npedrazzini/19thc_murder_suicide_news huggingface dataset:
Glasgow Courier. — 1855-06-05 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

HOUSEBREAKING.—On the evening of Saturday last, a dwelling-house in Hill Street, Garnet Hill, was entered by burglars, by forcing the front door—the boss-head of which was torn off. The tenants, we understand, are at present at the coast ; and, notwithstanding the many cautions given to families against leaving their domiciles without informing the police, there was no such information given in this case. The watchman on the station observed the window-shutters closed about two o'clock, and, suspecting that the occupants were absent, examined the doer, and found all right. Ho repeated his visit shortly after ; and, on proceeding to the house in the evening, he discovered that the door had been forced. The dwelling does not seem to have been ransacked, or many articles abstracted ; but this can only be learned on the return of the ' proprietor. Fortunately the silver plate had been removed by the inmates previous to leaving.  • Arremrven Suicinc.—On Sunday morning, between nine and ten o'clock, a woman named Ann Id‘Lachlan, apparently about thirty years of age. attempted to commit suicide by throwing herself into the elydo near the springboards. A short time previous she was observed walking backwards and forwards on the bank of the river by three men, who, suspicious of her intentions, removed a little distance, from which they carefully watched her movements, and prepared themselves for the issue. In a few minutes she mado the plunge, when the men instantly ran forward, end one of them stretching out his arm caught her as she was an the point of sinking and brought her on shore. On being questioned she stated that she was a widow, her husband having been drowned a few years ago, and that want alone had prompted her to put an end to her existence in the manner related.  ll.tuscata AeCIDENTS.—About half-past ten o'clock on Friday night, a labourer named John Begby, employed on board the steamer Tintern, of Belfast, lying at the Liverpool shed, while in the act of lowering down one of the stages, the rope-stopper, by which he was holding, gave way, when ho was precipitated into the hold of the vessel, a depth of about t u feet. One of his legs wls broken by the fall, and he was otherwise bruised about tho body. Ile was removed to the Infirmary—At nine o'clock on Saturday morning, a cattle driver from Belfast, named Andrew Grainger, while engaged in landing a horse from on board the steamer Lynx at the north quay, the animal became restive, in consequence of which he was thrown over the side of the vessel into the water, and narrowly escaped being drowned. Fortunately a constable was close ,by, who succeeded in getting hold of the man with a life-book, and kept him afloat till the ferry-boat came up, when he was taken op board little the worse.
Glasgow Courier. — 1855-12-29 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

MURDER AND ATTEMPTED SUICIDE.  On Thursday morning, about seven o'clock, the following distressing event, fortunately most unusual in these parts, occurred in a house in Parlia:nentary. Road. At the above hour the wife of an engineer, named M'Lean, who, it seems, hot. very nervous. temperament, rose from her bed in the kitchen. which her husband and a mats; Infant chiid lay, and proceeded to an adjoining &palmist. Shortly after the child, who was only eight months old, became restless, and began to cry, whereupon ebe returned to the kitchen, took the boy from her husband, and went back to the room. M'Lean, we may state, saw nothing extraordinary about his wife's apreat• ance or demeanour at this time, and had no misgie. ings as to her state of mind. After she had remained; in the room fora brief period, he called to her to return to the kitchen, for the purpose, as we understand, of making the necessary preparations for breakfast. He received no answer, however, ttPd immediately rose out of bed and proceeded to the Nunn door, which he found locked. This somewhat ticusual circumstance caused him to feel alarmed, and he knocked for admittance, when his wife opened: the door. Here a shocking sight met the poor man's view. His wife stood with a knife covered with blood in one hand, and in the other she held her apron to her throat, from a wound in which blood. was issuing profusely. On turning to the bed in the' room he saw his child lying in a pool of blood, his throat being cut till the head was almost severed from the body, and life, of course, quite extinct. Me immediately seized his wife by the hand which beldt the knife, and took it from her ; but, in the same. instant, she seized a fork which lay on the table, and. plunged it into her throat. This weapon was also taken from her, and her husband calling in the assistance of a neighbour, he succeeded in getting her put iatoer bed, and instantly sent out foe a suttgerffn.f By this time, however, the unfortunate woman was so weakened through loss. of blood that she became insensible. On surgeon arriving the infant was examined ; but,. as we before stated, life was quite extinct_ The woman's wound was instantly dressed, and we. understand that, though of a serious description, it is thought that fatal consequences are not likely to, result from it. From inquiries made, the police, we believe, are quite at a loss to assign any reason for this act of madness on the part of the woman APLean. Both persons bear irreproachable characters for honesty and sobriety, and M'Lean appears to be a hard-working, intelligent artizan. An intimate acquaintance of the woman M'Lean states that on the previous day she had a lengthy conversation with her, and she observed no perceptible change in her conduct or behaviour. The unfortunate woman continued in a state of stupor till Thursday afternoon, when she rallied, and was removed to Gutnaval Asylum. The case, as a matter of course, is. I in the hands of the Sheriff's authorities.
Glasgow Courier. — 1855-06-26 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

ATTEMPTED SUICIDE.—Ort the afternoon of Saturday the steamer Celt was returning from Greenock, when, while near Port-Glasgow, one of the passengers, a woman, who, a short time previous, had been ob d leaning over the si.le of the vessel, suddenly leaped from the deck into the water, with the intention of committing suicide. Captain Napier instantly gave the signal to stop, and caused the steamer to be backed, when the life-boat was lowered and the woman speedily brought on board. She sas then tsrapped in warm blankets, and in a short time gave evident symptoms of being in a safe state. On re iching Glasgow she was conveyed to the Clyde Police Office in a cab, and visited by Dr. Robertson, who gave it as his opinion that excessive drinking bad led to the rash attempt. The woman, whose name is Elizabeth Gow or Collins, residesin Gallowgat e.  BODY Fousu.--On Friday last, the dead body of a man was found in the Clyde a little below Whiteinch. It was much decomposed. Deceased appeared to have been about 30 years of age, had very black hair, and measured about b feet 7 or 8 inches in height. He was dressed in a fine black cloth shooting coat, blue and white small checked waistcoat, grey doeskin trousers, and Blucher boots. In:the pockets were found an empty leather purse, a pencil-case, with a steel pen at one end, a steel ring with a door check and two small keys thereon, a halfpenny and a farthing ; also a small no:ebook, in which were a map of the county of MidLothian and an Edinburgh Railway Directory, with a small slip of paper, on which were written the addresses of a number of persons. From measuretnents pencilled in the note-book it is believed that deceased had been either a picture-frame maker or a joiner. On the first leaf of the notebook is the name Thos. M'Dottald, and about the middle the address of Mr. M•Donald, care of A. M. NPLartly, merchant, South Street, Dalkeith. It is to be hoped the friends of the unfortunate may be able to identify him by this description. The body was interred by the Govan Parochial authorities, at whose office the articles found in possession of the deceased may be seen.  CAPTURE or Two
Glasgow Courier. — 1855-05-22 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

ISLE OF MAN.  About two o'clock on Sunday afternoon a dreadful murder and suicide took place at Begode, in the parish of Conchan, about four miles from Douglas. The unfortunate murderer was Mr. Thos. Christian, of gode and his unfortunate victim was Martha Knowles, wife of George Knowles, Who farms part of Begode, and who lately earns to this Wand from Liverpool. IL appears that Christian hail for a short time been stiffering under depression of spirits, but from what can't: been ascertained. It also appears that his wife toot children hail been cautioned as to the neeetecity of pit tt ;tli. scum restraint upon hint, but unfortunately the tics affection and sympathies of nature were too pars ninunt in this respect. On Monday an inquest was liii4olll'ew of the bodies, when the follow'ng facts were elicited : Shortly after dinner dn Sunday he Wished to sell his clothes to big serving can ; after which he atteniptot stab his wife with a knife, but striking the bone of bee stays the blade was broken, which saved bet life. She and the children then tiled from the house, Mu a. Christian taking refuge with Knowles, who was the nearest neighbour. Baying !wised a large knife which lay at baud, he rim after her, followed by his servant ntell, who sueceeded in throwing him down, but the maniac nearly bit his thumb off. The unfurtun de victim, Mrs. Knowles, then came out of her residenei at this pine. ture, and succeeded in taking the knife from him, The servant then called out • to the woman to tee, as he could not hold hint any longer. Mrs. OILCAN unfortunately for NI, s. Knowles, had so barred the door that the pour woman could not get into the house, and thus escape the hand of her murderer, who having gut possession of part of a pair of' hames,' followed her into a corner in which she had taken refuge, and struck her several blows on the heal, kaoeking her ahno,t the servant escaping ever the hedge into the stoekyard. The deinen, not satisi d with what lie hail don,, after having left his victim, returned to finish his work. hetlog her unmercifully about the head with t he game ileadly weapon, after which he left in the direction of his own house. The unfortunate woman having br is teken into a neighbour's house, she immediatelly expired. Having thus finished his deadly work, it is supposed he entere! the parlour of his own house, and possessing himself of a razor went to the barn, and atteinpted to cut his throat; but not succeeding, he afterwards hung himself, as he was found by two witnesses suspended by a cord a short time afterwards. The body of the unfortunate woman presented an awful spectacle. She was highly respected and lost her life in endeavouring to save that of the wile of the unfortneate murderer. The jury, after a long investigation, returned a verdict,' That Thomas Christian killed Martha Knowles by smashing her skull with a cart lames in a fit of insanity, and immediately afterwards hung himself by a cord suspended from a Win in hIS barn.'—ifona's Herald.
Glasgow Courier. — 1855-08-09 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

MELANCHOLY SUICIDE OF A YOUNG GIRL AT PETERBOROUGH.  On Tuesday morning the body of • female, twelve years of age, was found in the river Nene, near Peterborough Bridge; it was identified as that of Alice Green, the daughter of Mr. Green, tailor, of Newtown, Peterborough. Strong feelings of compassion and sympathy are excited in the town and neighbourhood by the melancholy occurrence and the causes which are alleged to have led to it. At the coroner's inquest John Jackson, an intelligent lad, thirteen years of age, deposed that he had known the deceased all his life. He was with her on Monday afternoon, with his sister and two other little girls about the same age, in Casbon's garden. The clock struck a quarter to ten as witness and deceased went together as far as a shop near the Corn Exchange, where the deceased asked witness whether he was going home. He said yes, and asked her if she was. She replied 'she dare not, as her mother swore she would kill her.' Witness took hold of her hand to persuade her. She sat down on the slabs, and said 'she thought she should go and drown herself.' Witness asked her how she liked the fireworks, when she sad, 'Don't speak to anybody when they are miserable.' That was all that passed. Witness turned down Queen Street to go home, and the deceased got up and walked down St. John Street, and he saw no more of her. Henry Jauncery, constable, saw the deceased on the bridge about ten o'clock on Monday night, and asked her what she did there; and receiving no reply, said to her, ' You are not going to drown yourself, are you?' She said, 'No, sir,' end went away. The coroner explained the law in this case to the jury, who returned a verdict that ' the deceased drowned herself through fear:—Stamford Mercury.
Glasgow Courier. — 1855-05-10 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

MURDER OF A CIULD BY ITS MOTHER, AND SUICIDE OF THE MURDERESS.  A most painful sensation was created on Saturday in the neighbourhood of Old St. Pancras Road, London, by the report that a woman, named Gros* the wife of • tailor, resident at No. 4, Perry Street, had murdered her female child, five months old, and then put an end to her own existence by drowning. Upon inquiry it turned out that the rumour was too true. In • respectably furnished room at the above address lay the lifeless bodies of the murderess and murdered. It appears that the unhappy woman, although on the most affectionate terms with her husband, had long been at variance with her mother and other members of her family. She was ever under the impression that if she reared her child that she would have no respect for her. On Friday morning the husband, who was working for his brother in -anMs Street, Tottenham Court Road, left home as NI; at that time his wife was well. Shortly before ;tted the house his wife exclaimed, 'My God, this child will die; see how bad it looks.' Her husband expostulated with her, but she said, No, it is no use; it must come, the curse of my mother has ed me.' On his return from work in the evening, • before nine o'clock, he was surprised to little boy alone in the parlour. His wife not ‘•• went in search or her, and on entering .1001111 at the rear of the house, he was at discovering his wife half-immersed in oater butt; he at ones called for assistance, ...nd removed the body. Mr. Aldridge and Mr. Bathetic, surgeons, were immediately sent for, and -iromptly attended, but too late to render any as*once. The child was found at the bottom of the - butt. The ornan was last sees alive at on Friday evening. She was and appeared to be in good  88th  88th
Glasgow Courier. — 1855-03-17 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

SUICIDE AND PREVIOUS ATTEMPT AT MURDER.— Duncan Jardine, about 70 years of age, a sawyer to trade, arrived at Rothesay from Greenock on Wednesday, 7th inst., about two o'clock eat., and immediately proceeded to the house of Mrs. Cooper, Mill Street, to a sister of whom (she being also his own cousin) he had formerly been married. Ile had no sooner entered the house than he commenced a murderous assault upon the old woman with a shoemaker's knife, which he had brought for his diabolical purpose. Mrs. Cooper's daughter was fortunately at hand, and instantly flew to her mother's assistance, seizing from behind the man's hand whieh held the knife. The young woman called to her mother to escape, which she did in tne direction of the shop of Mr. John Ferguson, grocer, folloned by her murderous assailant, the young woman still holding fast by the handle of the knife. Upon seeing this state of matters, Mr. Ferguson immediately ran up to the struggling pair, wrapped his apron about one of the hands, seized the blade of the knife, and with the other grasped Jardine by the throat; nor did he relax his hold till he made the ruffian drop the weapon. In the struggle the young woman had received four cuts with the knife—a severe one on the lower aide of the right hand, a Alight one on the neck, near the jugular vein, and two upon the left side, her clothes, especially her boddice, hindering the knife from entering her body. The police apprehended Jardine, and proceeded to Mr. Ferguson's house to secure the knife which had been used, and during the short time they were absent the wretched man managed to commit suicide by suspending himself with his handkerchief from an iron bar in the cell where he had been locked up. The endeavours used to restore animation were quite fruitless. Jardine is reported to have led a very dissipated life for a number of years past.—Dumbarton Herald.
Glasgow Courier. — 1855-10-23 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

SAD CASE OF SUICIDE BY A MOTHER. WITH  AN INFANT.  --- HEREFORD, THURSDAY EVF:SING.—The good folks of the town and neighbourhood of Kington, in this county (on the road from London to Aberystwith, and a delightful spot well known to tourists and invalids), were this morning thrown into a most painful state of sorrow, In consequence of the landlady of the Oxford Arms Hotel, an exceedingly ladylike permn, and one universally esteemed, having been found (with her infant child) drowned in the River Arrow, a celebrated trout stream, running at the foot of the eminence on which the town is built. It appears that shortly after the confinement of the unfortunate woman, having a flourishing business to attend to, which necessarily brought with it some amount of care, she went to visit a sister at Birmingham, in the hope that change of air and excitement would prove beneficial to her health. On Tuesday she left Birmingham on her return home, and had gone as far as Leominster, where she felt herself much indisposed, and sent a message to that effect to Kington, in consequence of which Mr. Evans fetched her in a gig the same day. On Wednesday evening she was observed to be not so well as could be wished, and at the request of her friends a medical man was sent for, who prescribed • sleeping draught, as it was thought that the fatigue consequent upon wielding a heavy child had superinduced enn4l. It is believed that she took the draught shortly before retiring to rest, which was rather earlier than usual. Early this morning a charwoman going to work observed the front door open, and thinking, perhaps, that some one had been robbing the house, she aroused the servants, who were sorely puzzled to account for it, the house being verz full of company, and no one having intimated any intention of leaving early. Mr. Evans was called, and for a moment he suggested that perhaps a gentleman named Beacon, who was staying in the house, had got up early, and was gone shooting; but when he round that neither his wife nor child were beside him in bed, his feelings can hardly be described. Ile could not guess what had happened, though ketch an indefinable misgiving hanging over him. He rose with haste, dressed himself, and at once instituted a strict inquiry, but no one could give him the least intelligence of his wife; in fact no one had seen or beard of her departure. In this state of:suspense persons were sent to see if any tidings could be gained of the unfortunate woman, who was not heard of until about six o'clock, when she was found lying drowned in her night dress, with her child about two or three yards from her, in the River Arrow; the water at the spot not being more than two feet deep. No reason can possible be assigned for this deed, except that it was committal while in a state of temporary derangement, as deceased had an excellent home, and was thriving in business.
Glasgow Courier. — 1855-07-24 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

APPREHENSION AND SUICIDE IN LIVERPOOL OF THE. AMSTERDAM POSTMASTER.  In reply to a question from a. relating to a report made te the venue in ISM, in which it  Lord  A few weeks since, Jan Honijk, the superintendent of the Amsterdam Post-office, absconded with about £/300 of fetch bills and notes. He came to Liverpool with the intention of proceeding to America, and on Monday last he applied at Mr. Samuel's, South Castle Street, to hove some of the notes exchanged for American money. The exchange 1,019 effected, and the circumstance made known to the Dutch con.td. Subsequently the same person changed some Dutch notes at the bullion office of Mr. Caffe,Waterloo Rood, Ivho also gave information to the Dutch consul. The consul's suspicions were now aroused, and he reported the facts at she police office. Shortly afterwards,a metropolitan police bill was received at the Liverpool detective police office, stating the fact of the prisoner having absconded front .I.ms'erdam, describing the certificates, giving the numbers of the notes, and cautioning bankers and others against negotiating or exchanging them. The case wan then placed in the charge of detective police-inspector Murphy, who °warner ced immediate proceedings in search of the prisoner, which resulted in his apprehension in a foreign boarding house, No. 3 Court, Bridgewater Street, a little before twelve o'clock the same evening. Prisoner was placed in a cab, and on his way to the South Hock Bridewell he made several attempts to get his hands into his pockets, but Murphy prevented him, believing that he wanted to throw away any money that might be upon his person. On searching bins at 13ridewell the officer found in Isis side pocket a double-barrelled pistol, both barrels of which were loaded. He also found a :shipping note, with • receipt in Dutch, for the money paid, ansl in a leathern bag in his possession gold American money to nearly the amount of the notes changed, alter deducting the passage money and the sum charged for exchange. The prisoner was then removed to the central police office, where lie was locked up with another prisoner in a small room immediately adjoining the front ottice. At about half-past three o'clock, the prisoner WllO Wag ss ith llonijk was withdrawn from Cie room, an,i in about 20 minutes afterwards detectire-officer Scott entered the apartment, and found lionijk hanginz to the gas-pipe by a leathern belt. He was completely black in the face, and Isis tongue was protruding from the mouth. Surgical assistance was called in, but life was quite extinct. The deceased was an intelligent-looking young man, about 28 years of age. An inquest on view of the body icy returned a this verdict, the pc Else prisoner of the Crown. that the deleased will  edneaday la  •wel7di.e-t—of-fele de se. coroner said that ,  when  te jury of Lb'  consequence - found  upon  Brti,!i  the usual rites