharge from the ear. Dr. Holden WELD attending her. Dr. C. S. Jaffe, house physician at St. Thomas's Hospital, stated that deceased was admitted at 5 p.m. on the 15th inst., suffering from abscess in the brain. Shortly after her admission she attempted suicide by strangling herself. Dr. H. G. Turney, resident assistant at St. Thomas's Hospital, said he made a post-mortem examination of the body. He found the outer surface of the heart inflamed, and about an eighth of ah inch from the right ventricle, close to t he apex, was the eye end of a needle, the body of which penetrated about 2iin. into the heart. Witness then gave information to the coroner's officer. The immediate cause of death was pericarditis, which was due to the presence of the needle in the heart. The coroner having commented upon the peculiar nature of the case, the jury returned a verdict of suicide whilst mentally deranged.  The London, Chatham, and Dover packet steamer Victoria, in putting off from the Admiralty Pier, collided with the Ostend packet La Flandre. No passengers were on board at the time, and the damage was only slight. A St. Petersburg correspondent telegraphs that a famine is impending in Finland, more than 200,000 of the inhabitants being entirely des itute —a number that will, it is expected, be more than doubled before the winter is over.
The Pontypridd District Herald and Rhondda Valley, Llantrisant, Caerphilly, and Mountain Ash News. — 1892-07-16 (Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

MRS. MONTAGUE CASE IN JAPAN.  An almost exact parallel to the case of Mrs. Montague has just occurred in Japan. A Mr. Ono Kanernoto and his wife Sawa took the nephew of the former to live with them on the death of his parents. The boy, who had shown a tendency to thieving, had declared that by means of a nail he could open a room fastened with a foreign padlock. He was thereupon told that if he attempted such a thing he woUld be sent away from the house. Rather than suffer that the boy declared he would die, and his uncle, fearing he would commit suicide, tied his arms and legs and left him in a bath - room so cold that there was ice on the floor, and then went himself to dine with a friend, after instructing his wife to untie the lad in the morning. He returned home drunk, forgot all about the boy, as his wife had already done, and next evening the unfortunate nephew was found dead in the bath room. The uncle was sentenced to two years' hard labour, while the wife was punished with penal servitude for nine years. Between the two cases, that of Mrs. Montague seems to us he more heinous, and her inadequate sentence of 12 months shows that the law of Japan has in one instance at least made "the punishment fit the crime " more nearly than the law of England.  Petitions agTtinf-it th-e-as-Sembli—of the Salvation Army on the parade at Deal and Walmer have been presented to the local Town Council. Sir John Robinson and Mr. Sutton, the Natal delegates to the Colonial Office, left London on Saturday for Southampton on their return to Natal The son of a well-known ironmonger in Croydon, Joseph Jordan, was found on Tuesday morning suspended by the neck to a rope attached to a beam at the back of his father's shop. As he had been dead for some hours, it is surmised that he hanged himself immediately after hearing the result of the election late on the previous night.