Page 29 of 55
Re: Some Macabre Stories of the Silver Trade
Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2018 1:55 pm
by dognose
HERBERT DRESSER
Reddish, Manchester
SUICIDE'S LETTER TO MOTHER
An inquest was held at Marsden on Saturday on Herbert Dresser, a Reddish jeweller, who was found poisoned in a second-class railway carriage at Marsden on Thursday night. He was regarded as one of the best judges of jewelry in Manchester. The following pathetic letter, found on the deceased was read by the coroner:
Dear mother, don't worry over this - it is perhaps all for the best; I have missed my way. The furniture that you lent me, also the clock in the shop, take away. Mr. Gibson has been a good friend to me, and let him sell the business, It is very good if looked after. These tickets, give them back, but they have no claim on you at all for what I have done. You know nothing about it. And please let my body be buried where it is found.
With love,
HERBERT
The evidence showed that deceased had lived apart from his family through some disagreement. A verdict of suicide whilst of unsound mind was returned.
Source: Evening Express and Evening Mail - 4th January 1909
Trev.
Re: Some Macabre Stories of the Silver Trade
Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 4:23 am
by dognose
BENJAMIN SANDFELDER
Attleboro, Massachusetts
FATAL AUTO ACCIDENT
Jewelry Salesman Killed and Several Injured When Cars Crash
Attleboro, Mass., July 11.—Details regarding the death of Benjamin Sandfelder, the former Attleboro jewelry salesman who was killed in an automobile accident in Chicago last Friday, have been received in this city by friends of the deceased man.
Sandfelder, the report goes, was killed and his chauffeur, A. R. Rankin, was cut and bruised. His brother, Sylvan Sandfelder, was cut and bruised, and Burrows Kirby, chauffeur of another automobile, was shaken up. The accident occurred at the corner of South Hannah Ave. and Harvard St., Forest Park.
Sandfelder's car was being driven south on Hannah Ave. He and his brother were seated in the rear. Kirby, driving the limousine containing a funeral party, was going east on Harvard St. Before Kirby could stop his car it had struck Sandfelder's automobile,- overturning it. B. S. Sandfelder was caught beneath the heavy touring car and killed instantly. His brother and the chauffeur were thrown to the pavement. Those in Kirby's limousine were shaken up, but left before their names could be obtained. The police removed Sandfelder's body to the undertaking rooms at 7319 W. Madison St., Forest Park. Sylvan Sandfelder and Rankin refused medical attention and left for their homes.
Source: The Jewelers' Circular - 18th July 1917
Trev.
Re: Some Macabre Stories of the Silver Trade
Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2018 2:15 pm
by dognose
ARTHUR SKINNER
Sheffield
SHEFFIELD SUICIDE
COPYING THE CHINESE METHOD
At Sheffield on Friday Arthur Skinner, silver finisher, aged 30 years, was charged with attempted suicide. He was found in a bedroom with a gash inflicted by a razor in the lower part of his stomach. A surgeon stated that this was a common method of suicide amongst Chinese, but it was the first case he had heard of in this country. Financial troubles accounted for the behaviour of the prisoner, who was remanded.
Source: Evening Express - 25th April 1896
Trev.
Re: Some Macabre Stories of the Silver Trade
Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2018 5:35 am
by dognose
JOHN TODD STILLWELL
Sheffield
DEATH FROM STARVATION
A well-educated man, named John Todd Stillwell, has died at a Sheffield cafe' under distressing circumstances. He was the son at the late Edwd. Stillwell gold and silver manufacturer, Barbican-lane, London, and up to four years ago had a private income. Since that ceased he has been living with his wife in Wall-street, Manchester, and has become very reduced. He came to Sheffield on Monday seeking employment. On Tuesday evening he told a waiter at the cafe' he was penniless. He was allowed to stop, and next morning was found dead in bed. Verdict, "Died from natural causes."
Source: South Wales Daily News - 6th January 1893
Trev.
Re: Some Macabre Stories of the Silver Trade
Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2018 4:29 am
by dognose
NELSON R. ARKINS
Chicago
A verdict of deliberate suicide was returned by the coroner’s jury in the case of Nelson W. Arkins, the aged jeweler who shot himself in the head April 25. The reason for the act was alleged to be his inability to get a divorce from his fourth wife. It is said that he was engaged to be married to a fifth helpmeet.
Source: The Jewelers' Circular and Horological Review - 4th May 1892
Trev.
Re: Some Macabre Stories of the Silver Trade
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2018 3:52 am
by dognose
R.E. STARES
Hythe, Kent
BRIDEGROOM MISSING AT BRISTOL
ATTEMPTED SUICIDE
Mr R. E. Stares, jeweller, Hythe, Kent, was found at 2 a.m. on Thursday near Hythe Town Hall with his throat cut and in a helpless condition. Mr Stares, who was taken charge of by the police, was to have been married that morning at Bristol, whence a telegram reached Hythe from the bride's friends stating he had not arrived. In reply to this a wire was sent saying he had attempted suicide and would be brought before the magistrates. The friends of the lady to whom Mr Stares was to have been married live at Clifton. Mr Stares was brought before the magistrates in the morning, and formally remanded to Canterbury Infirmary for a week. By the advice of a medical man, the representatives of the Press and the public were excluded from the court.
Source: South Wales Daily News - 10th September 1897
Trev.
Re: Some Macabre Stories of the Silver Trade
Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2018 1:06 pm
by dognose
WILLIAM MASON BOOLE
Reading, Pennsylvania
William Mason Boole, a jeweler, shot and killed himself in the store of his employer, John F. Beyerle, Reading, Pa , on the night of Jan. 7th. His body was found the next forenoon. The cause of the suicide, it is said, was marital troubles.
Source: The Jewelers' Circular and Horological Review - 16th January 1895
Trev.
Re: Some Macabre Stories of the Silver Trade
Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 4:57 am
by dognose
B.F. CRAMP
Newark, New Jersey
B. F. Cramp, an expert employed in the factory of Champenois & Co., of Newark, N.J., manufacturers of jewelry, was recently injured at their factory by an explosion of fulminate of gold and may lose his eyesight. He had handled the fulminate for over twenty years without accident.
Source: The Brass World and Platers' Guide - July 1910
Trev.
Re: Some Macabre Stories of the Silver Trade
Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 4:33 am
by dognose
WILLIAM KENT
Staines, Middlesex
SUICIDE IN A TOWER
A shocking discovery was made last evening at Staines Parish Church.
The town and neighbourhood had been much concerned for a week by the disappearance of Mr. William Kent, a local jeweller, and the mystery has now been solved by his lifeless body being found in the clock tower of the church.
He had gone there, in accordance with weekly custom, to wind the clock, and the supposition is that he committed suicide.
The discovery was made by an employe of the deceased's, who went to the church for the purpose of performing the usual duty.
Source: Evening Express - 12th April 1901
Trev.
Re: Some Macabre Stories of the Silver Trade
Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 4:10 am
by dognose
RICHARD NATHANIEL HILL
Peckham, London
DRIVEN MAD BY RATES
Municipal Extravagance Leads to Suicide
Camberwell's rates are so high, it was said at an inquest yesterday, that they unhinged the mind of Richard Nathaniel Hill, a Peckham jeweller, and caused him to commit suicide with a revolver.
He left home on Wednesday, and was missing until Friday morning, when he was found shot in the front room of his house, which he had apparently entered through the back window. On the previous day he had sent the following letter to his wife:
I have not been able to get the money for the rates, so shall not return until I do. It must be paid, and you had better draw what little you have out of the bank, and with what owes you it will be enough. Good-bye, and God bless you and the children.
The widow said that the rates were her husband's chief worry, and that they had affected his mind. The coroner remarked that rates were worrying a lot of people in Camberwell just now, and added that they were still rising.
A juryman: Yes, it is scandalous.
A verdict of "Suicide while of unsound mind" was returned.
Source: Evening Express and Evening Mail - 5th April 1905
Trev.
Re: Some Macabre Stories of the Silver Trade
Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 4:28 am
by dognose
UNKNOWN
Paris
The old story of a room with a number of windows, one of which disappeared every day, and the room accordingly gradually contracted till It crushed its occupant to death, evidently haunted the brain of a despairing Parisian jeweller who recently committed suicide. The unlucky Frenchman, inconsolable for the loss of his better half, became subject to a piece of somnambulism. He was accustomed to wear a gold necklet, one of his late wife's favourite ornaments, and he used to say to his friends that the necklet daily grew smaller, and that his wife was painlessly killing him, much to his joy. The fact was that the somnambulist rose every night and went In his sleep down to his Instruments, knocked off the link of a necklet, and put on the fastening again. Next morning he found the collar smaller, and, having no recollection of what he had done, attributed the event to supernatural Influence. This continued until last week, when the necklet had grown so small that in fastening It on the hapless widower literally garroted himself to death.
Source: The Graphic - November 1874
Trev.
Re: Some Macabre Stories of the Silver Trade
Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2018 4:32 am
by dognose
HARRY WALKER
Greensburg, Indiana
Was Jeweler Walker one of Holmes’ Victims?
Indianapolis, Ind., Aug. 2.—About two years ago Harry Walker, a jeweler of Greensburg, Ind., mysteriously disappeared and it is now thought that he was one of H. H. Holmes’ victims. Three years ago Walker went to Greensburg, and being a good jeweler he easily obtained a position with jeweler C. D. Tillson. On a trip to Indianapolis Walker met the notorious murderer Holmes who told him that he (Holmes) owned considerable property in Chicago and needed some one to look after it. He offered Walker the position of secretary at a fine salary if he would go to Chicago. Mr. Tillson thought the matter some wild queer scheme and advised Walker to have nothing more to do with it.
In a few weeks Holmes visited Walker and offered to increase the salary; he also induced Walker to have his life insured for $15,000. He would pay all dues and in case Walker died $10,000 of the money was to go to his sister in Pennsylvania. Shortly after Walker left Greensburg and went to Batesville where he engaged in the jewelry business. He had not been there long, however, when he mysteriously disappeared.
In a few days the proprietor of the Batesville hotel received a letter from Walker, saying he was in Chicago as secretary for Holmes and that he would be down in a few days to settle his account. Nothing more was ever heard of him. His stock of jewelry was sold to pay his bills.
Source: The Jewelers' Circular and Horological Review - 7th August 1895
Trev.
Re: Some Macabre Stories of the Silver Trade
Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2018 5:52 am
by dognose
WALTER H. THEIS
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
TAKES HIS OWN LIFE
Walter H. Theis Shoots Himself and Dies in a Hospital Two Hours Later
Pittsburgh, Pa., Feb. 3.—With a pistol by his side and a bullet wound in his right temple, the body of Walter Herman Theis, owner of the Pittsburgh Watch Case Repair Co., 705 Penn Ave., was found yesterday at 2:30 o'clock by an employe, Clarence Kruger. The latter, who lives at 1319 Diana St., was horrified to find the man clutching a 32 caliber revolver. Theis was hurried to the Allegheny General Hospital, where he died about two hours later.
What caused Theis, who was well known in the jewelry trade, to take his life is not known, but he had been in ill health and this is believed to have affected his mind. He was 37 years old and is survived by his widow and two children, both girls. The family home is at 6602 Frankstown Ave., East End, this city. He was a member of Franklin Lodge, F. & A. M., A. S. R., Valley of Pittsburgh, Duquesne Commandery 72, Knights Templar, Syria Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., Olive Branch Chapter and Jeffries Council of Kentucky and the Jewelers' 24 Karat Club of Pittsburgh.
The shooting caused considerable excitement in the jewelry district, where Theis had been located for many years, and the news spread quickly. He was well thought of and well known, as is attested by the fact that he was associated with so many different organizations. He was also known in Newport, Ky., and Berkley, Cal.
Source: The Jewelers' Circular - 9th February 1921
Trev.
Re: Some Macabre Stories of the Silver Trade
Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2018 4:21 am
by dognose
...... CLAREDON (CLARENDON)
Kingstown (Dun Laoghaire)
DEATH OF AN IRISH MISER
A man named Claredon has been found lying dead in his house at Kingstown. He was a jeweller, but had little communication with the outer world, his only companions being a dog and a cat. Though occupying a large house, he confined himself to one small room, and slept on an old sofa without blankets or other covering. The place having been locked up for some days, the police broke in, and found the occupant lying- dead on the sofa, and the two animals in a starving condition. Not a particle of food was found, save a stale crust of bread and a few lumps of sugar. In a safe the police discovered property of considerable value, consisting of gold and silver watches, jewellery, gold chains, and valuable personal ornaments. There were also two deposit receipts of the Bank of Ireland for £330 each, and in the deceased's pockets was a considerable sum of money A postmortem examination showed that the deceased had starved himself. The authorities have taken possession of his property.
Source: The Cambrian - 28th March 1884
Trev.
Re: Some Macabre Stories of the Silver Trade
Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2018 2:15 pm
by dognose
HENRY WILCOX - JAMES FLYNN - JOSEPH MONTI
Bridgeport, Connecticut
In an explosion of molten metal at the factory of the Burns Silver Co., corner Railroad and Myrtle Aves., Bridgeport, Nov. 6, Henry Wilcox, James Flynn and Joseph Monti, employes of the concern, were severely burned about the face, eyes and arms. Several other persons were slightly injured. The molten lead was being poured into an excavation in order to strengthen a foundation for a drop forge, when the dampness around the cavity caused an immense steam pressure, and the mass was blown violently from the trough through which it was being poured.
Source: The Jewelers' Circular - 22nd November 1905
Trev.
Re: Some Macabre Stories of the Silver Trade
Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2018 1:23 pm
by dognose
JOHN YEOMANS COWLISHAW
Sheffield
HE SHOT HIMSELF
A Prominent Sheffield Citizen Dies To-day
I. Y. Cowlishaw, one of Sheffield's leading citizens and nephew of Sir Frederick Mappin, shot himself on Wednesday morning. Deceased was chairman of the Hallamshire Bank, Newton-chambers. and co-president of Sheffield Club, trustee of the Mappin Art Gallery, a keen sportsman, and an old Volunteer officer. He was at the bank on Tuesday, and left his works at night apparently in his usual health.
Source: Evening Express - 23rd January 1895
Trev.
Re: Some Macabre Stories of the Silver Trade
Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2018 4:16 am
by dognose
JOSEPH CAMPBELL
North Attleboro
Joseph Campbell, an employe at the factory of the T. I. Smith Co., shot himself in the left hand, Saturday afternoon, while endeavoring to kill rats.
Source: The Jewelers' Circular - 6th December 1905
Trev.
Re: Some Macabre Stories of the Silver Trade
Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2018 4:13 am
by dognose
FRANK CARTER
Eton, Surrey
The body of Mr. Frank Carter, an Eton jeweller, missing since December 2, was recovered from the Thames at Windsor weir, and the jury, at the inquest, returned a verdict of "Found Dead."
Source: The Cambria Daily Leader - 25th July 1916
Trev.
Re: Some Macabre Stories of the Silver Trade
Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2018 6:18 am
by dognose
DAVID HOPP
Elizabeth, New Jersey
David Hopp, Elizabeth, N. J. Jeweler Takes His Own Life
Newark, N. J., Dec. 3—David Hopp, 34 years old, a retail jeweler of 172 1st St., Elizabeth, ended his life with a bullet from a .32 calibre revolver shortly after 5 P. M. Nov. 27 in the repair room in the rear of his store.
Hopp spent the day in New York and returned to his shop only a short time before he committed suicide. Entering the store he sent his wife, Mrs. Wanda Hopp, to their living quarters, on the floor above the store, to prepare supper. He then entered the repair shop and shot himself.
He was found, with the revolver clutched in his hand, by his 11-year-old son, Samuel. Despondency due to a long illness was the motive ascribed by Mrs. Hopp for her husband's act.
Besides his wife and son, Hopp is survived by his mother, Mrs. Lena Hopp, and by three brothers, Morris B., Jacob and Edward Hopp, all of Carteret. In an application made by the widow for letters of administration on his estate, it was set forth that Hopp left personal property valued at $2,000.
Source: The Jewelers' Circular - 5th December 1923
Trev.
Re: Some Macabre Stories of the Silver Trade
Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2018 6:42 am
by dognose
LENOBLE
Paris
A DIABOLICAL POLICEMAN SENTENCED TO DEATH
The trial of the policeman Prevost, who murdered and mutilated a jeweller named Lenoble, took place on Monday. As it is some time since the crime was committed, it may be of interest to give a summary of its horrible details. In the evening of Sept. 10, between eight and nine o'clock, two women, named Thiry and Calmel, were struck by the strange appearance of an individual who was passing along the Rue La Chapelle. Clad in a long blue blouse, with a silk cap on his head, this man, of singularly tall stature, carried a black basket on his arm, and as he came up to the openings of the sewer he took a parcel out of his basket and threw it down the sewer, giving it a push with his foot. The two women followed up the man until he disappeared in a side street. They picked up a bone to which some flesh still adhered, and took it into a chemist's shop, where they were told it was the bone of a human arm. The Commissaire of police being informed of the fact, caused searches to be made in the sewers of the quarter, and eighty fragments were found, which, when put together, formed the body of a man. The head alone was missing. The women thought that the man in a blouse resembled Prevost, the policeman, who, it was found, had on that evening exchanged duty with another, on the pretext that he was helping a friend to move. Prevost was sent for and questioned on the way he had employed his time; his answers were confused. The Commissaire of Police then brusquely confronted him with the remains, and asked him where the head was. Prevost lost countenance, and confessed that the head was in his rooms. The police made an examination of the rooms, and discovered not only the head of the victim, but also a quantity of jewellery and the instruments that had been used for cutting up the body. Light was soon thrown upon this lugubrious history. The victim was a commission agent in jewellery. He had had relations with Prevost, who wanted to buy a gold chain. While Lenoble was showing his wares, Prevost struck him on the head with a heavy iron ball that is used for screwing up the connecting links between railway carriages. Before being a policeman; Prevost had been a butcher, and remembering his old trade, he took a knife and a chopper and cut up the body of his victim. This operation took him nearly all day, and after throwing the pieces into the sewers he went at nine o'clock and supped at a wine shop. It was soon discovered that Prevost was not a novice in the art of spiriting away cumbersome corpses. In 1876, Adele Blondin, a woman of Belgian origin, had mysteriously disappeared; this woman, who had been in service 15 years, had had a little income of £60 a year left her by her former master. She became the mistress of Prevost, but did not live with him. She went to see Prevost, and never returned, and has never been seen since. Prevost was not suspected at the time, but after the assassination of Lenoble an inquiry was opened; traces of blood were discovered on the floor of the lodging that he had occupied in 1876, and on being taken to the spot he confessed that he had strangled Adele Blondin in order to get possession of her money, and that he had cut up her body, thrown the pieces into the sewers, and buried the head outside the fortifications. The court on Monday was crowded in spite of the weather. The cold brutality of the crime has caused intense interest to be taken in the author of it. The examination of the accused tended to show the premeditation of the crime; he admitted all the facts as regards the murder of Lenoble, as above related. The first witness called was the Commissaire of Police, who gave Prevost a good character, and said that he was liked by his comrades. Other witnesses gave testimony to show that Prevost had had in his possession the property of Adele Blondin. The examination of the witness having been concluded, the Public Prosecutor demanded a pitiless sentence. The counsel for the accused made a warm appeal to the mercy of the jury, who, after a deliberation of twenty minutes, brought in an affirmative verdict on all the points, without extenuating circumstances. Prevost was, consequently, condemned to death.
Source: The Monmouthshire Merlin and South Wales Advertiser - 12th December 1879
EXECUTION OF A MURDERER
HORRIBLE EXPERIMENTS
Prevost, the policeman and old Cent Garde of Napoleon III., was executed in Paris at seven on Monday morning for the double murder of Adele Blondin and Lenoble, both of whose bodies he cut up. The attendance of the public, misled by statements that the execution would only come off on Tuesday or Wednesday, was small, and the large body of troops and police kept the few curious who had stood for hours in a bitter frosty night from seeing anything. This is the first execution that has taken place in Paris since the advent of President Grévy, who always struggles against the infliction of capital punishment; but the heinousness of Prevost's crimes was such that after long hesitation the President yielded to the representation of his Ministers that public opinion would be scandalised if the law did not take its course. After a momentary burial the body of the criminal was taken to the Medical School, where, in the presence of numerous members of the faculty, Professor Robin tried experiments upon it. The head was sewn on to the trunk, and electric batteries were then placed to the feet. The body did not move. They were then tried on the knees, and produced a slight trembling. Afterwards, on the batteries being placed on the stomach, the effect is described as surprising. The face contracted, the eyes assumed a life-like appearance, and there were various movements in the body like those of a man under violent emotion. Nevertheless, all the doctors agreed that death must have been instantaneous when the head was severed. After these experiments Professor Robin dissected the body.
Source: The Monmouthshire Merlin and South Wales Advertiser - 23rd January 1880
Trev.