npedrazzini/19thc_murder_suicide_news huggingface dataset:
Northern Weekly Gazette. — 1905-04-22 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

FISHING FOR PORCELAIN.  More than a century ago a large sailing junk made the voyage from Korea to Japan with a cargo of extremely valuable porcelain intended fa the palace of the Emperor. A storm arose when the vessel was in sight of port, and she sank in the Inland Sea, only a short distance from Kioto. Her captain and crew committed suicide—which is the Japanese method of escaping from an embarrassing situation. And that was the last that was heard or thought of the precious crockery for a hundred years. Now the Japanese have a very curious and interesting way of capturing the cuttlefish—thc eight-armed cephalopod which is sometimes called octopus and sometimes devil-fish. The octopus, likes above all things to hide its soft body. in a' hole, an cng the rocks or elsewhere, thus protecting itself from enemies, and then to reach abroad with its long sucker-armed tentacles for prey. Taking advantage of this fact, the fishermen in those waters lower into the depths empty earthenware pots, into which the devilfish climb, to be presently drawn to the surface and secured. They are in great demand as food in Japan, being esteemed a delicacy. One day it occurred to an ingenious Jap that possibly this idea might be turned upside down and utilised for the recovery of some of the porcelain from the wreck aforesaid, the location of which was exactly known, though it was far too deep to be reached by divers. Accordingly the ingenious one fastened a good-sized live octopus to a fishing line, lowered it into the , depths. and waited a while. When the animal was drawn to th 3 surface, lo! it was found to have taken pessession of a porcelain vase, a veritable gem of the potter's art, which fetched, mere money in the market than the fisherman could have earned by a year's hard work. Other 1 people, having found out what was going on, thought they would try it for themselves, and ever since the business for fishing for crockery in that ; promising locality has been steadily pursued, w:th the result that a considerable part of the cargo from the wreck has been recovered.--P. Rickinson,' Great Burclon. Darlington.
Northern Weekly Gazette. — 1903-09-26 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

OIL.; thing. It is not much to look at, but a little lump of shapeless lead, but consider the scene on which it figured. 0, my friend, it, might have burst John Osborn's eye —I alm.ost think it grazed his head."  The train was slackening. Thank the powers! I thrust my arm through the window of the carriage, intending to grasp the handle of the door. Was I to have this reeking relic forced on me by a ghost! le nnsunderstood my meaning.  "it suicide you seek?" "It---it's cape from you!" "Then let us go together." "flow aro we to go together, if I am to get away from you?" "Ali, my friend, but that you cannot do."  "Cannot! I at least can try." "Remove your grasp from the handle of that door or I swear that I will not leave you, never, for an instant night or day, till you, like me, are dead." He did not raise his tones, but his eyes were strangely light. Thank heaven. the train was slackening fast. In a few moments we should reach a station. Then—then we should see! Ho read my thoughts. "You think to escape me when we reach the station. Bah, my friend, I shall disappear, but to return again!" Still—we should see!  The train stopped. The platform was on the opposite side. I made a movement towards the other door. Ho stood in tho way. Unmistakably then he was flesh and blood enough. I could not pass unless I forced him to one side. In my rage I grappled him. For an instant a struggle would have undoubtedly ensued. But in the very nick of time the opposite door was opened. Other passengers came in.  "Thank God!" I cried. has come at last." I turned to see who the newcomers were. They were Messrs I3urchell and Armitage. In my surprise 1 lost my presence of mind again. The stranger stood like a figure of Mephistopheles, and smiled at me. He addressed himself to my late tintagonigta.  " Someoabo
Northern Weekly Gazette. — 1903-09-26 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

OOPYRIGHT.  "That's so. He's dead." Scrambling to my feet I caught hold, for support, of the railing which was intended for light luggage. What did he mean? Was the fellow, after  all, some wandering lunatic, who should not have been suffered to be  at large? He was standing at the other end of the carriage regarding me with his curiously mirthless smile. He did not look a lunatic; on the  contrary, he appeared to be a person of even unusual intelligence. He was very tall. He was dressed from head to foot in black, after the undertaker fasshion, which is so common in the United States. His cheeks were colourless, his eyes almost unnaturally bright. With those two exceptions there was nothing about him which was in any way uncommon, and even pale cheeks and flashing eyes are not phenomenal. "Still, I am Francis Farmer." His voice was not at all American-11 it was soft and gentle. Stooping, he picked up the pack of cards. He began, as it were, to fondle them with his hands. .  "My ca,rds! My own old cards! The tools which have so often won for me both bread and c.heese! It is strange that I should regard them almost as my own children., sir? That I should be careful where they are— to be always close at hand? I fashioned them with my own fingers. And so fine was the art I u,sed, that skilled eyes have beheld them many and many a time, yet never perceived a flaw."  _ "DO I understand you to say, deliberately, that you are Francis Farmer?" "Indeed I am."  "Then, at the next station at which we stop I will give information to the police. So notorious a rogue caraiot be allowed to be at large." "But Francis Farmer's dead."  "He was supposed to be. You are not the first rogue who has feigned to be dead."  "But, in truth, he's dead. They ' sat upon his corpse. They brought it in that he'd been guilty of felo de se. And, since no one came to claim his body, they buried him at Portland, among his brother rogues; and there he lies, within hearing of the sea. Permit me to show you the place where the rope was about his neck, and where he thrust the knife into his breast."  Tearing his waistcoat open he advanced towards me, as if to show me the hall-marks of the suicide. I waved him back again. "Do not think to fool me with such tricks!" He paused, and eyed me--always with his curious smile. "You are a shrewd man. I perceived it when I saw you- at Scotland Yard." "You saw me at Scotland Yard!" "Where else? I was with you in the Museum, when you were seeing  -\......._ 4.--,....._____ .-,,e fill it A_ ie_ -_, , 1-?,-,-,-„,..... ) (........._. ---...._ .....„,-....-- 4t... -,-.0-1;) • : ....,..„, ...,• ...,... . . 6 y ill Clifi Kp mi-A H • .-1/4'.--------71, , . , _ ..-_,_ . ... ~),(_, OF ' THE I3Et TLE - NM Tr: FULL at"( 1..., v 1 k_ e..c.. 1 . 3," g'•,l* .4-r';,-' ..,::.~i,.•;/, ."-' : l'• •---- .4 --1 0,„„...,,,„,..... ........_........_:____........____72_...,2: _>-._., __ _ .... --,.. 'l' ':1 • ••#:-Te . , .- ' ' -:-'"--- :-.4'..... ?!...4i:.4. '-.•,,,r ilk ---. 4 1;,.. _____ _ , ,  7D4
Northern Weekly Gazette. — 1903-03-07 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

NORTHERN WEEKLY GAZETTE.  against Mr Parnell on 22nd October of I the preceding year, concluded its work on the 22nd of November of the year after, having sat 128 working days. During the progress of the trial Riehard Pigott, a needy Irishman of ' notoriety, on whose evidence the maligners of the 'Nationalist leader mainly relied, broke down under the erassexamination of Sir Charles Russell. • Having immediately afterwards confessed to Mr Labouchere that he had himself forged the letter on which the "- Times" based its accusations, hurried off to Madrid, where, in his shame and his distress, he committed suicide. Sir Charles Russell added greatly to his fame by the zeal and success with which he conducted the ease, not merely as a barrister of the highest repute, but as a responsible statesman, loyal to the British Crown, and passionately devoted to his contry. In his peroration at the close of his opening speech, he profoundly moved at once the Court and the country. "My Lords," he said, "my colleagues and myself have had a responsible duty. We have had to defend not merely the leaders of a nation, but the nation itself. To defend the leaders of a nation whom it was sought to crush; to defend a. nation whose hopes it was sought to dash to the ground. This enquiry, intended a.s a curse, has proved a blessing. Designed, prominently designed, to ruinl one man, it has been his vindication. In opening this case I said that we represented the accused. My Lords, I claim leave to say, that to-day the positions are reversed. We are the accusers; the accused are there. I believe—that this enquiry in its present stage has served, and in its future development., will serve more purposes even than the vindicat•ion of individuals. It will remove baneful iii L.,voncept ions as to the character, the actions, the motives, the aims of the Irish people, and of the leaders of the Irish people. It will set earnest minds—thank God there are many earnest and honeKt minds im this land _  _ ----thinking for tAiernselves upon this ! question. It will soften ancient prejuditvs. It will ha.sten the day of true union, and of -real reconciliation between the people of Ireland and the people of Great Britain; and with the advent of that union and. reconciliation, will be dispelled for ever, the cloud--the weighty cloud—that bas long rested on the, history of a noble race, and dimmed the glory of a mighty empire."  The exposure of the Pigott forgery was a sore discomfiture for the " Times" as the responsible author of the indictment which was entitled " Parnellism and Crime." The general conclusion of ho Court was that the main charge against Mr Parnell was a fabrication, but that he and his associaths had incited to intimidation, and "did not denounce the system of intimidation that led to crime and outrage, but persisted in it, with knowledge of its effects."
Northern Weekly Gazette. — 1903-09-12 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPERIMENT.  The conversation had been of murders and of suicides. It had almost seemed as if each speaker had felt constrained to cap the preceding speaker's tale of horror. As the talk went on Mr Howitt bad drawn farther and fartler into a corner of the room, as if the subject were little to his liking. Now that all the speakers, but one, had quitted the smokingroom, he came forward from his °miler, in the hope, possibly, that with this last remaining individual, who, like himself, had been a silent listener, he might find himself in more congenial society.. _  Dreadful stuff those fellows have been talking 1"  Mr Hewitt was thin and he was tall. He seemed shorter than he really was, owing to what might be de.vribed as a persistent cringe, rather than a stoop. He had a deferential, almost, frightened air. His pallid face was lighted by a smile which one fett might, in a moment, change into a stare of terror. He rubbed his hands together, softly, as if suffering from a chronic attack cf nerves; he kept giving furtive &noes round the room.  In reply to Mr Howitt's observation, the stranger nodd2d his head. There was something in the gesture, and, indeed, in the man's whole appearance., which caused Mr Hewitt to regard him more attentively. The stranger's size was monstrous. By him on the tattle was a curious-looking box, about eighteen inches square, painted in hideously - alternating stripes of blue and green and yellow; and although it was spring, and the smoking-room was warm, his wore his overcoat, and a soft felt hat. •So fax as one could judge from his appearance, seated., he was at least six feet in height. As to girth, his dimensions were bewildering. One could only gu,ss .wildly at his weight. To add to the peculiarity of his appearance, be wore a huge black beard, which not only hung over his chest, but grew so high up his cheeks as almost to conceal his eyes. Mr Hewitt took the chair which was in front of the stranger. His eyes were never for a moment still, resting, as they passed, upon the bearded giant in front of him, then flashing quickly hither and thither about the room.  "Do you /stay in Jersey long?" The reply was monosyllabic, but, though it was heard so briefly, at the soun.d of the stranger's voice Mr Howitt half rose, grasped the arm. of his chair, and gasped.. The stranger 'seemed murprised. "What's the matter r
Northern Weekly Gazette. — 1916-03-18 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

CHAPTER I. ET ER VIOLA. It had been a honed depressing November day on which the veay spariows must have been eu depeesed as to oontempate suicide in the nearest puede. A day of east %kende that caught .pectestzians at street coruere, sent hats gamooieng regardless of g.-easy paymeets, ad tossed a few leaves round the enuichyard of St. Maty Abbott's, and down the muddy overflowieg gutter of Churchstreet. A few peopee stood a: the corner waiting for their respective 'buses to appear, and a few steps fuether, Begn-street, Kensingeei, gave a vista til flashing lights, bustle, and animation. After High-street, Critech-street must haee seemed a dull, wet, stiaegeng grey thoroughfare, with its untidy low and tall euildings; butchets, baeels, grocers, diapers, and heie and there dwel• ling-house—makiug the passei-by think of an ttie trimmed hedge: that is, if he had time to observe les surroundings, for the east wind no doubt brought tears to his eyes at every step, and at every corner endeavoured to turn his umbrella i.nedue out. Dusk was falling, and the lamplighter trudged along through wind and rain, a iong 'liue of twinkling ye:low lights left behind him, thee reflections casteng letightty in the mirror-iike pa.vernents. A policeman was doing his beat at the other side of the road, and three little girls, carrying satchels, cane racing back from school and stopped outside a gaunt. dingy house, in the ground floor windows of which hung boards with "To Let" on them. They rang the fitst floor bell it was a house for several tenants', and presently a frouzy maid with soiled apron and flushed face, let them in, and reclosed the door with as little noise as possible. Their first, "Phoebe has--" was cut ehort by a fierce "Sh—sh--don't you start none of you. racket. Just ,go in the pariour and don't make a noise to worrit your ma." Poor, hard-working, outspoken Plicebe Higgs! How well I remember her. It was she who gave me the outlines of that, for me, memorable evening. It was really a hateful night on which to make a first appearance, and I must have thought so, for upstairs in my wicker cradle I stirred and uttered a piercing yell of disgust at finding myself in this strange cold world of rattling velndows, and whistling gusts of wind that played havoc round the hottee, B.nd sent all sorts of mysterious things down the chimney. On the floor beneath, the three little girls sat in a row on the shiny horsehair sofa, and stared at the flustered Phcebe as she clattered around the table, Bane, their respective cups with cocoa, and putting a portion of jam on each breed pate. "Phcebe," started my three sisters in one voice, "What's be—like?" Phoebe gasped. She told me so years later—told me precisely what kind of gasp it as. "My conscience! Didn't, I tell you it's a little sister you got?" "Another one!" exclaimed Gwendolen, my eldest sister. "Phcebe,—is she like Amy was—with a red face and no, hair?"  -- 3
Northern Weekly Gazette. — 1909-10-23 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

NORTHERN WEEKLY GAZETTE.  all the other Jews in the city. The governor of the castle, haring some business without its walls, left it for a short time in the hands of the Jews, who, under an apprehension that he might, have joined in the conspiracy with thear enemies, refused to readmit him on his return. The high sheriff, a men more under the guidance of his passions than of his judgment, enraged by this indignity, issued his writ of " posse oomitatus " to raise the country to besiege and ta.ke the castle. In response, an innumerable company of armed men, as well from the city as from other parts of the country, rose simultaneously and begirt the 'forizess. The high sheriff began to repent of his inconsiderate order, and the wiser and better sort of the camas stood aloof from a, flood that soon might overwhelm themselves. A great many of the clergy, however, joined the besiegers, and a certain fanatical friar, clad in a white-vesture, was everywhere seen crying out—" The enemies of Christ must be destroyed." This zealot was amongst the filet to suffer the destruction he announced, for in his endeavour to fix the haltering engines against the walls a large stone fell upon his head and dashed out his brains. Driven to extremities the Jews held a council, and offered a large sum of money to be allowed to escape with their lives, but this offer was refused, on which a certain foreign rabbin, or doctor of their laws, stood up amongst them and said: "Men of Israel, our Creator has cornmanded'that we should at any time be ready to die for Our law; when He gave us life He enjoined that with our own hands, and of Our own accord, we should devoutly restore it to Him again, rather than submit to the oruelty of our enemies." This invitation to imitate the example of the followers of Joseph-us, in the cave of letapata, was embraced by many of the Jews, but others chcse rather to try the victor's clemency. Before the self-devoted victims began to execute the sentence upon welt other they set fire to the castle, and committed all their property to the flames, to prevent it from falling into the hands of their enemies. The rabbin then directed that the husbands should eat the throats of their own wives and children, and Jocenus began the execution first by applying the knife to the throats of Anne, his wife, and five children. The example was speedily followed by the other masters of families, and afterwards, as a mark of peculiar honour, the ra.bbbin cut the throat of Jooenus himself. The last of the victims was the self-devoted adviser of the deed, who probably was the only actual I suicide.  Geo. E. D. Arran, 40, Edwards-street, Stockton.
Northern Weekly Gazette. — 1909-12-11 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

FREE LEGAL ADVICE.  BY AN EXPERT IN LAW.  During the last twelve months several serious cases of blackmail have been tried in London, and this is an offence for which heavy sentences are both merited and awarded. Blackmail, in its usual and proper meaning, is a tribute in money or kind levied by freebooters on the Northern borders of England in days gone by. The levying of this blackmail was in 1601 made a felony. The term is now popularly applied .to the offence called in French " chantage " namely, extortion of money by threats, libel, prosecution, exposure, etc. And now under the Larceny Act, 1861, any person sending any letter accusing, or threatening to accuse, another of any crime punishable with death or penal servitude for not less than seven years, with a view to extort money or property is liable to penal servitude for life, or for not less than three years, and he may be ordered to be whipped, if under the age of 16. It Is rather difficult to understand the tenets of the peculiar people or Christian scientists, and of late some of them have got into troubled waters. The distinction between refusing medical aid when nothing but medical aid can save life, and suicide, is a fine one. In the one case the person, of course, dies by natural causes, ind in the other by violent means self-inflicted. lne is always glad to see prosecutions resulting in convictions in all cases where children are oou ..;erned, and the oondition of things in this no. ipect has undergone vast changes during the lamb quarter of a century. An infant under seven years is not considered criminally responsible, the law considering the nental capacity of a child of such tender years r,o be too immature to enable it to form sufficien* iudgment of right or wrong. A child must, in lie opinion of the Court, be above seven years, old of sufficient capacity to commit crime.  In the case of a woman convicted of a crime igainst whom there is a previous conviction registered, any of her children under fourteen in her care at the time of the last conviction, ,vho have no visible means of subsistence, ax4:l who are without proper guardianship, may be lent to an industrial school. But the child of a Female prisoner may, under the prison rules of 1.8991 be received into prison with its mother, provided it is at the breast.  We are always glad to see the public ready to issist the police in cases of emergency, but it does not seem to be generally known that it is a nisdemeanour for which a person may be indicted at common law to refuse to exist a constable when eallocl upon to do so, providing, of course, the person called upon is physically capable of giving aid. Any person assaulting the person giving assistance is liable to punisklent, Ind if he rescues the prisoner he renders himself liable to be indicted. If a person is in the custody of a private person, he should give notice Lo the rescuer of the cause for which he is in custody. Where the person is in thi3 custody of a constable, the rescuer must take notice of it himself at his peril.
Northern Weekly Gazette. — 1902-12-13 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

NORTHERN WEEKLY GAZETTE.  kind of prejudice which the defenoe had to fear. The Stouts, and many of their co-religionists, were anxious to secure a conviction in order to relieve at once the young lady's memory, and the fair name of the sect, of the stigma of suicide. As Spencer Cowper had bitterly put it in his speech, they were ready "to spill the blood of four innocent men" in order to rid themselves of a reproach. Happily, however, the jury consisted of upright and sensible men. After half an hour's deliberation they returned into court and declared that they had found all the prisoners not guilty. These accordingly left the dock, and while Spencer Cowper received the gratitude of the men for whose lives, as for his own, he had made such a splendid fight, they were all overwhelmed with the congratulations of friends whose joy at their escape from the toils that had been cast about them by malevolent foes knew no bounds.  The affair, however, was not over so far as Spencer Cowper was concerned. His enemies now began to attack -him in acrimonious pamphlets, arguing out the case all over again, and presently it was sought to put him on his trial again on what was known in those days as an appeal of murder. The attempt, however, was unsuccessful, and this much-caluminated man lived to take his seat on the Bench, where he distinguished himself among his brother judges by the consideration with which he invariably treated the prisoners at whose trials it was his duty to preside. His second son, John, entered the Church, and became a Doctor of Divinity, became also the father of William Cowper, gentlest of our poets. , It is a little curious to reflect that had the jury which tried Spencer Cowper , for his life been as stupid as the judge, 'or had they been amenable to malignant influences playing around them, the world would never have read the diverting story of John Gilpin, nor have heard of the "cups that cheer but not inebriate."