npedrazzini/19thc_murder_suicide_news huggingface dataset:
The Kenilworth Advertiser. — 1898-02-12 (Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England)

THE CORONER'S COURT.  SUICIDE OP A BUTCHER. Between five and six o'clock on Friday evening, the body of Joseph Austin (48), butcher, Cheylesmore, was found in a well in his garden, in the COventry - park. Inspootor Walton, assisted by P.s. Painting, P.a.. Sksicher, Mr. Walter Judd, and M Arthur Smith, recovered the body by means of a drag. The well was between 40 and 50 feet deep. Deceased had been strange In his manner for some time. He had lost by death several members of his family, and he had also had business troubles. Deceased left home soon after three o'clock on Friday afternoon, and as he did not soon retujn, 'suspicions were aroused, and & man who lodged at decesced's house went to the garden, let a lighted 'candle down the well, and discovered the body.— The Slued was held on Saturday afternoon before Dr i !Me. Mrs. Austin stated that deceased haff been too unwell for the past two or three months to go on with his business. He had worried over every little thing, and a short time ago the doctorsaid that if he got worse he would have to go away. Since that time deceased had remarked several times that they would send him away. On Friday dinner-time he said he would go for a walk. When he returned about three o'clock in the afternoon he remarked that he supposed he would have to go away, as the cab would be there presently. Soon afterwards he went otit again, and, as he did so, he said to witness, "I am going; good-bye.' As he had made similar remarks before, she did not suspect that he bad any intention of doing away with himself. He did not return, however, and witness became alarmed. She sent one of her daughters to the garden, and the latter found the gate open and the lid of the well off. The daughter returned to the house, and told witness.—lnspector Walton gave evidence of the recovery of the body from the well.—The Coroner expressed sympathy with the family in their bereavement. The jury returned a verdict of" Suicide whilst temporarily insane," and endorsed the Coroner's remarks.
The Kenilworth Advertiser. — 1883-12-15 (Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England)

NGULAR DEATH OF A BOY.  LAU &TING THE HANGMAN.  gst. lordshire.  On Friday Mr. Hooper, district coroner for South Staffordshire, held an inquest at Hands worth on the body of John Alfred Riehards, a boy of 18 years of age, whose body was found hanging in a void house in Trinity-road, under somewhat remarkable circumstances.— The father of deceased, who is a builder, living at Handsworth, stated that on Wednesday last be was engaged in doing some repairs in a void house in Trinity-road. His son was there to assist him. Daring the afternoon witness had to go into town to procure some articles which be required for his work, and left his son and a workman in the house. On returning in the course of an hour or so, he could not find the deceased, and searched for him in various parts of the house. At last he found the boy hanging to a balustrade, his feet being three or four feet from the ground. He had evidently been dead some time. The boy was hanging by a piece of blind-cord, which he had tied to the balustrade. In reply to the Coroner, witness stated that he could not believe his son had committed suicide. He was always a cheerful boy, and there was nothing whatever to trouble him or cause him annoyance. The only explanation he could give of the occurrence was that his son had been reading the accounts of the recent execution at Liverpool, and had been making experiments upon himself. Deceased was constantly talking about the scene on the scaffold and the length of time the culprit was allowed to live. He was very much impressed by the occurrence, and conversed about it on the night it appeared in the papers, and also on the following morning. His opinion was that the deceased had been playing with the rope, and imitating the executioner, and in so doing had accidentally supped over the balustrade.— The boy's mother was also called, and stated that there was nothing in the boy's manner to lead her to believe that the boy was likely to commit suicide. She agreed with her husband that it was an accidental occurrence, and that the boy had been playing with the rope after reading the account of the execution at Liverpool. —A man named Richards, the workman engaged in the house when the occurrence took place, said he was no relation to the decease& After Mr. Richard's left for town the boy remained with him, working at the bench for a few moments, and then went away. Be never saw him alive afterwards. He heard no screams for aseiztance.—The Coroner, in summing up the evidence to the jury, said there seemed to be nothing to show that the deceased had any intention to commit suicide. The surmise of the parents that the boy had taken a morbid interest in the Liverpool execution and had been experimenting upon himself was quite feasible.—The jury, after a short deliberation, returned a verdict of "Accidental death."
The Kenilworth Advertiser. — 1883-01-06 (Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England)

ATTEMPTED SUICIDE THROUGH LOVE.  At the Coventry City Pollee Court, on Saturday, before J. Marriott and B. A. Dalton, Escre., and Dr. MoVeagh, Arthur Pattman, 35, Yardley-etreet, butcher, a respectubly dressed young man, was brought up on remand charged with baying on the 18th ult., attempted to commit suicide by throwing himself in the C3ventry Canal.—There was a second ' arge of threatenit.g the life of Sarah Caloott on e same night.—Mr. Homer defended the priooner, d Mr. Neale appeared for the complainant in the ond charge.—Sarah Caloott, the plaintiff in the e of threats, said that on the night in question tE . prisoner osuebt her by the throat aid eaid he would Strangle ben—Arthur Coutson corroborated Calcott and stated that be released her from the prisoner's grasp.—Mr. Homer then addressed the Bench on prisoner's behalf, the first charge having been withdrawn. He pleaded guilty to using threats, and Staked the Bench, in fixing bail, to state an amount that—while affording protection to the girl Caloatt —would bot be so large as to prevent prisoner's friends from releasing him when he was in a proper state of mind. He did not intend to offer bail that morning for many private reasons. No doubt the present state of prisoner's health, and business affairs, Lad had something to do with the affair, and when his friends saw him thoroughly restored to health and able to regulate his actions, bail would be fertbcoming.—The Bench said that in justice to himself he should be kept away from excitetnent, so that his health might improve; and in fairness to the party threatened, they must fix bail at such an amount as to make the parties rendering themselves responsible look sharply after him. He would have to find two sureties in £5O oath and be bound over himself in £5O to keep the peace for six Months. _
The Kenilworth Advertiser. — 1883-01-06 (Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England)

EXTRA.ORDINARY CASE.  The shooting case at Birkenhead, which has attracted so much attention in the medical warld, was before the stipendiary magistrate of that borough on Wednesday. On December 9 Joseph Teece, a fishmonger, shot his servant girl, Jane Wainwright, in the head, and though the bullet penetrated the brain, the girl is still alive, and is now able to converse. After shooting her, Teece shot himself, and, also took poison, but he survived, and was charged with attempted murder and suicide. The following extraordinary document, which was found in his pocket, was read "Perhaps all will blame me for what I have done, but I am in sech a state of fear that I am compelled There is a man in Liverpool named —, who lives in —, a milkdealer, formerly a butcher. He and I were together in London seven weeks. He was living as man and wife with his wife's sister, and I with his sister. Horrible He told me he had poisoned a child in Toxteth Park, and that he made base coin. I fell out with him, and called him a poisoner and a coiner, and ever since he has been on my track. The girl Jane Wainwright told me he forced her to immoral purposes, and then compelled her to buy some sort of an acid, and for the last six months I have been half mad, and then I believe she took the money to him, and I hear he is going to take a room for her. I know if I don't kill myself he would murder me, and rather than she should go to be a prisoner I would kill her. F— has served a lot of time in gaol in Manchester. I have told two or three about him, and they have believed I was mad. In London we lived at 85, Caledonian-road, King's Cross. He took the name of L—, and I that of F—. Well sow, I have no hope in this world. I am ruined, no doubt through my own folly; but I have fretted a good deal.—Yours, J.
The Kenilworth Advertiser. — 1883-02-10 (Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England)

THE CASE OF EITGIENE.  At the Taunton Assizes on Friday, George Frederick Cook, alias Frederick Eugiene, was in. dieted for attempting to commit suicide by cutting his throat at Yeovil. The prinoner pleaded guilty by the advice of his counsel, the Hon. Bernard Coleridge, who, in addressing his lordship on the prisoner's behalf, said his career had been a most chequered and eventful one. He was for a long time a clown and acrobat; afterwards he gave way to intemperance, and for a while remained a drunkard. Then he joined the Blue Ribbon Army, and soon afterwards he displayed on the temperance platform great gifts of eloquence, by means of which it was not too much to saythat some thousands of persons were induced to become total abstainers. He really organised a great mission work on the temperance platform in the North of England, and by his eloquence and enthusiasm kindled others to follow his example. By an unfortunate mistake, he drank some brandy, which rekindled his love for drink, and for a week afterwards he indulged freely and recklessly, and ultimately committed the act to which he had pleaded guilty. He declared, however, that he had no recollection whatever of committing the sot, and was now extremely sorry for it. He had numerous friends in many parts of England who were interested in his career and fortune, and if his lordship could see his way clear to give him a nominal punishment, his lordship, he believed, would never regret it.—His Lordship said he would postpone his decision until Monday morning, and in the meantime confer with the gentlemen who were bail for him.—The prisoner was again admitted to bail, and on Monday he went up for sentence, but was released upon entering into his own recognisance' to come rip again for judgment when called upon.
The Kenilworth Advertiser. — 1883-06-23 (Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England)

SAD SIIICIDE.—An - inquest was held on Monday afternoon, -before Dr. C. W. Iliffe, .on the body of Mr. James Beck, who had lived at the residence of Mr. C. G. Iliffe, watch manufacturer, Coventry. Mr. Charles George Iliffe said deceased was his uncle and lived with him. He had retired from business and was 77 years of age. Deceased had lived with him about three years, and never seemed to be depressed until he had a severe illness in the winter, since which he had appeared very much depressed, although daring the last week he seemed better. On Sunday evening deceased went to bed apparently in his usual health. Winces went up to deceased's room at about half-past eight that morning when he heard that his wife could not wake him. •He went up at once because he had apprehended for some time that he might do himself some mischief and on entering the room he was horrified to find that deceased had cut his throat. A blood-stained razor was lying on the table near. Witness had taken every precaution to prevent deceased I injuring himself and he had called in medical advice as to his sanity. He (witness) had carefully removed deceased's razors, but as he said that there need not be the slightest fear of him committing suicide, and as the doctor said he was not sufficiently bad to have any restraint placed upon him, he let him have them again. Dr. Milner Moore had told him that he thought the deceased committed suicide whilst in ani insane condition produced by the decadence of his faculties consequent on old age.— The Coroner briefly summed up pointing out that medical evidence was unnecessary after the testimony of witness. He directed the jury to return a verdict that deceased committed suicide whilst temporally insane.—A verdict to that effect was returned.
The Kenilworth Advertiser. — 1883-10-20 (Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England)

DRUNKENNESS AND CRIME.  TO THE EDITOR.  Bir,—Though you have not yet become a teetotaller you will, I am sure, allow a temperance advocate an opportunity of placing Mr. Howard Vincent's views in another light, and of giving some information of which you are in doubt. Possibly Mr. Vincent, like yourself, Mr. Editor, has not yet seen the wisdom of the temperance cause, and has therefore approached his subject with a prejudiced mind, and apparently he has been satisfied with reaching the immediate cause of crime in many instances, and has not gone back to the primary cause. First, you mention immorality. Drink is in hundreds of oases the cause of falling; reference to the first book .of the Bible will afford lone instance at least. Next, defective training. How distinctly this fault must result from intern. , peranoe. If a drunken parent does not actually I incite his children to excessive drinking, he cannot train them in temperance habits, for his example kimust be more powerful than his advice. Then, I evil companions; are they not frequenters of the tavern, the gin palaoi, the hotel bar ? Next on the catalogue is poverty—an undisputed effect of intemperance. In Maine, one of the United States, there are 400 towns which are exempt from Poor Rate because they have no public-houses. You also mention the difficulty of obtaining employment and of retrieving a lost character: how many men prefer an abstainer to a man in all other points equally qualified? Many a time a man is rejected because the smell of drink is upon him. And the lost character: how is it lost? Probably by insobriety. Now a few statistics :—ln July, 1879, there were 28 oases of attempted suicide, brought into Clerkenwell Prisen ; of theme 23 were directly caused by drink, and 2 more by the drunkenness of others. Dr. Andrew Clark says "Going the round of my hospital wards to-day, 7 out of every 10 owed their ill-health to alcohol." Dr. Norman Kerr said at Manchester, in 1877, "After careful and elaborate research I am compelled to believe that at least 100,800 human beings die every year in this country from the direct effects of alcoholic drinking." In addition to this enormous loss of life, close on 75 per oent, of our pauperism, 80 per cent. of our crime, and nearly one-half of our insanity are the product of "our heavy-headed revel, east and west." From Justice Grove I quote—" Men go into public. houses respectable and respected, and come out felons." The nine-tenths proportion may be due to Mr. T. S. Baffles, Stipendiary Magistrate of Liverpool (1878)—" The moving cause of the crimes of violence and disorder in their midst was drunkenness. They might set down three-fourths, he thought nine-tenths, as arising from drunkenness." And lastly I will repeat Captain Codd's words (the Governor of Clerkenwell Prison)—" Five Metropolitan prisons cost about £BO,OOO a year; and it is my firm opinion that if drunkenness were abolished three of those prisons might be closed." 15th October, 1883.  R. S.
The Kenilworth Advertiser. — 1883-12-01 (Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England)

DOUBLE MURDER AND SUICIDE.  At the village of Birk&id Bank, near Lanark, on Friday night, a young man named William Brown murdered two young women and then committed suicide. The names of the murdered women are Charlotte 1-peirs, agel 35, and Catherine Hamilton, 16. The crime was oommitted between ten and eleven o'clock, when the villagers bed for the most part retired to tied. The first intimation of the tragedy was from a postilion named Geo. Kay, of the Station Hotel, Lanark, who had been at Kirk. field Bank with a party, and he observed someone lying on the roadside. On returning he .topped, and found that it was the lifeless body of a woman with her throat out. He misted the alarm, and it was found that the dead body was that ,of Miss Spain. At the aame time it was sseertained that the servant girl, Catherine Hamilton, was lying in a dying state at the door of the house of George Elder, wheelwright, where she bad been knocking for about half-an-hour. The inmates heard a faint tapping, but as no one spoke they did not open the door. The postilion hastened to Newark, and gave the police information of the affair. Catherine Hamilton was found to be still alive, and was removed into Mr. Elder's house. She was unable to epee* and she wrote with a pencil the words, "Willie killed us both." The unfortunate girl died on Saturday morning. On examining Brownville House, the body of the murderer was found on the lower flat of the house, and a sharp pointed new knife was found near it. He was a medical student, and it is thought the knife was used in a surgery. A pool of blood was found inside the outer door of the house. The girl's hand was mach out, as if in warding off the fatal thrusts. No motive whatever can be assigned for the deed. It is said the murderer Brown was suffering from insanity. He had been seen lately walking in the garden, speaking and laughing to himself. The event has (*used great excitement in the village and neighbourhood.
The Kenilworth Advertiser. — 1883-01-20 (Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England)

THE VERDICT.  On Thursday the Coroner's inquest into the Hounslow suicide concluded amidst a scene of ex. oitement which showed that the popular feeling fully appreciated the spirit of the rider which the jury thought fit to attach to their verdict. Early on Thursday morning the vicinity of the Court wait thronged by those anxious to see the arrival of the witnesses, Dr. Whitmarsh in particular; but so good were the arrangements that the doctor was inside the Red Lion before the public were aware of the fact, and any disturbance that might have taken place was frustrated by the plans of the authorities. In the room itself, however, no sooner had Dr. Whitmarsh made his appearance than he was hissed and hooted by the public present. Mrs. Wheeler was the first witness, and her evidence went to prove that Mrs. Bignell was with tier from one to six o'clock on the day of the alleged assault, and had merely told witness that Dr. Edwardes had kissed her. Mrs. Wheeler's eel. dence met with approval, and as she left the Court she received many cheers. Dr. Whitmarsh was the next witness, and he made a firm protest against the hostile demonstrations made against He absolutely declined to give evidence at all unless the hissing and hooting ceased. In this resolution he was supported by the Coroner, and Dr. Whitmarsh proceeded with his evidence, giving a statement of facts which have already been made public. He asserted that what he had done was in the interests of the practise, and he had consulted his honour more thou his pocket. At the close of the evidence Dr.Whitmarsh left the Court and drove off in a cab. He was this time reoogfflsed, and the vehicle was followed by a yelling and execrating crowd, who, however, were left far behind, as tits horse was driven at a rapid pace. The Coroswr meanwhile had commenced his summing up, will,* lasted twenty minutes. The jury, after an absence of over an hour, returned with their verdict. They found that Dr. Edwardes had taken prtussie acid whilst suffering from temporary insanity; and they expressed the opinion that he was driven to his death by the pressure brought to bear upon him by his partner using the false charge of Mrs. Bignell to cause him to agree to a dissolution of partnership.  Published by the sole Proprietor, limas Enwasis MIN/LISTON, at his office, castle-end, HeailWortil in the county of Warwick.
The Kenilworth Advertiser. — 1883-01-20 (Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England)

SHOCKING TRAGEDY AT  SHEERNESS.  Great sensation was caused at Sheerness on Wednesday morning through a murder aommitted on his wife by a man of colour named Brown, who afterwards stabbed his step-son, set the house on fire, and attempted to commit suicide. About half. past four, Hasson, a night watchman, heard screams of " Murder" and" Fire" proceeding from No. 8, Ebenezer-road. Looking up he saw some children standing at a window, and before he could reach them a little girl eight years of age got out of the window, and jumped into the street; the distance not being great, the child was only slightly injured. Hasson assisted the other children down, and from their statement ascertained that their father, a man of colour, had wounded their mother, and set the house on fire. Hasson raised an alarm; which drew , to his assistance P.C's. Jacobs and Jury, and a fireman named Davis belonging to the local brigade. They battered in the front of the house, when a young man, aged 20, stepson of 'blown, rushed out in his nightshirt, bleeding, and fell down in the roadway. He had been stabbed in the thigh and chest, and was removed by the bystanders to the residence of his uncle. In the meantime water was procured, and a fire which was raging in one of the rooms extinguished. Brown, who rented the house, was an African, 48 years of age. In a back room on the ground floor the body of Mrs. Brown was found, her throat having been cut; and upstairs, in a back attic, Brown was found with hie throat cut. From the statements made by the children, it seems that the man and his wife were heard quarrelling, and on hearing the shrieks of his mother the eldest son went downstairs when he was attacked by his stepfather, who inflicted several wounds upon him with a razor. Brown must then have murdered his wife, and set the room on fire in which her body lay, subsequently going upstairs and cutting his own throat.
The Kenilworth Advertiser. — 1883-06-30 (Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England)

TERRIBLE DOMESTIC TRAGEDY AT DERBY.  The most horrible tragedy that has occurrr,d in Derby for many years happened yesterday (Tuesday) morning. Monday was known locally as Arboretum Day, which is the great popular holiday of the year, and amongst the entertainments provided was an ascent by Emanuel Jackson, a well known Midland aeronaut, in his balloon the "Evening Star." It was made successfully, and Jackson returned home. He rose about eleven o'clock on Tuesday morning, and his eldest daughter noticed he appeared on terms of affection with his wife, Hannah, even caressing her in her presence. The girl left them together in the front room and Went into the adjoining kitchen, anl whilst, there she heard what she considered at the time to be a clappiag of h ,nds. A few minutes later sne entered the front apart. anent and found her father and mother king prostrate on the fhor. Help was quickly at Li Ind, and it was then ascertained that Mrs. Jackson, who is 60 years of age, .as dead, a shot from a sixchambered revolver having penetrated her and that Jackson himself was dying, having ahot himself also in the brain with the same weapon. Family matters are supposed to be the cause of the tragedy. Jackson was 65 years old, and by his balloon ascents has made himself known throughout England and America. _  iickson, died early on Wednesday morning.— Maria Jackson, who was the only other occupaut of the house besides her parents, gave an account of the dreadful occurrence, her description being itt accordance with the fa:t4 already stated. She and other members of the family averred that Jackson had recently been in ill-health, and had also beau depressed in spirits. He had many times lately said of himself that be was going out of hia mind, and it was believed that financial embarrassments were partially the ()Anse of it.—Dr. Fletcher, the medical adviser of the family, expressed a deeded opinion that Jackson had fired the pistol durinr,' a fit of homicidal mania.—The jury returned a verdict of "Wilful murder" against Jackson, and also came to the conclusion that he had committed suicide whilst of unsound mind.