npedrazzini/19thc_murder_suicide_news huggingface dataset:
Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1875-04-10 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

SUICIDE OF A DARLINGTON GENTLEMAN.— On Monday, a painful feeling was excited at Darlington by the intelligence of the death by suicide of Mr James lanson, inspector of the permanent way department on the Uarlington section of the North-Eastern Railway. Mr lanson, who lived at Willow Bank, a village pleasantly situated in the suburbs of Darlington, was married, and leaves a widow and several childrm. He lea home on Monday morning to go to Miodleton-one-Row, to secure lodgings, having made arrangements for leave of absence for Some time. He left the train at Fighting Cocks, and there gave some instructions to one of the officials. About an hour or two afterwards a hat use seen floating on the water of one of the reservoirs, and a coat, Nlraisteoat, and watch were lying on the bank. Frornsdocuments in the pockets it was found that they belonged to Mr lanson. The water was dragged, but it was not till about four o'clock on Monday afternoon that the body was found. Deceased had been observed to be in rather low spirits of late, but nothing indicated that he was likely to commit suicide. He was respectably connected, and was for many years esteemed as a mem. bar of the Society of Friends. His age Ras about On Tuesday afternoon, an inquest was held at the Fighting Cocks Hotel, before Mr Settle, Cornor, ou the body of Mr James lanson, railway superintendent, who committed suicide on the previous day. Mr Johnson, temperance missionary, saw deceased going towards Middleton-one-Row, and asked if he were going to that place. He replied. "No, not so far.' Witness was struck with hfs appearance, but seeing officials at the station, he thought he had been in conversation with them, and took no further notice.—Edward Hem n stated that as he was going past the reservoirs he saw a hat on the water and some clothes on the bank. A watch had been placed on the coat, face upwards. He found a medicine bottle with his name in the pocket. There were also four bank notes in his pocket-book in the coat.—Sergeant Masterman stated that with Mr Armstrong he dragged the reservior. and ultimately found the body. In the trousers pocket on the bo4l 15s 60 was found in coin.—Mr Cudworth, Civil engineer, who had charge of the department in which de:eased was engaged, said deceased had complained for some time, and said he saw things double, was unable to sleep at night, he felt he was unable to do his work, and consequently was in great distress about his family; his mind was confused, and he felt he was nobody on the railway. He had been under medical care, and witness had made arrangements for his leave of absence for three months.— The Coroner then summed up, and the jury returned a verdict to the effect that deceased committed suicide whilst in a state of temporary insanity.
Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1875-06-12 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

DELIBERATE SUICIDE BY A DRUNKEN MAN AT STOCK TON.  On Thursday afternoon, a man, apparently a navvy,. committed suicide in the Tees at Stockton, under awfully deliberate circumstances. It appears that the man, whose name is not known, but is believed to come from Ididdlesbrough, has recently been working in Stockton as a labourer, and stayed at a common lodging house in Black Bull-yard. During Thursday forenoon he was drinking at a public house on the quayside, near to Duncan's steamboat landing, an 4 between two and three o'clock in the afternoon he made his appearance upon the quayside drunk. Having remarked that he would show the passers-by how the lunatic (Gamble) drowned himself on Tuesday night, he walked deliberately into the water, and was soon out of his depth. He then struggled to return to the side, but failed, and was gone out of sight before boats could get to his assistance. The body was recovered within a quarter-of-an-hour, and efforts were made to restore animation, but they failed, and the body was removed to the dead-house to await identification and inquest. Deceased wore a white jammt and a woollen cap.  LasC (Friday) night, Mr 'John Settle, county coroner, opened an inquest at the Police Cour', Stockton, on the body of a man unknown, whose death had occurred whilst disporting himself in the Tees, in a state of drunkenness on Thursday evening. Evidence was a iduced by Henry Chstterton, painter, who said ho did not personally know deceased, but saw him drowned in the river Tees. Witness said: I first observed deceased in the Shades public-house, at the foot of Black Bull' Yard, the front door of wh'ch is about ten yards from the edge of the river. He was in company of a young man about his own age, which I suppoie to be 25 or 26 years. There was no quarrelling going on; he got on quoting Shakespeare, and Mrs Spence stopped him. With that, he drunk off his quart of beer and went up Black Bull Yard with his companion, and then they came down again in company with a third man and a woman. Deceased was worse for liquor, but seemed to know what he was doing. They all came into the Shades together. This was about twenty minutes to three o'clock. Deceased ordered a glass of whisky, a glass of gin, and two glasses of beer.— Miss Spence said that deceased had taken sufficient, and Gould not be quiet, and that he had better have ginger beer. She refused to supply the deceased and his companions with the beer, but the others had their whiskey and gin, and the four then left the house together by the front door. On coming out of the house ten minutes later, at low water, she (witness) saw deceased climb down the quay wall and walk deliberately into the water. He said that he could swim quicker than Duncan's steamboat could go, and struck out to swim, and after drifting down opposite Martin's wharf, sank. A verdict of " Accidentally drowned," was returned.
Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1875-07-24 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

STOCKTON.  THURSDAY.—Before G. M, Watson, Esq., Mayor, R Ord, R. Jackson, and J. H. Wren, Esqs.  ANOTHER ATTEMPTED SUICIDE AT STOCHTol4.—William Burton was brought up by P.C. Burton, and charged with attempting to hang himself on the 21st July instant.—Elizabeth Coxhead, wife of Charles Gozhead, 15, Light Pipe Hall-road, said: I lodge with the prisoner, hat:ng a backroom upstairs. Yesterday forenoon, between ten and half-past, I had come downstairs to get some water from the ttp in the yard, when I heard the noise of some one groaning. I looked into the water closet and saw prisoner's head. I went upstairs and told my husband that , there was some one groaning in the priv, and he went downstairs. I saw him bring prisoner into his house in his arms from the water closet —Charles Coxhead said: I and my wife lodge 'at the house of the prison. From what my wife 'told !me, I threw open the back bedroom window and could just see the prisoner's head through the top of the lin., but could not tell what he was doing. I went downstairs into the yard and opened the privy door, when I saw prisoner hanging by a long rope, one end of which was fastened to a joist of the roof of the priv, whilst he had the rope lapped three times round his neck, and held tight by his band the end reaching to the floor. Prisoner's feet were clean off the ground. His face was black and discoloured, his tongue protruding, and his eyes standing right out of his head. I unfastened the rope and carried him into the house to a chair. It was about half-an-hour before we could get him to speax and then he complained of his head being bad. After that he had a pocket handkerchief tied round his head and had a smoke. P.C. Burton said he apprehended the prisoner on Wednesday afternoon, and charged him with attempting to commit suicide by hanging. He replied, "I did not intend to do it ; I only wanted to frighten my wife." Prisoner was then formally charged with the felony. He replied, "1 did it just to frighten them. There was a chap lodging with me who would not go away when I ordered him off; so I did this to frighten my wife." Committed for trial at the next Quarter Sessions. TEE Quints
Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1875-05-08 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

UNSUCCESSFUL ELOPEMENT.—On Monday, at toe Borough Court, Stockton, a case involving an elopement and a romantic attempt at suicide, came before the bench. A young woman and her husband, from West Hartlepool, were brought forward tinder circumstances from which it appeared that the woman and her husband are householders in We6t Hartlepool. Several young men lodgers were in the house, and it appears that one of these had impressed the landlady with hints of the hug baud's unkindness to sneh au ex6eut as culminated in her deserting home and husband in oompany with the young man lodger, aged nineteen years. They were traced to a house in Nortonroad, . where another lodger and his lady love occupied apartments without either priestly ..benediotiou or regis' rar's certificate, and the desert.A . . . .  'husband compelled the young MAU lodger to surrender the wife to her lord and master. The scene that followed wily be imagined, and the lapse of ni,ht does not seem to have settled matters down. Lie stupid wife renewed her quarrel this morning and responded to the husband's endearing approaches by going down town and buying some sugar of lead, with a view of enacting the traledy so pathetically recited in the story of " Villikins and hi-Dinah." Here, however, the husband was equal to the emergency, and wadted his spouse off to the police station, where she attempted to consume sugar of dead, iu the way that children dip their tongues into lemon kill, but was hindered by Inspector Harrison, who will no doubt have poison sufficient to supply all the cruelly used wives in the Hartlepools and Stockton as well. The hoping and despairing couple were brought informally before the magistrates, and after the last named had made sundry threats of going into service rather than return home, the Mayor and the husband combined were able to induce the fair oae to relent, and return home on condition that the husband would not earn the ill-natured comments of young men lodgers. It is suggested that the husband's peace of mind will be best secured by clearing all male lodgers out of the house.
Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1875-08-28 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

DETERMINED AT VEMP VED SUICIDE AT STOCKTON.  On Thtrsday, before J. If. Wren, and A. C. Knowleq, Esqs, at the Bcrough Court, Stockton, Margaret Cunion, a respectable•looking middle,ged woman, was brought up by Inspector Harrison, and charged wilt attempting to commit suicide on the 11th dilly last. Evidence was given as follows: Agnes Join's deposed : lam a servant :at the Park Inn. All I know about my mistress is that she W;sB not very wed when IVt ent there. On July 11th she went out in the afternoon, and came in and went upstairs. She came down agatn for some cold water and took it up, and I knew no more till after she had cut her throat. For some time previous she had been very unwell, from a cold I think. She had been attended by a doctor. I had no reason to h. hove that she was not fit to take care of herself. I fetched a doctor.—Mr H. Hind surge in, ; said : I was called on Sunday the 11th July to see Mrs Cunion, who had cut her throat a few minutes previously. She was very excited and wild, and had cut her throat in a very severe manner. It was lacerated tremeudous:y. I think from the nature of the wounds, and her state, that it was possible she could not have been accountable fur her actions. I had not seen her before, but have attended her since. She had to he watched carefully for some days afterwards.—lnspector Harrison said : On the 11th July, ; eing Sunday evening, and from information reci ived, I went to the Park Inn, where I found Mr Cunion upstairs with his wife, who was bleeding from a wound in her throat. Prisoner's husband was trying to staunch the bleeding. I found the table knife produced, and steel, covered with blood, laid near to her.—Mr Knowles : It must have been a desperate attemet.—Prisoner : I did not know what I was doing. I have nothing to say.—Dr Farquharson, being worn depoind : I may say that I have not seen Mrs Cunion for a fortnight before this occurrence. At that time, she was certainly out of her mind, suffering from aberrations. She told me that there was a baby crying and no one attending to it. 1 did not apprehend that she would commit suicide, or I would have seen that proper precautions were taken.—The bench ordfred the prisoner to give security by her husband in £5O to keep the peace six months.
Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1875-09-25 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

MELANCHOLY SUICIDE OF A SHIP'S CAPTAIN.  On Saturday morning &Wing—nest was held at the Corporation Hall, Middlesbrough, before Mr J. T. Belk, coroner, and a jury, on the body of Henry Wrightson, captain of the s.s. Cerus, who had hung himself that morning in his own cabin. William Gardner, cabin boy on board the Cerus, of Great Yarmouth, now lying in the Middlesbrough Dock, said: Deceased was my captain and was about 52 years of age. I last saw him alive on Friday night about eight o'clock. He was a little the worse for liquor. He had been drinking some time. The ship came from Gothenburg, and he was drinking there, and started again on arrival here. I went into the cabin this morning and found him hanging by his black silk handkerchief over the door. I gave an alarm. The mate and a policeman went to him, and the latter cut the body down. I slept in the forecastle. The mate slept in the cabin. Elizah Kemp, mate of the vessel, said : I have been with Wrightson about two months. He was generally a steady man. Last night I went with him to the Oxford Music Hall. He was out drinking several times during the evening. We went on board about half-past ten, and I did not notice that he was the worse for drink. We went to bed, deceased sleeping in his own berth. I slept in the steerage. I did not hear any noise during the night. I got up about half-past five, but I did not see the body until the cabin boy drew my attention to it. I can give no reason why he should commit this act. I He had been complaining about his head several days before. _  i'.C. Emery said he was on duty at the Docks this morningabout seven o'clock, when he was called on board the vessel. He found the body hanging in the cabin. He was dead, but the body was warm. I cut him down and had him laid on his bed and covered up, and then I locked up the place and gave information at the police station. The body was buspended from the cabin door by a handkerchief. Sergt. Dobbie said he was on duty at the Docks on the previous night, and saw the captain and mate return to their ship. Both were sober so far as he ruld see. Dr McKenzie said he had made an examination of the body, and found that death had resulted from asph3xis having gradually supervened. The body was in such a position as to lead him to the opinion that the man might have hung himself. A latter which had been found on the body, was handed to the coroner, but it threw no light into the enquiry. It was from the captain's wife, expressed in most affectionate terms of solicitude for his health. .  The jury returned a verdict that deceased had committed suicide while in a state of temporary insanity.  $ $
Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1875-06-19 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

WAGES DISPUTE.-- Mark Newby, in the employment of John Coates, blacksmith, applied to the Bench for 22s sd, waces due. Mr Coates granted that he owed Newby 19a 91, and tendered him that amount. Ordered that Newby receive 18s 11d, and the wets divided.  ATTZMPTICD Morrell was Drought up on a charge of attempting to destroy his own life. Richard Scott deposed: I am a puddler, and reside at No. 6, Lawson-street. I know the prisoner; he lodged with me about two years and a half, from September, 1872, to the 27th April, 1875. I never saw any difference in his manners. I saw him on the night of the 26th April last, just before he went to bed. He was then all right. On the following morning he did not go to work as usual. I thought he had slept in, and at eight o'clock I sent my son to call him up. My son came downstairs and said he was drunk. I then went up into his bedroom and found him laid on the floor, between the bed and the wall, with his face downwards. He was bleeding very much. I then lifted him into bed, and saw he had cat his throat. I then ;.ent for Sergi. Heslop.—Sergt. Heslop deposed: About eight o'clock on the morning of the 27th April I was sent for to Lawson-street, and went up stairs into a bedroom. When I had got there, I found the plisoner lying on the floor with his throat cut. I asked hatt why be had done it, and he replied, he did not know. I afterwards took him to the Workhouse, where he remained till this morning, when I took him into custody. On charging him with attempting to commit suicide, he made no replY. I now produce the knife I found by the side of the prisoner. Dr Trotter deposed to the nature of the wounds on the ptieoner's throat. On being charged with the offence, the prisoner said he was very ill that morning. He was committed for trial.  Prunes.— Before G. Lockwood and J. Mills, Begs.
Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1875-06-19 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

ANOTHER ATTEMPTED SUICIDE AT STOCKTON. —On Friday, at the Borough Court, Stockton, George Benner, plasterer, aged 26 years, was brought up and charged with attempting to commit suicide on Thursday, by consuming two threepenny packets of Battle's vermin destroyer, which are supposed to contain one grain of strychnine, on the 17th June. Prisoner had been brought from the Surgical Hospital, and appeared to be suffering from the effects of his indiscretion, several slight convulsions taking place whilst he was in court. It appears that the accused and his wife cannot agree, and therefore live apart, he allowing her 7s per week for the maintenance of two children. On Monday, when the accused passed his wife's lodgings opposite Yarn-lane Theatre, he saw her sitting at the window with some one else, the result was that he became very excited and used some threats, which led to his being summoned before the magistrates on Thursday to give sureties for keeping the peace. The accused did not appear in court, and in his absence an order was made for him to give security—himself in £2O and two others in £lO each, for keeping the peace six months. It subsequenely turned out that instead of attending court he had gone to Mr Clarke, the chemist, and there purchased two 3d packets of Battle's vermin killer, which is known to contain a certain proportion of strychnine. Then he had procured =pennyworth of whisky in a bottle, and had proceeded to the new building to be used as the Queen's Hotel, near Stockton station. Having worked about the place as a plasterer, he knew his way about, and had gone into the hay lofb, where he had mixed the vermin destroyer and the whisky, and swallowed the whole. This was about eleven o'clock, and he remained alone until about two o'clock in the afternoon, when a boy playing about the premises happened to go into the loft, and saw prisoner, who complained of great thirst, and sent the boy to fetch some water. This was done, and an alarm raised by the boy, who fetched P.C. Chatt to the room, and then it was ascertained that the accused hail taken poison. Medical assistance was obtained, and then the prisoner was taken to the Surgical Hospital, where Mr J. J. Howson administered medicines, but as the poison had been on the stomach four hours, there was no possibility of removing it from the system. Tetanic convulsions occurred at frequent intervals, but towards evening they moderated, and hopes were entertained of his recovery. As the night wore on, the paroxysms bccame less violent, and on Friday morning, they had moderated sufficiently to permit of his being assisted to the Felice court. The Bench were of opinion that the prisoner was not yet in a fit state to hear the charge preferred against him, and ordered his removal to the Workhowe, for further treatment and attention. Being unable to walk so far, he was taken there in a cab.
Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1888-10-06 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

AIR BALFOUR ON THE IRISH QIIRSTIO M.  DEFENCE OF THE GOVERNMENT.  Mr Balfour arrived in Glasgow on Monday afternoon mainly for the purpoAo of addressing a Conservative Association in the evening, but yesterday afternoon he met the General Executive of I the West of Scotland Liberal Unionist Associse tion, who presented an address recording their commendation for the patriotic and coureqeons manner in which he took up the position of Chief Secretary for Ireland at a grave crisis in the history of the United Kingdom. Mr Belfous, in , reply, said be could not too clearly express his sense of the gigantic debt which this country owed to the Liberal Unionist' of England, Scotland, and Ireland. It was not too much to say that without them the party to which he ,• belonged, united and energetic though it was, I would have been powerless to resist the overwhelming influence which one great name had had upon the masses of this country. With their , assistance, so generously given in the past, and promised with like generosity for the future, be! did not doubt that the contest would be brought I to a successful termii...tion. He described the Unionist platform 94 consisting of two planks— I the maintaining of the Union and the removal of those causes which brought so many Irishmen into the ranks of the Separatists. He desired some measure of agrarian reform. The conduct of the Gnidetonians showed that the Unionists were now the sole guardians of those principles ' on which the elereents of civilisation depended. lAddreesing a Conservative mass meeting on Monday at Glasgow, Mr Balfour replied to the I I charges made againet the Irish administration. He surveyed the whole of the recent Irish controversy. which dealt with the treatment of what , were called political prisoners. Rome Rule having fallen into the background, abase of the ' Irish Government occupied the whole time of the Gladstonian-Parnellite party. A regular manufactory of grievances had been established, with Mr William O'Brien as manufacturing I partner, and Mr Gladstone as head of the advertising branch. Be particularly entered into details respecting Mr Mandeville 's condition when 'he entered prison and when he left to show that he was in good health, and broubt on his , , fatal illness by the eagerness with whieh he pursued the career of Irish agitation. He deuonticed the manner in which Dr Ridley had been hounded into suicide, putting some blame on Mr Gladstone's party. Commenting on the evidence at the Mandeville inquest, he declared that prison treatment was more lenient in Ireland them in England, and that the whining of I the Irish members of Parliament and their I friends was contemptible. He was astounded at Mr Glaistone's impudence in speaking of King I Bombe, after his own doings in Ireland in 1880. If be (Mr 13alfoitr) was Bombs, Mr Gladatone was Borulsa the Second. He was sure Mr Gladstone's agitation would have no success.