May 31, 2012

A Cure for Cancer

The Vienna correspondent of the Standard says :— An important communication was made to the Vienna Society of Physicians at its last sitting by Professor Von Mosetig, the chief physician of the Surgical Ward at the Wieden Hospital on the subject of the cure of cancer.  That gentleman has chiefly occupied himself for the past ten years with the study and cure of carcinomatous growths.  He had tried every remedy which had come into use during the last 25 years, and had finally made experiments with solutions of niethyl violet, also called pyoctanine, a new pigment manufactured at Darmstadt.  This he injects into different forms, so that neoplasma is, so to speak, impregnated with the pigment, and by the use of these tinctures carcinomatous formations, closed tumours as well as open, that hitherto could not be removed even with the knife, constantly shrivelled up and disappeared.  (Yorkshire Evening Post, February 2nd, 1891)

May 30, 2012

After the Wake

The body of a woman named Margaret McGlinsky was found in the canal at Middlewich.  She attended an Irish wake, and was not again seen alive.  (Yorkshire Evening Post, February 3rd, 1891)

May 27, 2012

Shocking Occurrence: An Infant Child Destroyed by Rats

Mr. Hyndman held an inquest, a few days ago, in Dublin, on the body of a child, named Jane Drury, aged 15 months, whose death occurred under the following circumstances:—Sarah Tyler stated that she had charge of the deceased child, and having heard it scream at four o'clock on the morning of the 25th, she got up and lighted a candle, but there was nothing the matter with it then.  She had previously observed the noise of rats in the room, which was situate at the top of the house, 13, South King-street, and on getting up at seven o'clock, she went over to the child's cradle, and found it covered with blood ; her ears and face were marked with bites ; there were two rats under the cradle clothes, and one on the floor at the time.  She heard no screams from the child from four o'clock till seven.—Surgeon Bavan said that he saw the deceased in the hospital on the 26th, in a very exhausted and weakly condition from the loss of blood.  There were two wounds on her face, and about half of the inside of one of her arms was eaten off, and there were a considerable number of bites on the other.  She died of these injuries, and her previous emaciated state.  The jury found that the deceased died from having been severely bitten by rats.  (The Leeds Intelligencer, February 11th, 1854)

May 24, 2012

A Glasgow Man's Perilous Mistake

Seven persons have been dangerously hurt at Glasgow by an explosion of gunpowder.  A deaf and dumb man found a keg in a passage, and took it home ; he seems to have thought it contained butter.  Failing to force it open with a poker, he made the poker red-hot, and proceded to bore a hole in the keg ; the contents were gunpowder.  The explosion which followed blew the roof off the house, and every person in the building, except an infant, suffered.  (Leeds Intelligencer, February 11th, 1854)

May 23, 2012

Terrible Sight for an Engine-fitter

At Willesden, to-day, an engine-fitter named Symonds found two of his children, Minnie and Eva, dead, with their throats cut.  In the same room he found his wife and two remaining children, Charles and James, sitting on the bed, also with their throats cut.  They were seriously injured.  It is stated that the woman had been drinking heavily.  (Yorkshire Evening Post, July 15th, 1897.)

May 21, 2012

Forcing a Corpse into Too Small a Coffin

Shocking Scene.  On Wednesday, at the weekly meeting of the Bradford Board of Guardians two letters were read from Mr. G. Maude and Mr. A. Clarke, complaining of gross neglect in connection with the burial of William Sutton, who had lodged in the house of Mr. Turner, 30, Springfield-street, Manningham, and who died suddenly on Saturday, the 5th August.  Both letters agreed in stating that a parish coffin was applied for on the Monday following.  A coffin was sent on Tuesday morning, and an attempt was made to put the body into it, but it was too small, and, in consequence, another coffin had to be obtained from the same source. In the meantime the body had swelled and burst, and made a sad mess of the house, which had to be disinfected by an order of the sanitary authorities, and the first coffin was then burned.  It was alleged that the coroner had not held an inquest until the Wednesday, or the body would have been interred before that time, though information of the death was sent to the Town Hall a short time after the man died.  The writers of the letters wished to know who was to bear the cost of disinfecting the house, and the other expenses incurred in consequence of the interment being delayed.  (Leeds Times, September 8th, 1877)

May 20, 2012

Suicide through a Bicycle Accident

Mr. William Beaney, of Sunderland, a coal agent, and secretary of a local labourers' union, committed suicide under painful circumstances on Saturday night.  On Thursday last he was run over by a bicycle, and sustained such injuries to his nose and face that he was afterwards heard to declare that he would not be seen in the street in such a condition.  His wife, who is caretaker of a local place of worship, found this message in pencil on a form in the chapel : "Don't go into the cellar alone."  On investigation deceased was found hanging dead in the cellar underneath the chapel.  (Yorkshire Evening Post, June 21st, 1897)

May 19, 2012

Sudden Death at a York Inquest

At York, to-day, Mr. Joseph Fearne (72), an ex-inspector of police, was summoned on a Coroner's jury, and arrived at the place where the inquest was to be held with the son of another juryman.  Mr. Fearne appeared in excellent health, but whilst he was talking to a policeman he called out "Oh," and immediately expired.  (Yorkshire Evening News, December 27th, 1909)

May 18, 2012

A Tragedy of a Bog

A ghastly discovery was made in a bog near Cookstown, on Saturday forenoon.  A man cutting turf found embedded in the bog, about 3ft. from the surface, a human head in a good state of preservation.  The ears are intact, and the hair on the face and head is perfectly preserved.  The eyes and nose are gone.  (Yorkshire Evening Post, June 6th, 1897)

May 17, 2012

Escape of a Bear

On Thursday morning a black bear, belonging to Mr. Gorsuch, hairdresser, Parker-street, escaped from its place of detention, at Holmfield, producing great alarm in the neighbourhood of Aigburth.  He was pursued, and, as all attempts to capture him proved fruitless, he was shot to prevent him from committing mischief ; and his fat is now in process of being converted into "Genuine bear's grease."  (Leeds Intelligencer, February 11th, 1854)

May 16, 2012

A Gruesome Discovery

A gruesome discovery was made at Scarborough on Tuesday.  Some painters engaged at a house in Ramshill-road felt a peculiar smell emanating from one of the windows of a small tower at the top of the premises.  On making a search the dead and party decomposed body of a child was discovered in a jar.  (Leeds Mercury, October 13th, 1900)

May 15, 2012

A Child Mutilated by a Rat

One day last week the wife of Mr. George Lavis, tailor, of Wolborough street put her infant, a child about two years old, to bed.  In an hour afterwards she heard it crying most fearfully.  On visiting the room in which the infant was, she observed a large rat busily engaged in biting the little boy's face.  On her appearance, the animal ran off, and it was found that small portions of the child's flesh had been eaten off.  Medical aid was soon procured, and we are happy to say the child is doing well.  (Leeds Intelligencer, January 21st, 1854)

May 14, 2012

Another Gruesome Find near Barrow

The body of a man was found on the shore of Walney Island yesterday.  The head and hands were gone, and the legs were held to the trunk by the sinews, and both were broken.  He had a black serge vest and trousers and elastic-side boots, but there was nothing to identify him.  This is the second headless body found within a week, and neither has been identified.  (Leeds Mercury, October 19th, 1900)

May 13, 2012

A Woman Torn to Pieces by Starving Dogs

The skeleton of a woman was found, a few days ago, inside a fence, in the vicinity of Bantry, which has caused the greatest sensation amongst its inhabitants.  Strange to say, the face remained uninjured, whilst the bones of the limbs and body were literally bare of flesh, it having been torn and devoured by dogs.  What remained of the body was immediately recognised to be that of a woman named Sullivan, the wife of a comfortable farmer living in the neighbourhood, who generally attended Bantry market, and bought butter in small quantities.  The day before she was known to have bought about £10 worth, and when on her way home, it would appear she got over the fence for the purpose of getting on a more direct road not 100 yards off, when, from some accident, she was rendered so far helpless as not to be able to protect herself from the attack of starving dogs, with which the town and neighbourhood of Bantry are infested, and which are the greatest nuisance and terror to the inhabitants.  (Leeds Intelligencer, February 11th, 1854)

May 12, 2012

Ghosts in Bedroom

What Suicide Told His Sister : Strange Inquest Story.
    The story of a man who committed suicide, after declaring that he had been haunted by ghosts in his bedroom, was told at an inquest in Hackney to-day on Edward Gazzar (20), a potman waiter, employed at Dalston-lane, Hackney.
    Gazzard died from coal-gas poisoning, and the Coroner (Dr. Edwin Smith) recorded a verdict of "Suicide while of unsound mind."
    Evidence was given that Gazzard had very high ambitions, and was not satisfied with the progress he was making in the world.  He told his sister that he occupied a room where a man had shot himself, that he had seen ghosts and different coloured lights in the room, and that he heard rattling on the window.
    His socks had also disappeared from the room.  (Yorkshire Evening News, 1928)