npedrazzini/19thc_murder_suicide_news huggingface dataset:
The Halifax Comet. — 1899-11-04 (Halifax, West Yorkshire, England)

MORECAMBE.—House to Let, by the month or for the season. Furnished. West End. Pleasantly situated back and front. Near Sea. Low Terms. Mrs. Whitehead, 11, Cross Street, Morecambe.,  Mother of Moses ! ' in a way thlt sounded like a first-class swear, and gave him the reputation of being a terribly profane man, but he was nothing of the kind. Taking cats big and large, I consider that they are as moral as most men, though I admit that when it comes to cream even the best cats can't resist temptation.  "Dogs are religious, and worship their masters. Cats, on the other hand, are generally freethinkers. Now and then you meet a cat who is an out and out atheist, though he never lowers himself to the point of going and mewing in Hyde Park on Sundays. I've met a good many foreign cats that were anarchists. They were not as cowardly as the human anarchist who blows up women and children with dynamite; but they didn't hesitate to sit under a capitalist's window and yowl all night long, so as to drive him to suicide. But then again I have known two cats who were deeply religious. One was a Salvationist. He lived next door to the Salvation barracks, and went to Salvation meetings regular. He'd sing out Amen ' and Glory ' with the best of the men, though naturally he spoke in his own language. The hymns suited him down to the ground, and sometimes he'd join in the singing and not get much further out of the key than the rest of the singers. However, one night a new Salvation recruit, who didn't know the cat, thought that he was ridiculing the service ; so he took him by the scruff of the neck and slung him out of the window. That was enough for the cat. He never went near the Salvationists after that, but just backslid until he was turned out of his home for bad conduct generally; and then he went on the tramp, and became a regular outcast. The other religious cat that I knew lived with me, and every morning he'd come up to my bed, and kneel down on my chest and put his head under my chin and remain perfectly still for about a minute. You see he was saying his prayers, and they seemed to do him a heap of good, for you never saw a more upright and well-conducted cat. He died young, just sort of pined away, and went to a better land, like the good boys that we read about in Sunday school books. But his case showed me that a cat can be thoroughly religious, though it don't seem to be a very safe thing for a cat who wants to live long.  "I've been acquainted with a good many animals in my day, from white mice up to Chinamen; and I don't hesitate to say that the cat is the ablest animal of the whole lot. You study cats thoroughly, and you'll come to the same conclusion; but I ought to tell you that the first thing for you to do is to learn to speak the language. That's the only way to gain a cat's confidence. Now,
The Halifax Comet. — 1899-05-13 (Halifax, West Yorkshire, England)

TICKET OF LEAVE MAN."  was for " a sheaf of interesting facts" to be "detailed." Was it not the business of the coroner and jury to find whether the deceased died from natural causes, or by accident, foul play or suicide? If the latter, I suppose it was necessary to go through the farce of deciding upon the state of his mind at the time. I should think twelve men of average intelligence could have managed this without having resort to the reading aloud of a bundle of absurd letters and notes, a proceeding which must have caused infinite pain to innocent persons besides pandering to the morbid appetite of a section of newspaper readers.—Yours truly, 6th May, 1899.  J. G.  gktilletic ,41ottittgs.  N auspicious opening has been the luck of the Halifax Cricket Eleven. May the season continue and end as it has begun.  The Eleven will be without the help of some of the old favourites, but in cricket, unlike football, there seems to be no lack of new talent to take the place of the old.  Yorkshire had a narrow escape of losing their first match, and at the hands of the parvenu, Worcestershire, too ! However, the boundless resources of the premier county were in evidence as usual, and that promising colt, Brown, of Darfield, saved the situation. Possibly, he will before long be as indispensable to Yorkshire as his popular namesake.  " W. G." never does things by half. He is giving the keenest personal supervision to the improvements and alterations being made to the Crystal Palace cricket ground, besides having enrolled most of the chief players in the South of England as members of his new club.  To most people the words bicycle polo, says To-Day, conveys an idea that the game should be played as at the Empire Theatre of Varieties. The American experts, who so nimbly and skilfully manipulate a ball about the stage at the Empire, have only acquired their dexterity by the most careftil professional training. In fact, they are extremely clever acrobats. The game bicycle polo, as played in Ireland and at Sheen Club, is quite a different game. Polo sticks are used, and the ordinary rules of polo are adhered to as much as possible. Bicycle polo, putting aside horsemanship, is quite as exciting and quite as dangerous as when played on ponies. The game is likely to come into vogue. Already one or two  (Continued on page 11).  A
The Halifax Comet. — 1899-12-02 (Halifax, West Yorkshire, England)

ILLOGICAL BUT TRUE. 0 0 .0 JONES: "We don't have any inquests (0) lin Halifax now-a-days—how is it ? " SMITH : "Fortunately there are no , fatal accidents, and there are nO suicides a ir because the Courier has given up publish- 0 . ing those ghastly sensational accounts of 0 them." a a a © a  not foreigners, but our own fellow-subjects, even though they might be engaged in the questionable occupation of mining for gold. (Cheers).  * * *  The words "Let every soul be subject" amply bear out the interpretation given by the able theologian and distinguished statesman quoted by Mr. Asquith. As probably nine-tenths of the locll opponents of the war have by this time concurred in the action forced upon the Government, and as they no less heartily than others support the national cause and subscribe liberally to the alleviation  CUT  This is how Mr. Asquith puts it : There were authorities of great weight for whom he personally felt the greatest respect, who contended that, grave and intolerable as the situation had become, the time for intervention was not yet ripe. lie himself was unable to take that view. The almost ostentatious impotence of the Briti§h majority had begun to react in an unfavourable way on the racial relations throughout the whole of South Africa, and it was impossible to ignore the disturbing and demoralising effect of the state of things upon the British population of the Transvaal  of the sufferings which are in various ways entriled, they may very well be forgiven foithe petulent outbursts of "peace at any price" to which they gave way a few weeks ago. It was undoubtedly more due to inordinate political partisanship than to any actual lack of patriotism.  f
The Haslingden Gazette. — 1912-03-30 (Haslingden, Lancashire, England)

LEAGUE AGAINST DEATH.  In these days of leagues against consumption, cancer, and other ills of the flesh, it was to be expected that a leagne ehould be fru med against death. We learn, therefore, with no particular sorprise, says the Brilielt cd Journal, that a society has been formed in lowa for the highly useful and praiseworthy purpose of preventing illness and death. Already several hundreds of persons have joined. A condition of membership is that everyone en admission must sign a pledge that he or sbe will continually assert that it is nothing but custom and habit of thought that causes people to be sick, grow old, or die. Any member who is reported sick from any disease and i 5 confined to his bed for • continuous period of three days is to be fined for the first offence. For a second offence he is to be suspended from membership; • third offence entails expulsion from the society. It is a beautiful idea, no doubt, that the secret of perpetual youth is, after all, so simple a matter, and that the way to make ones days not merely long in the land, but everlasting, is to protest that dying is nothing more than a bad habit. That stern magistrate, the late Sir Peter Laurie, once expressed his determination to put down suicide; the new society goes beyond that comparatively modest proposal, and is resolved to put down death. 'Nor is it the hideous immortality of the Strudlbrug that it bolds out to it members; if they "intend their minds," to use Newton'. phrase, with sufficient force in that direction cruel age will. never claw thorn in its clutch.  This is a potentiality beyond the dreitine of Christian Scienee, for whether Mrs. Eddy or is not, decrepit in mind, even believers do not deny that in her bodily frame she is written down old with all the characters of age. The society does well to have large aspirations; if these do not abolish sickness, they, at least, will promote happiness—while they last. But although the custom of dying is one which might. well be said to be more honoured in the treach than the observance, we fear it is so deeply ingrained in the human race that its eradication will prove • harder undertaking than the !musty appears to imagine.  A
The Haslingden Gazette. — 1903-09-19 (Haslingden, Lancashire, England)

WORLD'S COLD =MILDER.  For nearly two months he plodded on, advertising and answering advertisements but without " references " of any kind—save such as would have done him more harm than good —he failed to obtain employment ; and, by the end of that time, his money was exhausted. lie once more turned to the " society," but as he had gene off without informing his employers ,the sandwich-board proprietors) of the sudden change in Isis fortunes, the society would not again take him up and, in a shirt time, he was reduced to the direst straits. NiAV began one of those long " struggles to live." which none but ex-convicts who have turned their backs upon crime and really desire to earn an honest living know anything about. Isiisy professed much " sympathy" and a few—very few—afforded him temporary pecuni. say assistance. Ile was advised to go to the C. 0. S.; but that institution, he was told, was intended only for the " deserving " poor and " could do nothing for him." Ile was driven, after a week's tramping about the docks in search of work, to the workhouse ; but, even here, he met with the cold shoulder. The " casual wards " were indeed open to him.. and, for nearly two mon*s, he found a" night shelter" there. Turned out each morning niter having completed Isis allotted task of stone-breaking) he wandered about during the whole of that time without having anything to eat beyond what he might by chance pick up at a railway station by carrying the luggage of some passengers. Even this door woo soon closed against loin, as he was more than on looked upon as a " suspected person " by ti • railway officials. Poor fellow ! I shall never forget the la-t casion upon which I sow him. I had hu-sn,ss in Holborn one morning, and, in turning the corner of Cray's Inn Bond, I saw him standing over the grating of a coffee-house, from which a savoury smell of fried baton and egg* was emitted. He looked famished ; and, on clues. tioniug him, I found that he hod not tasted food for two days ! Taking him inside, I was amazed to see the voracity with which he ate thei breakfast laid before him. It was the last time I saw him, but not the lust tima I heard of him. About a fortnight later I learned from another ex-convict who had, himself, had some. "U 5 and downs," that Barton had committed suicide:  _ Are Week : Ix Drumm Vux."
The Haslingden Gazette. — 1903-11-07 (Haslingden, Lancashire, England)

THE INQUEST.  The inquest was held at the Commercial Hotel, Church, before the Coroner, Mr. H. J. Robinson, on Tue,day. A neighbour, who looked after deceased, said he had suffered from dropsy and rheumatism. and had not waked since last August. He was last seen alive a week on Sunday. Deceased had no allowance from the psri.h. but his stepson, who was in the Navy, sent him a sum of money every month. He was last seen alive on Sunday week. He was then in great pain. As deceased did not appear on the following morning the door was forced, and a letter was found. .  P.C. Naylor stated that on the 26th inst.. he went to deceased's home and on boking round he found • letter in a book. addressed to Mr. John Wilma.. 4. Lodge View, Antley, Accrington. It was dated May 12th, and ran: "I want you to take charge of my funeral. I don't think I filiall be here much longer. as I am mad with pain. I cannot stand it much longer. I think there is no chance for me to get better. No man living knows what I have suffered. There is £lO 10s. club money. I want a hearse and one carriage, and if anybody wants morn, let them pay for it." The letter then went on to give directions respecting the coffin, and who was to provide the conveyance at the funeral, and concluded by saying "Save my watch for the boy when he comes home." The letter was accompanied by a paver. on which was written the dates of the birth and death of some of his ancestors. This showed that deceased's father WIN horn in 1798 and died in 1901. that being 103 years of age. Continuing his evidence, P.C. Naylor staterl that seeing the letter indicated ouicide, they dragged the canal. but without succem at the time. The body was recovered frotn the canal about 9 a.m. on Monday morning. The body had been aeon beside the canal wharf at Church. It appeared to have been in the water eight or nine days. In the pockets they found a key, is ring, ninepenow in money, a knife. and a tobacco-boa. Engraved on the latter was the following: "A present from G. Crawford to W. Crawford. .13oni January 14th, 1798." P.C. NaylOr coneluded by saying that the doctor had told the neighbour that she must not be surprised if she found &ceased dead in bed some morning. The jury returned a verdict of "Suicide whilst of unsound mind, brought about by illness."  Austrian Army orders lamed on Saturday an. nounce the appointment of the Prince of Wales as honorary colonel of the 12th Regiment of the Artillery Corps.  No Breakfast Table complete without
The Haslingden Gazette. — 1909-02-27 (Haslingden, Lancashire, England)

THE COTTON YEAR BOOK.  The fourth edition of the 'Cotton Year Book" —a change of title from "The Textile Year Book —Cotton "—has just made its appearance, and by additions and revisions has become more invaluable than ever to those engaged in the cotton and allied trades. It is punished at the officer of the "Textile Mercury," Manchester, and the greatest oorsible care has been exorcised in collecting useful and accurate infoimation. Ove: a hundred pints of fresh literary matter have been added, induding an exposition of the working of the Cotton Futures Market by Mr. Charles Stewart, of Liverpool. Among other matters exhaustively dealt with are the preparation and spinning of Ting and mule yarn; a series of tests giving the power absorbed in driving spinning and preparing machinery; defects in yarn; yarn bundling; AV.Ving; dyeing, bleaching and finiching; cotton waste; and machinery. The hook. which can be carried in the pocket, contains a diary, etc., and is published at half a crown.  A dear o:d country gentleman and his wife paid a visit to the seaside. While the simple pair were walking on the beach one evening, they suddenly noticed the revolving light of a lightship. The old lady gazed at it with open eyes for some minutes, then she turned to her husband with a puzzled look. "Well," she exclaimed. "if the man in that ship hasn't lit that light forty times, And it has gone out every time  At an inquest in London, on Monday, on a Swiss restaurant keeper, who committed suicide by tab. ing tabloids which had been given him to diseolve in water for the purpose of bathing a wound in his chest, it was stated that a one-and-threepenny ?bottle of the tabloids contained sufficient poison to kill one hundred and twenty persons. "You can kill ten for a penny," remarked a juryman.
The Haslingden Gazette. — 1909-11-20 (Haslingden, Lancashire, England)

THE EDITOB OF THE GAZETTE."  see you have a Mrs. Grundy in trousers on the growl and a PUtitlol on the prowl, prancing through your colossi- under the verdant name of "F. Green." Thi,, individual seems to lam to bo a re-incarnation of Praise God Barebones," tinctured with the spirit of the Inquisitors of Spain. If such men as F. Green ruled England all freedomloving creatures would hasten away to other lands, or be compelled to commit suicide to escape front the misery and monotony of " Merrie England." Happily, however, such men have little power today even in this country, outside this jails, the w Jrkhouses, and the insane asylums, and I hope and trust that men like F. Green—dominated by the fund's of fanaticism—will never have an opportunity to exhibit their atavistic tendencies to the disadvantage of saner and more humane men and women. There appcars to be much misunderstanding in the minds of the " Great Unhatched" among the "Great Unwashed" concerning Christianity and Socialism. Christianity and Socialism are distinct and separate from each other. No true Christian can be a Socialist if he accepts the Bible as his standard of duty, and is content to remain in the position it has pleased God to put him. Socialism teaches the reverse of this. The Socialist glorifies discontent, and yearns to reconstruct Government, and through Government, thus relegating God to the background and displaying his belief that environment—plus natal influence— is the moulder of man. No sane Socialist, therefore, can be a Christian. The reason why there is so much difference in the definitions of Socialism is because sonic are dominated by dogma, some by emotion, and a few by reason. There are three big battalions in the army of Socialists. The first is the Social Democratic Party, which advocates the Gospel acoording to Karl Marx—plus politics. The second is the Independent Labour Party, which is dominated by Keir Hardie and Co. and politics—plus Socialism. The third is the Christian Social Union—or Christian Socialist—who is dominated by sentiment—plus heavenly hallucinations. The first two owe their origin and present position to the labour of Atheists. The S.D.F. is founded on the teachings of two Atheists (Karl Marx and Frederick Engels), fostered and sustained by the work of two propagandists. H. M. Hyndman and Harry Quench, Editor of "Justice," the organ of Social Democracy. The I.L.P. is practically the outcome of the writings of Robert Blatchford, the Atheistic author of 'Not Guilty" and "God and my Neighbour"; and Keir Hardie. The Christian Socialists are merely sentimental yearnists and municipal moanists, who have entered the Socialist arena since Socialism became popular among the working classes. This demonstrates beyond peradventure that Socialism owes nothing to Christianity or Christians, and reconciles some people to the belief that no honestininded thinker can truthfully say lie is a Socialist and a Christian.
The Haslingden Gazette. — 1909-05-08 (Haslingden, Lancashire, England)

WOMAN'S TRAGIC SUICIDE GOES FOR FUR AND DRINKS CARBOLIC.  A distressing case of suicide took piano at Accrington on Saturday afternoon, the victim being Mary Lord, aged 46, the wife of Edwin Lort4 spinner, 2, Richard-street. The deceased had been ailing for about two years, and on Saturday her husband •skcsl her to go out with him for a walk, thinking it would do her good. She, dressed for the purpose, and they subsequently went out, hut called at a neighbour's and sat chatting and talking. His wife then mid she would go back for her fur, and as she did not return Mr. Lord went to look for her, and was touch distressed to find her lying unconscious in the back bedroom. having apparently drunk carbolic acid, an empty bottle which had contained that poison lying by her side. Before the arrival of a doctor she died. Tho coroner, Mr. H. J. Robinkin held an inquest at the Town Hall on Monday afternoon. Edwin Lord, spinner. 2, Rich.ard.street, said the deceased was his wife, and was 46 yearn of age. The deceased hail been ailing for about two years from a female I....plaint, and had been attended by Dr. Gordon. The illness made her very depressed at times, but last week she was very bad indeed, and on Saturday he persuaded her to go out with him. and they went out about half.past two. They called at a friend's house just below, and were sitting talking when 6:1 wife said she could go back for her fur. Ten minutes later, when she did not return, he west to look for her, and found her lying unconscious in the back bedroom. She was alive and frothing at the mouth, but there was not the slightest smell of carbolic acid. He found a carbolic acid bottle besides her. which was empty. He knew they had carbolic acid, because they had had it about 15 years. He suffered from a throat affection, and used it. to gargle with. Only about throe weeks ago they uere cleaning out tho cupboard, and his wife asked him if she should throw the bottle away as there was such a small quantity in. He told her they had better let it remain, as they could not tell what might happen. There was only about a teaspoonful then in. After finding his wife he sent for a doctor, but before his arrival she died. Inspector Garvey spoke to going to the house and finding the deceased alive but unconscious, and a lady attending to her. He gave her some lime water, but she died almost immediately. When Dr. Gordon arrived he pronounced her dead from carbolic acid poisoning. The deceased's lips and the inside of her mouth were burnt. The jury returned a verdict that deceased took carbolic acid whilst of unsound mind.
The Haslingden Gazette. — 1909-04-17 (Haslingden, Lancashire, England)

THE INQUEST. A DELIBERATE LEAP.  The inquest was held at Lytham on Tuesday evening.  Charles Wilberforce Weldon, Grove House, Diswaldtwistle, cotton merchants' salesman, said de. erased and his wife had stayed with him rinse last Thursday. He (witness) was his brother.M.law. Deceased had been ill for some sears, and corn. plained of heart affection and nervous depressim. He had been worse during the last six months. 'The Coroner (Mr. J. Parker): Was he so had as to need looking after? Witness: We never thought so. Had he ever threatened suicide or attempted it? I —No.  Witness said he accompanied deceased and his wife to Ansdell on Saturday afternoon, and for a few moments Kintr was left on the platform. When he (witnese) returned, Mrs. Bing told him her husluind was under the train.  The Coroner: Ile was at times greatly depressed? —Witness: Yes.  How was he during the journey?—Very quiet. Was he ,onsoious when you saw him on the .1:ne? —I should not like to say he was. Ho was conscious of a lot of pain. Had you any suspicion that he was not fit to he left?—Not the slightest. Witness added that he would not have hesitated about leaving deceased alone, though he knew he was poorly„ _ .  John Eccles, porter at Amid' Station, spoke as to the arrival of the Manchester train.  The Coroner: Did you see the mad man deliberate 4 jump in front of it?—l did, sir.  It was no iall:L-Not to me. It seemed to Lea jump. Deceased was spun round. The train was pulled up in about four carriage lengths, about four carriages having passed over deceased. Elliott Tidswell, painter, of Commonside, said dere,ed appeared to him to jump in front cf the train.  You don't think he fell—From what I saw I don't think he did. The engine, witness said, was about six yards away at the time. Miss Barwick, matron at the hospital, said do. ,eased suffered from foot and other injuries, and a broken collar bone. Death was due to reart failure, hastened by the accident. The Coroner thought the jury could only come to the conclusion that no one was to blame, and that deceased was of unsound mind when he reanmitted suicide. He suggested that they Ehou:d find that deceased died from injuries received through throwing himself under a train whilst of unsound mind.  The jury agreed, and returned a verdict accordingly,