|
Post by andydecker on Feb 11, 2024 18:17:20 GMT
THE practice of fining aldermen and others in the City 40s. when they overeat themselves might with advantage be revived, and might be a great assistance to the funds for the relief of the sick and wounded, or by sending it to the unhappy peasants in Alsace and Lorraine. — The Day's Doings, 12 November 1870 It is surprising how often the Franco-Prussian war is mentioned in these local news.
|
|
|
Post by dem bones on Feb 12, 2024 17:10:59 GMT
Juvenile MonstersTwo young ruffians in the pauper ward of a provincial workhouse have been luckily detected before the perpetration of what might have been a diabolical murder. It appears that two pauper children, named Philip Elliott and Andy Bennett, dug a large hole in the orchard adjoining the workhouse. After effecting this part of their cold-blooded work, the two little fiends, whose ages were respectively five and ten years, repaired to the workhouse grounds and caught a poor half-witted boy, and carried him to what they no doubt intended for his living grave. Shrieking, yet without power of being heard, the little victim was caught by the young executioners and forced into the hole. Holding him down, they were engaged in shovelling in the earth and stones upon his writhing body when another boy, who by the greatest chance happened to be in the orchard, ran and informed the superintendent that "Andy Bennett and Phil Elliott had buried little Dick down in the holler." The superintendent was only in time to save poor little Dick's life. The would-be murderers have been sent to a reformatory. — The Day's Doings, 9 Dec. 1871 Dangerous Practical Joking by Schoolboys WE have had occasion elsewhere to record in this week's issue of DAYS' DOINGS the lamentable result of practical joking by children; and last week we illustrated a joke where a little boy was nearly buried alive by his two companions. A correspondent now sends us a sketch, which he vouches for as an actual fact, of a barbarous prank played by some schoolboys. It seems the young ruffians held a schoolmate out of a third or fourth story window, in a sheet, perilling the boy's life, for had the sheet given way, it is more than likely fatal result would have ensued. — The Day's Doings, 16 Dec. 1871 A Practical JokeA PARTY of Parisian ladies and gentlemen were recently fishing in the stern of a small row-boat under the Asnieres Railway Bridge. A train stopped immediately over them. A friend or an enemy, just for sport, tied the painter to one of the carriages, blindly thinking that the train would tow the boat along. When the train started the rope tightened, and coming in contact with a sleeper, drew the boat up out of the water, unceremoniously precipitating the unsuspecting occupants into the river, when the rope broke, letting the boat down, bottom up, on top of the unlucky anglers. However, they escaped without more injury than a severe ducking. — The Day's Doings, 31 Aug. 1871 Duck Shooting on Newtown Creek MR. AUGUSTUS CONKLIN, of Williamsburgh, gives the following account of his pleasure cruise in Newtown Creek :— "On Saturday afternoon I and my wife thought we would go on the water for a little recreation, and after picking up William Lyster, W. F. Woodward, R. W. Martin, my sister Susan, Nettie Heming, and Mary Bedell, we went to Newtown Creek, hired a boat, and rowed around. When we started, one of the ladies said: 'There's a boat following us,' but no attention was paid to its occupants till they rowed round our bows and tried to splash the ladies, who were all crowded up there. We called on them to desist, and they started off, but soon returned, and rowing up to our bow, Phil. Forsue picked up a gun lying at the bottom of the boat in which he and his brother were, and fired across the bows of our boat. This made the ladies scream, and I suppose it was what they wanted, as he soon fired it again, but with less success. He repeated the firing several times, but the girls had got used to it, and paid little or no attention. By-and-bye the two brothers rowed broadside to us, and Phil., pointing the gun towards the boat, fired right into us, wounding Lyster, Woodward, myself, and sister, and Nettie Fleming. We are now all right, but at the time the shots drew blood from three of us, and frightened us a good deal, for we were afraid that some of our eyes were shot out. I can hardly say if Forsue meant to hit us. He stated to me that he only meant to make the shot splatter on the water to frighten us.” — The Day's Doings, 31 Aug. 1871 Frightful Occurrence in BerlinA MOST revolting practical joke was played upon the inmates of a Bier Haus, situate close to one of the Berlin hospitals, a short time back. The hour was somewhat advanced, and the proprietor was just thinking of clearing and closing his establishment, when he heard talking and laughing at the door, which was presently opened sufficiently to permit a man to throw in the corpse of a young girl who had been burned to death. The body was scarcely draped, and presented a most hideous and revolting appearance. The door was instantly closed again, though it is probable that there were half a dozen pairs of eyes peering in. The saloon-keeper was much shocked at the spectacle, and, covering the body up, proceeded to the hospital to have it removed. On inquiring at the hospital for an explanation of the outrage, it was found that the dead-house proper was undergoing repairs at the time, and the bodies were accordingly removed and placed in an adjoining out house, which has no fastening. The young blackguards who stole the corpse must have had some knowledge of this circumstance. — The Day's Doings, 31 August 1872 It is surprising how often the Franco-Prussian war is mentioned in these local news. There was a devoted column, The War Doings. Will upload some extracts over the next couple of days.
|
|
|
Post by dem bones on Feb 13, 2024 15:32:07 GMT
Franco-Prussian War: July 1870 - January 1871; Part #1 Horrors of the Bombardment of Strasburg
Miraculous escape of the daughter of a banker from the burning theatre.WE are told by every clergyman who reads the burial service, that "in the midst of life we are in death." We, perhaps, believe this statement amid the sad surroundings of such a reading; and yet we doubt if ever its truth again occurs to us unless it be brought to mind vividly by some horror that comes home to ourselves. Of such horrors we have supped full lately, but have had nothing worse than the bombardment of Strasburg. Such a scene of utter misery and destruction it is almost impossible e to realize. To complete the evil tidings we have received, we now hear of the destruction of the theatre by fire, in which it is stated that two hundred people—nearly all females were burnt to death, as they had taken refuge in its vaults and cellars to protect themselves against the rudeness and cruelty of the Zouaves and Turcos, to say nothing of the dangers of the siege; and had been leading a most miserable existence during the few days preceding, util, at last, they met with this horrible death. In all this destruction of life we have to record an incident, an engraving of which we present to our readers on our front page, in which the escape of a young lady seems only to have been managed through a direct interposition of Providence. The facts are these. During the fire cries were heard issuing from part of the building, which attracted the attention of those who were labouring in the rescue of the wretched sufferers. On investigation it was found that a girl, the daughter of one of the leading bankers of Strasburg, had been confined by the debris in the very closest space, in one corner of the theatre. After great difficulty, the woodwork was hewn away, and the young lady dragged forth in her night clothes, having suffered only a few bruises. Since then, we fear, worse troubles have visited the inhabitants of Strasburg, as it is now stated that many of the townspeople and the garrison have been burnt or suffocated by the smoke, even in the subterranean and bomb-proof recesses of the fortress. — The Day's Doings, 1 October 1870 WAR DOINGSM. OLLIVIER, according to a German paper, recently gave the following account of the circumstances under which war was declared: — "When the news of the Prince of Hohenzollern's renunciation arrived in Paris, the Ministers met at the Tuileries. The matter was thoroughly discussed, and the majority of the Cabinet determined, in consequence of this signal satisfaction, to take a conciliatory course. The Emperor, who, according to his custom, had till then kept silence, rose, and for a moment retired to a little distance. A pause ensued, and most of the ministers also left their seats, in order to smoke a cigar and talk unconstrainedly in the ante-room. Only three stayed behind, — Segris, Maurice Richard, and Leboeuf. The last was greatly excited when the votes were taken, and exclaimed in a desperate tone, as he rapped his knuckles on his desk, "O mon Dieu! O mon Dieu!" The Minister of Fine Arts stepped up to him and said, "Pray compose yourself, Marshal; we have to do with the first military Power of Europe. Are you quite prepared?" "Are we prepared ?" cried Leboeuf, jumping up like a tiger; "prepared as France has never been and never will be again. Believe me, my dear colleague, if my respect for the Emperor did not restrain me, I would not hold office an hour longer." As these last words were pronounced, the Emperor with the other ministers returned; and even he appeared more excited than the ministers had ever seen him; but, as if wishing to conceal his feelings from his Council, he merely remarked mildly that guarantees for the future must also be demanded of Prussia. An hour later it was decided that a casus belli should be made of this demand." AT Strasburg burials are no longer performed outside the town, but in the botanical gardens. The inhabitants are in consternation, and anxiously expect the time when a French army is to deliver them. Every day, when the bombardment has ceased a few hours, there is a false alarm, and there are enthusiastic cries of "Vive la France! Vive l'armée!" It is affirmed that every household has provisions for two months. No human power is able to cope with the horrors of the present war. After actions, such as those at Metz and Sedan, the ground has been covered for miles with dead, dying, and disabled. The railways are all occupied, and the roads impassable. No organisation that human ingenuity could devise could effectively cope with such an amount of work. As it is, with all the voluntary help which thousands and thousands of men and women bring to the regular medical services and their attached corps of sick attendants, the wounded have passed through all the horrors of thirst during an exposure for several days to the burning rays of a midday sun; their pain-striken frames have been bared to the chilly dews of night, and the awful discomfort of storm and heavy falls of rain. Confronted with the terrible scenes which this war has presented, brave men have felt appalled and paralysed. If Germany had taken into the field every medical man, and if they had all worked from morn till eve, there would still have been an enormous amount of preventable misery and suffering that must pass unrelieved. THE following harrowing details are from a private letter, read in the French Corps Législatif: — We shall very soon be nothing but a heap of ruins. For the last week we have been bombarded nine hours a days. A fourth of the city is burned. The cathedral, which guides the enemy's shots, has been on fire several times, and the roof is destroyed. The library is reduced to ashes; the hospital is in part burned; the population takes refuge in the drains. The Bishop of Strasburg made a fruitless attempt to stop the bombardment. He was told that the Prussians had not time to make a regular siege, and his request that women and children might be allowed to leave the town was refused. Hitherto not a single shot has been fired upon the ramparts. French prisoners and French peasants are forced to dig the enemy's trenches. The women and children have declared that they will die on the walls rather than surrender. THE Contented levity, in the face of such a great national disaster, of the wounded French officers who crossed the Belgian frontier, has been the subject of general remark. It would be unjust, considering all the abuse levelled at tobacco-smokers and how often they are solemnly told that tobacco destroys all their energies, not to admit that the success of the Germans in the present war is rather a feather in the smoker's cap. These misguided men seem to live on tobacco; the Uhlans, who in little parties of three or four trot gaily in advance and take possession of fortified towns, invariably carry pipes in their mouths. The mayor of each town is directed to find cigars for everybody before anything else is done. The German troops, it is stated, think but little of a scarcity of provisions—they fight as well without their dinner as with it—but tobacco is indispensable to them. On the whole, we fear experience shows that a smoking army is capable of greater endurance and of making greater efforts than a non-smoking army. The gun without the pipe would be of little avail, nor can we be much surprised at this when we reflect that the quantity of foul air we are called upon to inhale in this world is probably far more injurious to health than the tobacco-smoke, which, although it acts as an antidote to the poison of the atmosphere, gets no thanks for its pains, but only reproachable language. IN a French Journal we read that Prince Napoleon had been killed in a cavalry charge — the very last place in the world where he would be found. THE French Government, in anticipation of a likely failure of the supply of milk to the hospitals, have entered into a contract with Messrs. Crosse and Blackwell for a large supply of Newnham's condensed milk. THE following extract is from a letter by a German gentleman to a friend in England: —"I, myself and all my belongings still enjoy (thank God for it) good health; but some of our dear friends and distant relatives have come, on account of the war, under sad losses and troubles. One of them, Von —, commander and colonel of the Regiment, had, on the 18th, a wonderful escape. His horse was killed under him, and then a grenade tore his great coat into many pieces, but he remained untouched. All our victories appear, not alone to the real Christian, but also to those who are not quite void of human feelings, gloomy and surrounded by most awful woefulness. Up to now our armies have lost more than 35,000 dead and more than 40,000 more or less severely wounded, besides many thousands who are under dysentery, fever, &c. Who is able to rejoice over such victories ? Let us pray that our old King may feel, like a true Christian, most bitterly the weight of them. About the final results nothing can be said or settled until the united German troops have taken Paris. But before this is gained how many thousands of lives are to be offered? All our towns and villages are full of wounded and sick soldiers. Here we have one lazaretto of 100 and another of 20 beds. Most of our Rhenish and Westphalian Hospitals are under the care of the Sisters of St. Vincent de Paul, and of St. Borromeo. Besides, we have everywhere numerous associations of ladies (all my daughters belong to them) and of gentlemen, who go about to help the poor wounded and sick men. So there are two camps—one over which the Prince of this world and his ugly associates are hovering; the other over which the mercifulness of Christ our Lord has the fullest influence." THE Besançon journal, Le Jour, advertises a reward of a million francs to the soldier who shall deliver King William, alive or dead, into the Emperor's hands, and 100,000 francs for any other German prince. THE following conversation was overheard the other day, outside a Paris omnibus, between one workman and another. "Do you mean to fight the Prussians when they come to Paris?" "Well," replied the Red, "I don't know. The fact is, I have no particular hatred against the Prussians; still, I would not mind killing one or two of them, but always on one important condition; I must be allowed to fire my first cartridge at my landlord." This startling demand did not seem to create any surprise. The first workman admitted that there was something in what his comrade had said—indeed, a good deal of wisdom; but still the nation was before everything. The Red, however, would not yield his point. No Prussian would he shoot till he had shot his landlord. For twenty years his landlord had constantly been raising his rent. He was a far greater rogue than Bismarck. Others might do what they liked. His first intention was to kill his landlord, and then it would be the turn of the Prussians. If every one would follow his example we should soon clear ourselves of landlords, and the world would be happier. It would be a much better riddance than that of the Prussians. These were his opinions, and he meant to stick by them. When his neighbour tried to object, he answered proudly by asking if he had ever read Voltaire. THE correspondent of a Suabian paper thus describes a Sunday with the German troops :- "The news that the Sunday would be a day of rest excited great joy in the morning. The camp preachers immediately applied to the officers to allow the day of rest to be observed as a Sunday. An altar was erected before the village, and the 2nd Brigade assembled in Sunday uniform. General Obernitz, with his staff, attended, and took part in the Holy Communion, which followed the sermon. It was an elevating celebration. The two preachers stood on a green hill before the humble altar; uniforms and helmets glittered in the sun; the band played 'Ein feste Burg,' and the two ministers divided the service between them. French Catholics from a distance looked on with astonishment. Many of them afterwards said they now knew why the Prussians (as they term all the Germans) conquer. In Rozières the whole of the force sang 'Gott ist getreu,' and the sound of a German hymn in a foreign country was very striking. The Sunday was similarly observed by all the other brigades. The attendance of the soldiers is large, especially at the Communion, a proof that the ecclesiastical authorities were right in pressing for efficient spiritual provision for the troops. The four Evangelical Ministers, however, are hardly sufficient to meet the demands made on them. A new spirit now prevails — an earnest, self-sacrificing temper, which overcomes all home-sickness." THE Paris Journal relates a melancholy catastrophe at Nogent-sur-Seine. The Lieutenant-Colonel of the 3rd Engineers left Troyes, to blow up the bridge of Bernay, near Nogent. On arriving at the bridge, with ten men, he made four of his men get down to take care of the powder, whilst he himself, with the rest, went on to the town to complete his supply, which was discovered to be insufficient. When at about 400 yards from the place, the train came into collision with a single engine which was coming out of Nogent to explore, a curve in the way having prevented the two conductors from seeing each other in time. The consequence was that the third class waggon, in which the colonel and his men had placed themselves, so as to have freer use of their weapons, was smashed between the two locomotives. Not a man escaped; and with them perished the engineer of the station, M. Bravau." — The Day's Doings, 10 September 1870 An Excited Anti-Prussian Matron at Madame Tussaud's Wax-WorksAN amusing incident recently occurred, it is said, at Madame Tussaud & Son's Exhibition. An elderly French matron, suddenly finding herself face to face with the effigy of Count von Bismarck, commenced to abuse it in strong terms; and at last, carried away by her feelings, rushed at it; and, had it not been for vigorous remonstrances and a little gentle force used by the employés of the establishment, would probably have spoiled the waxen features of the distinguished count. — The Day's Doings, 24 September 1870 AMONG the people shut up in Paris are three Japanese students, whom their French tutor has kept there. They write short notes to their friends in London, in Japanese characters, on the margins of newspapers, which they trust to the balloon-post, and say they heartily wish they were out of the place, as they get nothing but horse-flesh and dog-flesh to eat. ROUEN and Orleans have fallen! The grand old Norman city — the home of the soundest and most enterprising population of France — one of the richest in glorious old traditions, in mediæval monuments — one of the most conspicuous in modern industrial achievements — the city of William the Conqueror, of St. Ouen, and M. Pouyer-Quertier — Rouen has fallen! It takes away a man's breath to run over the roll of French towns that have become the prey of the invader since the fatal speech of the Duc de Gramont in the Legislative Body: — Nancy, the "light of love" of Lorraine; Metz, the maiden fortress; Strasburg, the Amazon of Alsace; Rheims, the sanctuary of Champagne; Dijon, the Court of Burgundy; Laon and Soissons, the abodes of Frankish Royalty; Orleans, the field of the Maid's exploits, and now Rouen, the scene of her martyrdom — when and where will be the end? — The Day's Doings, 10 October 1870 *** WHEN drunken fury, political passion, and mad excitement armed the lower classes of women in Paris, during the Commune, with the torch and petroleum, there was at all events some excuse for them in the frenzy of the hour. But who can wonder at or blame these wretched women, when we find Madame Edmond Adam, known as an authoress under the nom de plume of Juliette Lamber, writing calmly two years afterwards in the Rappel of an incident of the siege of Paris which she appears to have thoroughly enjoyed, if, as is exceedingly improbable, it ever occurred. She one day visited the fort of Montrouge. The gallant defenders discovered that a few Prussian guardsmen were in the village of Hay in front of them. The brave commandant rushed to the ramparts, telling the undaunted lady that she might follow if she wished. She went, and relates how her heart beat, as, seated on the glacis, opera-glass in hand, she hoped by its aid she might see one of the enemy struck down at every discharge of the cannon. This amiable Megaera was not disappointed. She tells with unmistakable glee how a Prussian officer, armed with a telescope, and seated in an armchair, was looking at the fort from the balcony of one of the villas. The commandant sent for one of his best shots, and told him to aim at the balcony, when — Pan! the ball traversed the house, and balcony, officer, and armchair all disappeared. The brave woman gave a shout of victory! Worthy indeed ought the sons of France to be when they possess such mothers! — The Day's Doings, 14 September 1872
|
|
|
Post by andydecker on Feb 15, 2024 11:30:42 GMT
Franco-Prussian War: July 1870 - January 1871; Part #1 Thanks for the work. Very interesting. If not for a long documentary from Real Time History on You Tube called Glory & Defeat I never would have read it up. This war is hereabout reduced on the proclamation of the German Empire in Versailles after the war, orchestrated by Bismarck. The shelling and starving of Paris and the terrible loss of life and property has been more or less forgotten. Insofar these articles are interesting despite their sensationalism. I shudder to think what they wrote about Jack the Ripper.
|
|
|
Post by dem bones on Feb 15, 2024 18:57:00 GMT
Franco-Prussian War: July 1870 - January 1871; Part #1 Thanks for the work. Very interesting. If not for a long documentary from Real Time History on You Tube called Glory & Defeat I never would have read it up. This war is hereabout reduced on the proclamation of the German Empire in Versailles after the war, orchestrated by Bismarck. The shelling and starving of Paris and the terrible loss of life and property has been more or less forgotten. Insofar these articles are interesting despite their sensationalism. I shudder to think what they wrote about Jack the Ripper. It's probably a blessing they'd long ceased to publish by the time of the Ripper murders. Here's part 2. Initially The Day's Doings were pro-Prussian in their coverage. That seems to have wavered with the siege of Paris. Doings in ParisAt the present moment, the majority of the inhabitants of Paris would seem, without hesitation, to prefer the most furious bombardment to the restoration, even for an hour, of Imperialism. THE women of Paris have begun to take a prominent and active part in the extempore debates in the streets, which are so common and yet so curious a feature of Parisian life. IT is believed that if the Prussians carry Paris by storm, the resistance of a large portion of the population, not excluding women, many of whom have armed themselves with revolvers and even rifles, will be so ferocious and desperate, continued up to the last moment from house to house and street to street, that the result will be an indiscriminate slaughter, worthy of the dark ages. THE following suggestion has been offered to the inhabitants of Paris in a public meeting assembled by an old artilleryman. His intention to destroy the Prussians, by aid of the women and children of Paris, was thus described and much applauded. Each citizen was to get a certain number of ordinary wine-bottles; then some nails and old iron chopped into little bits and mixed with pitch. A coating of this composition was to be laid all round the bottle, to which it would adhere. Lastly, the bottle was to be filled with gunpowder, and was to have a slow match running down the neck and corked up. When the Prussians came, the Parisians were to stand on their housetops, light the slow-matches, and drop their home-made bombs on the regiments of King William as they passed. This suggestion won for the author the most triumphant acclamations of applause. WRITING from Paris, a correspondent says: — "I have just witnessed a sight which vividly brings home to us the horrors of war. From the roof the house in which I live I have seen the forests of Maisons, Montmorency, St. Prix, and the woods of St. Gratian all in flames. Human ingenuity must have had a hard struggle with the rain, in trying to set the trees a-blaze. But as science in our time is pretty nearly sold to the Devil, the tears which Heaven wept are of no avail in saving the sylvan beauties of the environs of Paris. Though the wind blows from the west, we, who are miles to the east of the blazing forests, can smell the burnt wood. As the smoke is driven in the direction opposite to us, by the aid of field-glasses we can witness the frightful end of many a pretty châlet or elegant villa to which the flames are being communicated. The estimable M. de Villemessant, who for his health's sake now finds it expedient to remain aux eaux, and M. Emile de Girardin, who was thought to be at Florence with his friends, Ollivier and Prince Napoleon, but who is in the flesh at Limoges, must inevitably suffer from the vast conflagration to the north of Paris. But who can pity them, if their sumptuous country-houses are licked up by the flames this moment raging round these abodes of luxury? They were the foremost men in supporting the bands organized by M. Pietri to cry à Berlin last July. ALMOST every open space in Paris is either camp, barrack, or drill ground. The Tuileries gardens are crowded with horses and gun-carriages, and the sides of the Champs Elysées are white with tents. STREET musicians and performers still ply their trade in the streets of Paris. OLD Marshal Vaillant has been arrested by the Gardes Nationales. The charge of treachery against the old gentleman only seems to be founded on the facts that he was a friend of the Emperor, and that he was seen examining the fortifications of Paris! TROOPS of fugitives from Sedan continue to arrive in Paris, even to the very last. They are in tattered military garments, and ask compassion from the public. It is hinted they are partly composed of lazy vagabonds, while amongst them are Prussian spies, who, under this disguise, enter the city. ALREADY in the gay city yawning graves are dug to hold three or four hundred bodies. These common ditches, into which men, women, and children slain by Prussian balls are to be thrown, intrude themselves even into the reserved burying grounds, purchased by private families. A LODGING-HOUSE keeper in Paris has issued a prospectus, addressed especially to English travellers desirous of "assisting" at the siege of Paris, offering comfortable apartments, completely out of the range of bombs. Nervous persons may be accommodated with rooms in the cellars, and carriages are kept for promenades to the fortifications. AN enterprising New York gentleman has hired the Catacombs in Paris, as a place of retreat where he intends to give theatrical and musical representations all day, while a compatriot from the Far West has started a balloon, from which his patrons will be enabled to take a bird's-eye view of the "fite." THERE are no pleasures nowadays in Paris. The theatres are all shut up; the cocottes and cocodettes have disappeared, Heaven—or the other party—knows where. The jeunesse dorée have flown to other climes, and all is melancholy and slow, varied only by the constant parades of wonderful volunteers from every district of France. It is suggested that, as the gas will be shortly suppressed in Paris to prevent all danger from fire, in case some of the pipes should be broken during the siege, the mayors should enjoin every house-owner to have a lantern at his door to give light to the population. — The Day's Doings, 24 September 1870 A Patriotic Lady of Ardelles Fires upon the PrussiansTHE hateful war becomes more and more cruel and shocking to humanity day by day. The Prussians seem adopting the practice of burning the towns and villages they have occupied and find themselves obliged to evacuate. There have been three cases of this wanton cruelty cited within the last few days. It is painful to think of the sufferings of the unfortunate people thus left houseless at this inclement season, without means of existence or a roof to cover them. Surely these things cannot be known to the King of Prussia, who is so religious a man, or to the Crown Prince, who has always had credit for so much kindness of heart, or they would never allow them to continue. As to plunder, there is no longer any doubt about that. Now that the French have had some successful engagements, and have captured ammunition and baggage waggons, they have the proofs in their hands. At Vernon the other day several vehicles were taken containing a most miscellaneous collection of spoils. The papers give the inventory of the contents of one cart, comprising twelve pieces of black and blue cloth, a barrel of honey, five women's gowns, a bale of coffee, a quantity of old copper, a bag of salt, twelve muffs, lamps of various kinds, a clock, and about four hundred pair of cheap earrings, such as are sold for a few sous in the bazaars, brushes, handkerchiefs, children's clothes, &c. It is believed that the German army is followed by Jew speculators, who buy the plunder of the soldiers, who certainly could not themselves expect to carry it away to their own country. We engrave an incident which has just taken place at the village of Ardelles, which was occupied by the Duke of Mecklenburg's corps d'armée. Leaving Châteauneuf the avant garde of the Prussians was pushed forward to Ardelles, and, upon approaching it, was received with a volley from the windows of the private houses, which killed no one, but wounded ten men of the leading company. The village was immediately stormed, and several houses were burnt, and the French driven back to Digny. The French soldiers in the village took to flight with scarcely an attempt at resistance, leaving behind them 150 prisoners and five horses, with a loss to the Germans of one killed and two wounded. While pursuing their investigations their captors came upon the uniforms of five Mobiles, the proprietors of which were apparently following the humble avocations of peasants, but beneath their blouses were found their military shirts; so they were put into their uniforms and marched off with their companions. Our illustration represents one of the patriotic female inhabitants of Ardelles doing a soldier's work. — The Day's Doings, 10 December 1870 The Horrors of the Siege of ParisA fair Parisienne digging Potatoes at the Risk of her Life. A LITTLE incident the other day connected with Paris speaks volumes for the horrors of its siege. A procession emerged from the east side of Paris, and came in the direction of the Saxon outposts. Not fewer than 30,000 people, under the protection of a large body of troops, approached to nearly the bounds of the French lines and set to work to dig up potatoes. Some of the German officers estimate the number as nearer to 40,000 than 30,000; and what was particularly remarkable about the proceeding was that most of the diggers were well, and some of them even fashionably dressed. Many groups of ladies joined in the digging. We give an illustration of a well-dressed Parisienne — a Parisienne could hardly be anything else — digging for potatoes at the risk of her life! — The Day's Doings, 10 December 1870 AN émeute occurred lately at the Halles Centrales in Paris, caused by the indignation provoked by a sudden and great rise in prices. Horsemeat sausages were offered at 9 fr. per kilogramme, and horseflesh black puddings at 7 fr. A crowd of women who sought to make purchases protested against these prices; but, failing to convince the vendors, they pelted them with their own sausages. The disturbance was only checked by the active interference of the National Guard, and the shops of the unpopular dealers were summarily closed. RAT-HUNTING is now vigorously carried on in Paris, to meet the demands of the restaurants. A simple plan has been devised for the capture of these now valuable rodents. Holes are made in the bed of the sewers, and filled in with soup de glucose, a thick and sweet liquid. The rats, attracted by the flavour, rush greedily to feed, and immediately fall into the holes, from which they are unable to escape, on account of the glutinous nature of the soup, and thus they are daily captured by thousands. — The Day's Doings, 10 December 1870 Stern Justice in ParisExecution of Three Women of Loose Character. NEWS has been received from inside Paris up to a very recent date. We learn that a decree has been issued, putting into requisition all stores of wheat and flour. In the Villette and Belleville quarters the significance of this precautionary measure soon became exaggerated. Bread was not only on the point of being rationed, but rationed at the lowest estimate capable of sustaining life. It is scarcely necessary to recount what followed. Every baker in the neighbourhood saw his shop immediately besieged by an army of ménageres, who, so anxious were they to lay in a stock, in some cases obliged the unfortunate man to sell even the small loaf he had put aside for the use of himself and family. Such a state of things could not exist in one part of the town without soon spreading to others, and by the evening even the very heart of the city had caught the contagion to such a degree, that by six o'clock there was no bread to be had anywhere for love or money. On the following morning an appeal to the public good sense, signed by all the members of the Government, was placarded about. Though it assured the inhabitants that bread would not be rationed, and that there was no fear of scarcity, the bakers' shops were closed at an early hour, but on the morrow all seem to have been forgotten. One of the generals in command upon the western side of Paris has adopted the stern measure of shooting three women of loose character, who had been detected in furnishing information to the enemy. We give an illustration representing this unusual and unmanly execution. — The Day's Doings, 31 December 1870 A French HeroineA Girl from Colmar commands a Corps of Free-Shooters in the Vosges. We give an illustration which represents a romantic incident connected with the war. A girl from Colmar is said to command a corps of free-shooters in the Vosges. She is the daughter of an old Guardsman, she lost her mother early, lived from youth as a boy, worked in the field and with horses, and shunned all feminine tasks. She was taught by some nuns at Rappoltsweiler, and was to have become a novice, but became governess to a Polish count's family; and on the breaking out of the last Polish revolution, being then nineteen, acted, in man's dress, as lieutenant at the head of some hussars. Being wounded, she was admitted into a convent at Warsaw, and protected by Bishop Felinski. On returning to France she became cashier in a shop, and managed the foreign correspondence; but, owing to a complaint in the chest, again assumed male attire, and was appointed post-office clerk at Lamotte. There she collected a band of volunteers, and is carrying on guerilla warfare. — The Day's Doings, 31 December 1870 *** A LITTLE vital statistics: there are 1,450 hunchbacks in Paris; 1,100 persons with only one arm; 1,200 with only one leg; 150 legless, or moving along in a sort of bowl on wheels; 4,800 blind - or one unfortunate for every 200 "perfect" citizens. — The Day's Doings, 14 September 1872
|
|
|
Post by dem bones on Feb 16, 2024 17:39:59 GMT
Fashion Victims An Elevated Washerwoman caught on a Fence A WASHERWOMAN residing at Long Benton, near Newcastle, one day lately received some money which had long been due to her, and which she never dreamed she would be able to recover. Elated with her good fortune, she invested in rather too many "nips of whiskey" to be good for her; in short, she got gloriously drunk. In this state she foolishly undertook to scale a high fence instead of walking round it, was caught on the top by her dress, and hung, face downwards, for some time. Had not some pitmen, who chanced to be passing by, rescued her from her peculiar situation, she would probably have perished. — The Day's Doings, 17 September 1870 The Peril of the Miller's ChildTHE other day, as a young daughter of a miller in North Northumberland was playing near the great water-wheel which runs the mill, her dress was caught by the wheel, and she was driven round with frightful velocity. Every time she rose to the top she cried out for assistance, but on turning into the water, with astonishing presence of mind, she grasped the bucket and held her breath until whirled on the other side. A number of children stood horrified spectators of the scene. Her father finally heard her cries and stopped the wheel. When taken from her perilous position, the child was nearly benumbed, and would have dropped off probably in a few minutes. One of her legs was broken, and she was otherwise frightfully injured. — The Day's Doings, 6 January 1872 A MELANCHOLY accident has occurred in Dublin. Two young ladies named Graham, daughters of a gentleman residing in Mountjoy-place, had returned from a ball about one o'clock a.m. While lighting a candle, one let fall a match upon her tulle dress, which instantly blazed up; her sister, endeavouring to aid her, was also enveloped in flames; and the united efforts of several persons were required to extinguish them. The young lady whose dress first ignited, and who is only seventeen, died in about two hours; and the other lingers in a dreadful condition. — The Day's Doings, 13 April 1872 MADAME DALBERT, a Belgian actress, has died of the injuries received from her dress taking fire while acting at the Theatre des Galeries Saint-Hubert, in Brussels. Another of those cases of death on the stage which are always impressive is reported. Madame Verte, premiere duegne of the Theatre des Varieties, in Toulouse, fainted while performing on the stage. The curtain fell, and some moments afterwards the manager appeared to announce the cessation of the representation, the actress being dead. — The Day's Doings, 27 April 1872 Frightful Mill AccidentA WOMAN named Agnes Rouse, employed in a cotton mill, near Bolton, having incautiously approached the driving machinery, was caught by her dress, and dragged round and round several times. The machinery was stopped, and she was extricated, but had been so seriously injured as to leave no hope of recovery. — The Day's Doings, 13 July 1872 A DREADFUL accident has just occurred at the Cafe Labyrinthe, Rue la Vigne, Antwerp, where Madame Abreelen, wife of the proprietor, a young woman, only 22 years of age, has been burned to death. She had gone up to her room to change her dress in the afternoon, when suddenly her screams aroused the whole house. The door being forced open, she was found in flames. Her husband and his friends did all that was possible, but the injuries she received were so severe that she expired shortly after. The cause of this melancholy event is supposed to be that she had trodden on a lucifer match which had fallen on the floor, and thus set fire to her clothes. — The Day's Doings, 31 August 1872 A FATAL accident occurred on Sunday night to a young lady visiting at Llandudno. She was going up stairs, carrying a lighted candle, when her dress caught fire, and she was immediately enveloped in flames. A gentleman who was on the Parade, seeing her in this position, went into the house, and succeeded in extinguishing the fire by rolling carpets around her. She died on Monday morning from the injuries received. The lady's name is Miss Brown, of Prince's Park, Liverpool, who, with her two sisters, had been on a visit to Llandudno for several weeks. — The Day's Doings, 14 September 1872
|
|
|
Post by andydecker on Feb 17, 2024 13:30:48 GMT
Fashion Victims — The Day's Doings, 13 July 1872 A DREADFUL accident has just occurred at the Cafe Labyrinthe, Rue la Vigne, Antwerp, where Madame Abreelen, wife of the proprietor, a young woman, only 22 years of age, has been burned to death. She had gone up to her room to change her dress in the afternoon, when suddenly her screams aroused the whole house. The door being forced open, she was found in flames. Her husband and his friends did all that was possible, but the injuries she received were so severe that she expired shortly after. The cause of this melancholy event is supposed to be that she had trodden on a lucifer match which had fallen on the floor, and thus set fire to her clothes. Life was surely dangerous back then. Still, thank the industry for non-inflammable clothing.
|
|
|
Post by dem bones on Feb 19, 2024 10:51:50 GMT
Sea monsters, cont.RECENTLY a gentleman who was swimming off Dover some distance out at sea, and attended by a boat, was seized by a devil-fish (the monstrous pieuvre[/i] written of by Victor Hugo, and which we described a short time ago). The fish seized the swimmer with its suckers, and was dragging him under the water, when the boatman fortunately caught the gentleman by the hair of the head and pulled him away from the clutches of the hideous creature, a portion of the fish still clinging to him. The swimmer was quite prostrate, and bleeding in many parts of the body where the fish had seized him, and has since suffered much from the shock to the system. This story comes to us well authenticated. — The Day's Doings, 19 August 1871 A Monster Sea-Serpent off the Irish CoastTHERE has been some excitement in Kilkee at the appearance, the other day, of an extraordinary marine visitor, who, from all accounts, seems to belong to the genus of the "great unknown," whose existence has been for the last two hundred years a point of dispute among the most learned naturalists in every country. A party of strangers staying at Kilkee, composed of several ladies and some gentlemen — one of whom is a well-known clergyman in the north of Ireland — went down to see, among other points of interest, a place known as the "Diamond Rocks," and remained there for some time watching the heavy ground-swell from the Atlantic which came dashing in with tremendous force against the cliffs. The clergyman before mentioned (who vouches for his narrative to the Limerick Chronicle) states that, all of a sudden, their attention was arrested by the appearance of an extraordinary monster who rose from the surface of the water about seventy yards from the place where they were standing. It had an enormous head, shaped somewhat like a horse, while behind the head and on the neck was a huge mane of seaweed-looking hair which rose and fell with the motion of the water; the eyes were large and glaring, and, by the appearance of the water behind, a vast body seemed to be beneath the waves. As the creature was coming towards our informant, he was unable to judge of its length with the same accuracy as if it had been proceeding in a parallel direction; but all agreed that it was the most gigantic creature they had ever seen. One of the ladies nearly fainted at the sight, and all had their nerves considerably upset by the dreadful appearance of this extraordinary creature. Its movements were apparently feeble, and gave the idea of exhaustion as it slowly rose to the top of each succeeding wave, raising its huge head above the surface as it did so, and then as slowly sank into the trough between the waves. The whole appearance lasted for some minutes, till at length the creature sank, in the sight of all, about a gun-shot from the shore, and vanished in the same mysterious way that it had come. Now, the question at once arises, What was this extraordinary monster? Anyone who has studied natural history, particularly in the marine department, will at once be struck with the similarity of some points in the above description to the evidence which has been collected with regard to the existence and nature of the great sea-serpent. One of the most renowned of living naturalists, Philip Henry Gosse, has devoted nearly 100 pages of the first volume of his valuable work, "Romance of Natural History," to the collection of a mass of unanswerable evidence in reference to this extraordinary animal. The enormous head and wavy seaweed-like mane will be found to tally exactly with the accounts of witnesses given in the above work. The length of body — with regard to which our informant did not like exactly to state his opinion in consequence of the position in which he stood—has been affirmed by many witnesses, comparing the creature with some known object near at hand, to be between 100 feet and 200 feet. Gosse's own opinion, formed after a mature deliberation upon the evidence, which he gives, is that there are existing still some specimens of a nearly extinct race of sea-monster, not exactly of the form of a serpent, but with a long serpent-like neck merged gradually into a compact and moderately slender body propelled by fins or paddles much like those of the sea-turtle, the whole figure terminating in a gradually attenuated tail. He inclines to the opinion that this creature, though not corresponding to the Plesiosaur of the lias formation, is yet essentially one of that family, retaining, however, the colossal magnitude of that extinct reptile known as the Pliosaur. He closes the subject thus: "In conclusion, I express my own confident persuasion that there exists some oceanic animal of immense proportions which has not yet been received into the category of scientific zoology, and my strong opinion that it possesses close affinities with the fossil Enaliosauria of the lias." This is the first time, we believe, that one of these strange sea-monsters has been seen on the coasts of the British Isles, and much excitement has been caused by its appearance in this particular neighbourhood. — The Day's Doings, 21 October 1871 MANY persons are yet sceptical as to the existence of a real sea serpent, and have considered the tales they have heard concerning it either fabulous or the effects of a disordered vision. But as the present sea serpent got land-trapped it was bound to be caught, and, after examination, if it has not turned up to be the veritable one, it is most certainly a facsimile, in the shape of a log of wood eighteen feet long and about twelve inches in diameter, literally covered with barnacles, each from ten to eighteen inches in length. The mass when floating between wind and water, and pitching up and down, would undoubtedly appear a formidable sea monster, as the barnacles appear like scales. — The Day's Doings, 13 April 1872
|
|
|
Post by samdawson on Feb 19, 2024 13:01:30 GMT
Life was surely dangerous back then. Still, thank the industry for non-inflammable clothing. And safety matches. My grandmother, born 1902 got the heebie jeebies (her phrase) when I put a box of matches (not Swan Vestas) into my pocket in the 70s. She was convinced they would self-ignite by rubbing together and my clothes would go up in flame. A smoker since the 1920s, she would only carry a lighter.
|
|
|
Post by dem bones on Feb 24, 2024 13:26:01 GMT
Hooligans part 2: Women of ViolenceAll About a chairThe Belligerent Belles. A PRETTY little story reaches us from the Mayfair quarter of London. In a palatial mansion (there are no houses now, every building is a mansion) in Mayfair, there was a sound of revelry the other night, and a number of men and women, the former in full dress, the latter in as complete undress, were gathered together, and the rooms were being prepared for the great feature of the evening's entertainment — a cotillon. Now this preparing for the cotillon is a matter of great importance, and of considerable difficulty. You must first procure your leader a prominent post, and one invested with almost despotic powers. We doubt if the Czar of all the Russia's, or the Emperor of United Germany, has, in his line, half the power which the leader of the cotillon has in his; but then the latter must thoroughly understand the science of dancing, whereas the two former are not at all obliged to understand the science of government; so that, after all, the rule is even. Well, having chosen your leader, you must clear the room for dancing; and those who are not in the cotillon must yield the right of way to those who are ; in other phrases, those not in the dance have no rights which those in the dance are bound to respect — nor should they. The cotillon is the rage, so to be in the cotillon is to be in the fashion; and the idea of anybody in the fashion having the slightest degree of regard for the person or property of anybody out of it, is a social absurdity. Consequently no scruples of any sort restrained the undressed women and the well-dressed men who were to participate in the cotillon — at this particular "mansion" on this particular occasion of which we treat; and so it transpired that a chair, which was the temporary property of one lady who was not to be in the dance, became desired by another lady who was. Now, what was to be done in such a state of affairs? Had it been a case of good breeding, one party would have yielded gracefully to the other, either the lady who was to dance would have waived her claim to the chair, or the lady who was not to dance would have procured a chair elsewhere; but as it was a case of the cotillon, no such polite and pleasant compromise was thought of for a moment. It became a matter of vi et armis, or muscle against chair. "This is my seat, and I will retain it," said the lady who was not to be in the dance. "We need the chair for the cotillon," said the lady who was to dance, "and we must have it." "You shall not have it," said one. "We will have it," said the other. "I'll see about that," said the one. "I'll see about it, too," said the other. "I'll like to see you get the chair," said the one. "I'd like to see you keep the chair," said the other. Now these were not two Billingsgate fish-women, nor two members of the demi-monde, nor two of the female canaille of Tenison-street; but two superbly dressed, handsome, stylish "ladies" ladies by birth, if not by breeding. So far, the matter had only been an affair of words, but soon it became an affair of hands as well. Before any of the gentlemen present could prevent a rupture, the fair combatants had come into personal, in addition to their former verbal contact, or at least they had both put themselves into direct connection with the unfortunate cause of this disturbance, the inanimate though now animated chair. The lady pulled the chair one way. The other lady pulled the chair the other way. It was pull female Devil, pull female Baker. And choice epithets were exchanged between the two excited choristes, such as, "you thing," "you fright," "you creature," "you paint-box," "you powder-box," "you mass of conceit," "you old, &c.," "you ugly, &c.;" the chair meanwhile swaying to and fro, as the women pulled it now this side, now that. It was a pleasing and improving spectacle; so much so that the gentlemen in the room were compelled to interfere to prevent its pleasing and improving elements from degenerating into a downright fistic encounter between the two high-born dames. By male efforts, female peace was at length restored; the lady who was not to be in the dance was induced to surrender her seat, the long fought for chair, not to her antagonist, but to another lady, a friend of hers, who was to be in the cotillon, and thus the matter was arranged. And it was all about a chair. — The Day's Doings, 17 June 1871. How a Lady answered an insolent questionA LADY residing in the neighbourhood of Antwerp, has been in the habit of walking alone in the early evening up and down a secluded road. Being a little lame, she has carried a slight walking stick usually for support. The other evening she was rudely accosted by a man, who was sauntering by, half intoxicated. The ruffian, who was, however, dressed like a gentleman, made some insulting remark to her, which she answered by swinging her cane about, and bringing it down smartly on his head. He considered himself answered and walked away. — The Day's Doings, 17 September 1870 Leading the Constable a Hard ChaseAN extraordinary story reaches us of the exploits of a young girl "only sixteen years old" who in an American town became furious while under the influence of liquor. In passing down Railroad-avenue she lurched against a fashionably dressed lady and snatched at her watch, and down she went into the mud, measuring her length, and ruining a silk dress and velvet cloak. She then smashed several show windows with stones, and demolished four or five street lamps. An officer observing the latter transaction, chased her about a mile. She ran into an hotel, and slammed the door in his face, and locked it. She then drove the barkeeper out with a poker, and fired tumblers through the glass door at the officer, and drove him off. More police came to the officer's assistance, and charged her. After a sharp fight, she was secured, but some of the officers received bloody noses before she was conquered. — The Day's Doings, 6 April 1872 Vehement Resistance to the Education ActMANCHESTER has distinguished itself by offering resistance to Mr. Forster's Education Act. We hear that Mr. Power, one of the School Board inspectors, went to the house of an Irishman named Walsh, and was making inquiries relative to his means, children, &c., when Walsh exclaimed:- "Oh, if it's schooling you're after, I'll give you something;" and, taking up the poker, he "went for" the inspector, chasing him through several streets. He was fined 5s. This is not the only case of resistance to the School Board administration we have to record. We give an illustration of a lady who, following Mr. Walsh's example, attacked with a spade lying handy the painstaking inquisitorial inspector — to his great astonishment and consternation. — The Day's Doings, 6 May 1871 A NUDE FEMALE IN THE STREET. THE Washington Star says: "A most remarkable sight is reported to have been recently witnessed near the canal basin. It seems that a well-grown girl, who had been disobedient to her mother, and had carried her unbecoming disregard of parental authority so far as to assail her mother with bricks and other missiles, was caught by her parent and stripped for a flogging. She escaped from the house nude, ran across the hills, and threw herself into the stream that passes through Yeaton's marsh, avowing her purpose to drown herself. She was followed by her mother and brother, however, who fastened ropes to her arms and legs and marched her homeward, occasionally using a strap to accelerate her progress. The mother, in this case, seemed to have no idea of spoiling the child by sparing the strap." — The Day's Doings, 26 Oct, 1872 The Fast Lady and the Prussian PoliceTHE correspondent of a contemporary writes from Berlin as follows: - "The sojourn of the Prussian officers in France has, I grieve to say, resulted in the sad corruption of these grave and hitherto sage Teutons. The demi-monde driven out of Paris before the siege flocked in hundreds to Versailles, Rouen, and the other towns occupied by the Germans, and so much mutual appreciation ensued that a French invasion, a feminine one, has taken place in return. A strong contingent of these ladies has quartered itself in the Prussian capital, to the great disgust of the native fraus and frauleins, who are madly jealous. Strong efforts have, however, been made to put these strangers down especially since they have started the scandal of driving about a la Anonyma in places of public resort. "The other day a police officer, excited to action, it is said, by the wife of a general under whom he had formerly served, attempted to eject one of these fair offenders from the park. The lady, however, who was driving a pair of spirited ponies, refused to listen to his commands, and, on his resorting to personal violence to enforce obedience, rose up on the driving seat, and rained upon him a shower of blows, accompanied by a volley of the choicest Parisian slang. For a moment he was completely dumbfounded, but, recovering himself, he summoned a posse of his companions, and with their aid the fair offender was conveyed, despite her frantic resistance, to durance vile." We expect she received but scant mercy from the hands of the offended authorities, and is deeply regretting that a taste for Prussian thalers ever lured her across the frontier. — The Day's Doings, 6 July 1872
|
|
|
Post by dem bones on Feb 27, 2024 18:32:56 GMT
A Heart-Rending Domestic TragedyA Husband by Mistake Kills his Wife. A HARROWING story reaches us from the South of France — one of the most touching and dreadful tragedies ever enacted. In the midst of a neighbourhood infested with robbers resided Monsieur and Madame Durand, a tender and affectionate couple. One night, feeling assured she heard burglars in the house, Madame Durand aroused her husband, who, arming him self with a pistol and a knife, went in pursuit. In the darkness he struck one of the robbers, who fled outside. Another at the same time passed him and sought refuge in the house. In order to intercept him M. Durand passed round outside the house, to his bedroom window, which he knew was raised, and out of which he expected the burglar would issue. Meanwhile Madame Durand, suffering from faintness, arose from the bed where her husband had left her, and groped her way, through the thick darkness, to the window for air. At that very moment her armed and excited husband reached the sill from the outside. Seeing the obscure outlines of a human form there, the wretched husband mistook them for those of the second burglar, and with knife and pistol immediately began an attack whose horrors surpass conception when it is remembered that it was directed against the form of his wife, between whose self and him existed such faithful and tender love. The discovery of the mistake came all too late. The ill-fated woman died with her arms round the neck of the worse-fated man, breathing into his ear, with her last quivering recants, whispers of forgiveness, fidelity, and love. — The Day's Doings, 19 August 1871 An Ass in a Panther SkinA SAD warning has just been given in Virginia to those who are in the habit of playing jokes on children. A certain Captain Ford having in his possession a panther's skin, donned the same with the intention of frightening a little boy about twelve or fourteen years of age, the son of a farmer named Horner, whose cottage is situated on the skirts of a wood. The boy, seeing what he supposed to be a panther, ran to the house and took down his father's rifle, and went in pursuit of the animal. He did not have to go far before he espied him. The boy rested the rifle on a fence and fired. The man-panther gave a dying shriek, and, with a convulsive spasm, fell. The little fellow did not see his mistake until he went up to him. The wounded man lingered two days, and then died. — The Day's Doings, 2 September 1871 A Singular RomanceA MAN employed to carry a boy to a certain quarter of Paris fell dead in the street. The authorities had the box opened. To their horror the skeleton of a child and the skull of an adult were exposed. On investigation the following romance was divulged :- A Senor Duran married a lady in Spain and then came to Paris. Shortly afterward the wife died, and Duran kept her skull from sepulture. He married again, and a daughter was born to him. In her seventh year this child died. Duran preserved her skeleton, and had a mock funeral. Influenced by her husband's peculiarities, his wife left him, and finally Duran died. The messenger, whose death gave publicity to this tale, was on the way to the cemetery when he also was struck down by death. — The Day's Doings, 12 October 1872 A Missing Girl Mysteriously sent to her Father in a BoxONE dark, cold night, lately, as one of the coaches which transferred passengers and baggage on the Midland Railroad from Wurtsborough, Sullivan County, to Ellenville, Ulster County, in America, was toiling up the Shawangunk Mountain, a carriage, containing a man and a woman and driven furiously, overtook the coach. The driver of the latter was requested to stop, and the lady was transferred hurriedly from the carriage to the coach. The man then bade her good-bye and drove back as rapidly as he had come. The driver of the coach did not recognize either of the parties, nor did the singular occurrence excite any suspicion on his part. The morning after the above, Maurice Royce, a respectable but poor man, living on the Monticello road, about six miles from Wurtsborough, went to the latter place in search of his daughter, a young lady of eighteen years, known the country round for her beauty and grace. She had disappeared, her father said, and her parents neither knew whither nor why she had gone. Inquiry was sent in every direction, and a description of the young lady given to persons at points where she was likely to appear, but nothing was ever heard of her until a few days since. The son of a neighbour of the Royces, named Harding, having business in Middletown, Orange County, while strolling about the Erie Railway depot at that place, reading the addresses on the boxes and packages about the express office, was astonished to see a coffin box, and on it the following address:- MISS ANNA ROYCE,
Centreville, Sullivan County, N.Y. Young Harding at once made inquiry at the goods office as to whence the box had come, and was informed by the agent that, together with a trunk, bearing the same address, it had been sent from New York. The box was taken to Wurtsborough, and sent to Mr. Royce. When taken into the house, and before it was placed upon the floor, Mr. Royce exclaimed, "My God! it's Anna!" It was opened, and there, cold in death, the face still beautiful, but bearing unmistakable traces of suffering, lay the form of the missing one. The scene that ensued in the little family is said to have been agonizing to all who beheld it. The mother was almost crazed, and the father, bending over the beautiful wreck, moaned between his sobs, "My poor little Anna! My poor little girl!" The news of the affair soon spread about the neighbourhood and produced the greatest excitement. By the advice of friends the remains of the young lady were buried as they came in the coffin. They were in a neat casket and decently dressed. By order of the Coroner, the body was exhumed, and an investigation is now being made into the mysterious affair. A hundred different theories are advanced by the gossips of the vicinity as to the secret of Miss Royce's sudden disappearance and the causes that led to her death. — The Day's Doings, 6 April 1872 Determined Folly — A Strange Case of Self-MutilationA STRANGE case of infatuation, resulting in self-mutilation, has occurred at Truro. The wife of a tradesman of that town recently injured one of her hands, and was dissatisfied with its surgical treatment, which resulted in two fingers being bent over the palm. She frequently declared that she would rather be without the hand altogether than be thus crippled; and suiting the action to the word, she the other evening placed her arm on the rails of the Cornwall line, in front of an advancing train, which cleanly amputated her hand at the wrist. She then went in a cab to the Cornwall Infirmary. — The Day's Doings, 13 April 1872 A WOMAN, named Parsons, from Thetford, was riding the other day in the up mail train from Cambridge to London without a ticket. The inspector allowed her to proceed on her journey, but said he should telegraph to London, which he did. However, on the arrival of the train no such woman was to be found. Shortly after day-break the woman was found on the line, near Cambridge, with her feet frightfully mutilated, and she was taken to Addenbroke's Hospital. A babe she had with her was uninjured. — The Day's Doings, 19 August 1871 To those English people about to commit suicide it may be interesting to know, on the authority of a Kansas murderer, who was hanged, that that mode of departing this life is extremely pleasant. The murderer in question, it is stated, was quite dead when he was "cut down" to be operated upon by a scientific gentleman, who restored life by means of galvanism. The murderer's account of the sensations of strangulation is as follows:— "Hanging is rather pleasant than otherwise; for, after the first spasmodic struggle for breath, a delightful tickling sensation followed my veins to the tips of my limbs. Consciousness seemed to lose itself very gradually, and for a time a portion of the brain seemed to retain its vitality. The happiest moment of a lifetime was centred in a dream at that instant. From that moment until I found myself in the hands of science I knew not." — The Day's Doings, 13 April 1872
|
|
|
Post by andydecker on Feb 27, 2024 19:56:33 GMT
, A Missing Girl Mysteriously sent to her Father in a BoxONE dark, cold night, lately, as one of the coaches which transferred passengers and baggage on the Midland Railroad from Wurtsborough, Sullivan County, to Ellenville, Ulster County, in America, was toiling up the Shawangunk Mountain, a carriage, containing a man and a woman and driven furiously, overtook the coach. The driver of the latter was requested to stop, and the lady was transferred hurriedly from the carriage to the coach. The man then bade her good-bye and drove back as rapidly as he had come. The driver of the coach did not recognize either of the parties, nor did the singular occurrence excite any suspicion on his part. The morning after the above, Maurice Royce, a respectable but poor man, living on the Monticello road, about six miles from Wurtsborough, went to the latter place in search of his daughter, a young lady of eighteen years, known the country round for her beauty and grace. She had disappeared, her father said, and her parents neither knew whither nor why she had gone. Inquiry was sent in every direction, and a description of the young lady given to persons at points where she was likely to appear, but nothing was ever heard of her until a few days since. The son of a neighbour of the Royces, named Harding, having business in Middletown, Orange County, while strolling about the Erie Railway depot at that place, reading the addresses on the boxes and packages about the express office, was astonished to see a coffin box, and on it the following address:- MISS ANNA ROYCE,
Centreville, Sullivan County, N.Y. Young Harding at once made inquiry at the goods office as to whence the box had come, and was informed by the agent that, together with a trunk, bearing the same address, it had been sent from New York. The box was taken to Wurtsborough, and sent to Mr. Royce. When taken into the house, and before it was placed upon the floor, Mr. Royce exclaimed, "My God! it's Anna!" It was opened, and there, cold in death, the face still beautiful, but bearing unmistakable traces of suffering, lay the form of the missing one. The scene that ensued in the little family is said to have been agonizing to all who beheld it. The mother was almost crazed, and the father, bending over the beautiful wreck, moaned between his sobs, "My poor little Anna! My poor little girl!" The news of the affair soon spread about the neighbourhood and produced the greatest excitement. By the advice of friends the remains of the young lady were buried as they came in the coffin. They were in a neat casket and decently dressed. By order of the Coroner, the body was exhumed, and an investigation is now being made into the mysterious affair. A hundred different theories are advanced by the gossips of the vicinity as to the secret of Miss Royce's sudden disappearance and the causes that led to her death. — The Day's Doings, 6 April 1872 What a great story. I have seen a lot of written serial killer stories which were much less interesting. If they ever closed that case?
|
|
|
Post by dem bones on Feb 29, 2024 8:06:42 GMT
What a great story. I have seen a lot of written serial killer stories which were much less interesting. If they ever closed that case? If so, I've yet to find it. Think I prefer it unsolved, in any case. I probably transcribed too much from The Day's Doings, so will condence the rest into a couple of posts, take a fortnight-or-so's break before picking on some other publication. In the meantime, more Death and Murder. Death in the Harvest Field A Duel with Pitchforks. Two men named Arnett and Ingram were engaged a short time since in hauling wheat to a threshing-machine, in Illinois. Ingram grumbled at the way Arnett pitched his wheat, and Arnett said he could do it as well as any man in the field. Ingram gave him the lie, and Arnett refused to work any more with him, and exchanged places with John Swartzly, who was pitching wheat in another wagon. Later on, the wagons met, and Arnett told Ingram he would have to take back what he had said a while ago. Ingram said he would never do that; and high words followed, Ingram at last leaping off his wagon, and advancing towards Arnett to fight him. Arnett prodded at him with his pitchfork, telling him he'd make him take back what he had said, Ingram the while backing out, and holding his hands before him to protect himself. Arnett made desperate thrusts, but stopped in time to avoid striking Ingram, and Swartzly interposing, Ingram said he would take back what he had said. Swartzly, supposing that it was over, threw down his fork, when Ingram picked it up and made at Arnett. Both men being armed with a three-tined pitchfork, a desperate fight took place, each trying with all his strength and skill to run the other through; Ingram having the advantage, his fork being a foot the longer. Ingram was severely wounded in the breast, and Arnett was almost run through, just below the ribs, from the right side towards the left, one tine grazing his body in front, the other two entering on a level ranging towards the back. About this time Arnett's fork came out of the handle. He tried to strike a few blows with the handle, but threw it down and ran towards Swartzly. Ingram threw down his fork also, and picked up the handle that Arnett had thrown down, and ran after him and struck him on his head and back. Arnett besought Swartzly not to let Ingram hit him any more, and sank to the ground, exclaiming, "I'm killed," and died in twenty-five minutes. — The Day's Doings, 17 September 1870 Fearful Tragedy at BathONE of the most fearful occurrences which has ever occurred in Bath, took place in that city the other day. The facts of the case are these:- Mr. Prankard has for some little time been keeping a collegiate school for junior boys, at No. 1, Spencer's Belle Vue, Lansdown-road. It appears Mr. Prankard's wife died about a year ago, since which time he has given way to a kind of melancholy, and, from some reports, it would appear he had also fallen into habits of intemperance. Mr. Prankard's eldest daughter had also made up her mind to leave home, and had taken a situation on the Continent. On Monday, the packing up of the young lady's clothes was being proceeded with, during which angry words were heard between Mr. Prankard and his eldest daughter, as the young lady was leaving home contrary to her father's wishes. At this period the unhappy man seemed to have been worked up to the highest pitch of frenzy. The systematic way in which the whole tragedy was carried out, however, shows that the whole affair was premeditated. About three o'clock Mr. Prankard seems to have gone into the schoolroom, where the two daughters were sitting, and carrying a revolver covered up in a pocket-handkerchief, fired two shots at the eldest daughter, striking her on the right side in the ear, and on the left side in the temple. He then seems to have turned round on the younger daughter, and also fired two shots at her, which struck her in the head and breast. The poor girl, on receiving these wounds, fell on one of the desks insensible. The father, thinking he had completed his bloody work, immediately rushed out of the door, which he locked behind him, and passing the servant in the passage, who had run up on hearing the four reports of the revolver, he hastened upstairs, and shutting himself inside a bedroom, finished his own life with prussic acid. No trace has been found of the revolver used, or of the vessel from which he took the poison. Strange to say, shortly afterwards, the youngest daughter recovered herself a little, and making her way to the window, threw it up, and by means of the roof of an outhouse and wall descended into the garden of the neighbouring house, in which the Rev. J. H. Way resides, where she was kindly taken care of, and medical assistance obtained. The police were at once communicated with, and the house taken charge of by them. On the door being broken open a fearful scene presented itself—the eldest daughter lying in the midst of an immense pool of blood, and the desk on which the younger daughter had fallen being literally covered with blood. The road by which the poor girl had made her escape was sadly apparent, the window, window-sill and roof of the outhouse being covered with blood. — The Day's Doings, 3 September 1870 AT the Ilford petty session, William Lowe, engineer, of Stewart's-terrace, Isle of Dogs, was charged with causing the death of Mrs Elizabeth Barrett, by striking her in the eye with an umbrella at the North Woolwich Gardens. The prisoner and deceased were at the North Woolwich Gardens, when he took offence because the deceased had danced with somebody else. Meeting her afterwards in the grounds, he accused her of "wanting to go with other men," and struck her, the point of his umbrella destroying her eve. She was removed to Guy's Hospital, but died from the effects of the wound. James Heal, the gasman, who witnessed the occurrence, stated that the prisoner repeatedly accused the deceased of going with other men before he struck her. The blow with the umbrella appeared to be violent and intentional. Miss Millie Wilson proved that the prisoner and deceased had been living together for some time past. An inspector of police said that the house-surgeons at Guy's Hospital would be able to give important evidence as to the condition of the deceased, but they could not attend unless subpoenas were issued. The bench said that from the grave nature of the case, the medial evidence was most important, and they should, therefore, remand the prisoner. — The Day's Doings, 12 August 1871 A MURDER is stated to have been discovered in a lodging-house in Maddox-street, Regent-street. It appears that a young Italian housemaid of the name of Caroline Gianelli was confined a few days ago, and in the absence of her mistress. Nothing was known of the matter until last Saturday night, when the body of a full-grown child was found in a drain-pipe. It had been cut into pieces. Some portions of the body had been carried into the sewer or disposed of elsewhere. The mother is in charge of the police. — The Day's Doings, 14 September 1872 IN London alone last year, two hundred and sixty infants were found dead, besides twelve shapeless things so mutilated or decomposed that their sex could not be distinguished. They were found in all sorts of places, some doubled up in boxes at railway stations— some, wrapped in brown paper or old rags, in the streets. They were discovered in drains, in ashpits, in areas, flung over the railings, in the mud of the Thames, under the flooring of houses, in church-steeples among the beams which support the bells, even in hackney cabs. — The Day's Doings, 12 August 1871 A Divorced Wife's RevengeThe New Orleans Picayune, August 17, has the following:- Yesterday afternoon a painful sensation was created throughout the city by the report that Mrs. A. M. Holbrook, the newly-married wife of the former proprietor and editor of the Picayune, had been attacked at her residence by Mr. Holbrook's divorced wife, and had been shot. The facts of the case are simply these: Mr. Holbrook was divorced from his first wife, Mrs. Jennie Bronson, last year, after a marriage of about six years. It is not proposed here to enter into the history of this married life. Suffice it to say that Mr. Holbrook applied for the divorce; that Mrs. Jennie Holbrook made no defence; that the application was easily granted by the Court, and that the divorced wife at once left for New York, where she has since resided. Mr. Holbrook was married, for the second time, a month ago, to the well-known, accomplished and popular Southern poetess, Miss Eliza J. Poitevent, better known as "Pearl Rivera." Mrs. Jennie Bronson, it would appear, arrived here yesterday morning from New York, unknown to Mr. Holbrook and his wife. About half-past eleven o'clock, it is stated, she was seen watching Mr. Holbrook's residence. About twelve o'clock Mrs. Eliza J. Holbrook was in her bed-room, standing at her toilet-table, dressing, and but lightly clad. Her back was to the door, leading from her bed-room to the staircase from below. She heard a slight rustling noise; but, supposing it was some lady friend, and paid no attention to it at the moment. The noise came nearer, and she naturally turned her head to see who her visitor was. As she turned her head, Mrs. Bronson, who was standing within two or three feet of Mrs. Holbrook, pointing a revolver at her head, fired. The mere accidental turning of the head saved intended victim's life. Mrs. Holbrook, who knew whom she had to deal with, at once faced her enemy, feeling, as she told the surgeon afterwards, that her life was at stake. She rushed at Mrs. Bronson, who again fired, but again missed her aim, and Mrs. Holbrook seized the pistol and held on to it with desperate grip, and firm, unyielding will. In the fierce struggle that endured between the two women, the one, furious and bent on inflicting death, and the other nerved up to unwonted strength to defend her life, the revolver fell to the floor, and the cylinder separated from the barrel. Mrs. Brouson then seized a large, heavy bottle on the toilet-table, holding bay rum, and, the two still struggling, struck her victim over the head several times with this dangerous implement, inflicting severe wounds, from which the blood flowed copiously over Mrs. Holbrook's head, face and dress. The bottle was broken, and then Mrs. Bronson seized a small vase, which she also broke over Mrs. Holbrook's head; and then other toilet articles. The only two other persons on the premises besides Mrs. Holbrook were an old negress, who had been in the household for a long time, and a stout Irish woman. The negro woman, just as the first pistol-shot and cry were heard, gave the alarm to the Irish woman, who, with characteristic impulsiveness, ran upstairs to Mrs. Holbrook's help. She rushed into the bed-room, threw her strong arms (from behind) around Mrs. Bronson, and in that way stopped her from striking Mr. Holbrook on the head. Mrs. Holbrook then wrenched herself from the fierce grasp that was on her, and ran downstairs into the street half-dressed, and covered with blood from head to foot. She managed to get across the street to a neighbour's, where she was promptly attended to. Mr. Holbrook was at his private office when the startling news reached him. He at once repaired to his wife's side, and then went with a friend to the nearest police station, where he made an affidavit charging Mrs. Bronson with committing an assault on his wife with intent to kill. Of course the news flew like wildfire in the neighbourhood, and several hundred persons were soon gathered in front of the house. Dr. Thomas Nicholson, who lived a short distance off and knew Mr. and Mrs. Holbrook and Mrs. Bronson, was fortunately at home. He at once went to the scene so soon as he heard of what had happened, and first entered Mrs. Holbrook's residence. Ere his arrival several policemen had got to the place, but none would go into the house, Mrs. Bronson was alone in the house when Dr. Nicholson entered. She at once recognised him, and held out her hand, which was bleeding from a slight cut from glass. Dr. Nicolson states that Mrs. Bronson looked like one perfectly carried away with fury and passion. As soon as her victim escaped, and the two servants disappeared, Mrs. Bronson went in search of an axe, and used it with great destructiveness throughout the house, on the furniture, pictures, engravings, crockery, etc. The house was elegantly and comfortably fitted up, and the loss, in the smashing of mirrors, clocks, piano, beds, pictures, glass-doors, book-cases, china and crockery, will be very heavy. The interior of the house looked, Dr. Nicholson said, as if it had been blown up. Mrs. Bronson said to Dr. Nicholson, in her passion, speaking of Mrs. Holbrook, "I came out here to kill her." Dr. Nicholson dressed her slight wound, and then at once went to the house where Mrs. Holbrook was. She was in a most pitiable condition — her hair matted with blood; her head cut in many places severely; her person and dress saturated with blood, and her whole system naturally prostrated from the trial she had undergone, to say nothing of the debility occasioned by the loss of so much blood. Dr. Nicholson speedily dressed her wounds and quieted her, and was enabled to pronounce the wounds, though numerous and painful, not dangerous. Mrs. Bronson was presently arrested on a warrant based on Mr. Holbrook's affidavit, and was taken in a cab to the Pacanier Station, where she remained for the night. — The Day's Doings, 19 October 1872
|
|
|
Post by dem bones on Apr 18, 2024 17:20:36 GMT
Death in the Ball RoomAT a ball, recently given in one of the minor halls of the gay city of Vienna, a lady rendered herself specially noticeable by her enthusiasm in the mazy activity of the dance. The ball was at its height, and the lady in her glory, when, suddenly, a rush, a groan, a succession of shrieks from various female voices, and then a stillness, solemn and suggestive. The young lady, oblivious of that sinister "disease of the heart to which she had been long subject, had literally danced till she had fallen dead in her partner's arms. The body was removed, and the ball came suddenly and terribly to an end. — The Day's Doings, 13 Sept. 1870
|
|