The Poole Telegram. — 1886-01-01 (Poole, Dorset, England)

CHRISTMAS.  On Saturday afternoon a man named James Whitehall, a japanner, living at 5, Drury-lane, London, having quarrelled with his wife, attacked her, and with a penknife inflicted a superficial cut, extending from the left ear to the middle of her throat. She ran screaming down the stairs and escaped her husband, who followed her some distance, and afterwards made his way to the back of the house, clambered over the roof of an outbuilding, and then fell through a skylight. When the door of the outbuilding into which he had fallen was forced open, Whitehall was found lying on the floor with his throat cut in a terrible manner. The knife, which as policeman had found lying by his side, had cut deeply through the throat, and although an attempt was made to stop the bleeding, the man died in a few minutes. The deceased was about forty years of age. At St. Barnabas-road, Sheffield, late on Saturday night, John Heves, a markmaker, stabbed his wife with a large penknife, and afterwards severed his ownwindpipe: The woman is expected to recover, but the man is in a dangerous state. On Friday morning, at Barrow-in-Furness, a man named Joseph Baines stabbed his wife to death. The couple, who resided at 54, Fenton-street, had been quarrelling on Christmas Eve. The husband had been drinking heavily. They created considerable disturbance and annoyed the neighbours to such an extent 'hat the attention of a passing policeman was called to them about two o'clock in the morning. He went into their house and cautioned Dames to behave quietly. A bout eleven o'clock on Christmas morning Mrs. Baines went into a neighbour's house, occupied by a man named Evans, for the purpose of ascertaining what time it was, and about two minutes afterwards she was followed by her husband, who immediately drew out of his waistcoat a butcher's knife and stabbed her four times in the breast and abdomen. The poor woman at once fell back, throwing up her arms, and crying out "Oh, dear." Evans closed with the murderer and knocked him down, when the knife fell out of his hand. Mrs. Baines was carried into her own house, and died in about fifteen minutes without speaking again. At one time Baines had a very thriving business, and had he kept steady would have done well; but about four years ago he had 1:500 left him, and since then he has practically gone to the bad. He has been repeatedly before the magistrates for being drunk and abusing his wife, and has been imprisoned on two or three occasions. He has been heard to say he would take his wife's life some day. About two years ago one of Baines' children, a boy of fourteen years of age, ran away from home to escape his father's ill-usage. This boy was accidentally killed when sleeping out one night, and at the inquest Baines was severely censured by the coroner for his conduct, and told that he had had a narrow escape of being charged with manslaughter. On Saturday at Barnstaple, an inquest was held on the body of Mrs. Rew, a married woman, who expired suddenly on Christmas night. It was shown that the deceased partook very heartily in the day of goose, plum pudding, and nuts, and the doctor stated that death was due te the effects of over-eating. A sad accident occurred on Saturday night at the Christmas Fair which is being held at Sunderland. During the evening some boys attempted to steal money from a rifle saloon in charge of a girl named Isabella Nuttnan. The girl is stated to have been incautiously pushing back the crowd of lads with a loaded gun, when the gun went off, and a youth named Daniel Connor was severely wounded in the left side. He was removed to the infirmary, and his life being despaired of, his depositions were taken. Nutman, who was arrested, asaerte4 that the gun was knocked born the stand, and that on the butt striking the ground it exploded. She fainted immediately after the occurrence, and she has since been suffering from fits. On Christmas night Bernard and Patrick Bryceland, brothers, aged respectively 34 and 30 years, quarrelled at a house in St. Mungo-stifeet, Glasgow, and Bernard made a rush at his brother, knocked him down, placed his knee upon his chest, and, drawing a sailor's knife, stabbed Patrick in the mouth. The ffeeh extended to the throat, and the injured man is in a very weak state. Strangely enough, Bernard went to a police-office, with a wound on his hand, to have it dressed, and he was thereupon apprehended —Nicholas Ferrie was struck on the head with a poker, in Glasgow, on Christmas night, by his stepson, who inflicted a terrible wound.  --A man named .priggs commit suicide in London on Sunday morning. He was married on Christmas Day._