October 1874 News – Glass Traps, Shark Attack and Marrying a ‘Dowdy’
Introduction
Stories in the local newspapers in October 1874 included the usual details of local crimes and court appearances, advice for the unwary and those in need of guidance and stories of note from around the world.
Correspondence, Advice and Editorials
Intelligent Women and Gossip – Impartial Reporter & Fermanagh Farmers Journal 24th October 1874
The Impartial Reporter & Fermanagh Farmers Journal offered advice to intelligent women on the avoidance of gossip.
The well informed woman may generally be known not so much by what she tells you as by what she shows you, for she is the last to take pleasure in mere gossip, or to make vulgar allusion to the appearance, dress, or persona! habits of her friends and neighbours.
Beware of Glass Traps! Belfast Morning News 1st October1874
The Belfast Morning Journal to warn ladies, “given to shopping“, of a ploy adopted by “some inventive shopkeepers to teach their customers caution” and to relieve them of additional money in the process. How is this achieved?
A plate of barely visible thin glass is placed at the front of the counter inclined outwards towards the ground. An unwary shopper leaning against this glass or inadvertently tapping it with an umbrella or parasol will cause the glass to shatter.
The shopkeeper has then “the satisfaction of fining the lady, so teaching her a practical lesson on the virtues of prudence and presence of mind during the exciting operation of making a purchase”. The shopkeeper will then arrange for his accomplice glazier to replace the glass with similar glass and wait for the next occurrence of accidental damage and recuperation of funds due.
The journalist notes that the pecuniary loss to the customer is not the only risk as children are potentially liable to meet with serious injuries by falling against or through such glass.
He notes that, although these traps are both effective and successful in their financial goal, a respectable shopkeeper with glass-fronted counters would ensure that plate glass is fitted to minimise the chance of any breakage/ injury.
The correspondent conveys a wish that, when some serious accident occurs, the shopkeepers who set these traps will be taught, by being ‘mulcted‘ (fined) in heavy damages.
In conclusion:
“In the meantime it is very hard that, besides the perils of the streets, ladies should be expected to guard against dangerous accidents in shops which have hitherto been regarded as harbours of refuge”.
Belfast Morning News, 1st October 1874
Funeral Fashions – Londonderry Journal 11th October 1874
On the 11th October 1874 the Londonderry Journal reproduced an article originally published in ‘The Queen’ (a ladies society magazine) on funeral etiquette in terms of attire and the period of mourning.
The Widow – Acknowledging that the deepest mourning is that of a widow the advice is as follows:
- The dress is of paramatta (a lightweight twill-weave fabric of wool or silk or cotton), entirely covered with crêpe to within an inch or two of the waist. The crêpe must be in one piece, not in two. The body is entirely covered with crêpe; the sleeves are made close-fitting, and deep box lawn cuffs and a lawn collar are worn. (Lawn clothing is made from a fine, plain weave fabric that’s typically made from cotton). The distinctive cap must be worn for a year and a day.
- The out-door dress must have a jacket or mantle of paramatta, heavily trimmed with crêpe – neither fur nor velvet is admissible. The bonnet, crêpe, with a widow’s cap,
- After a year, silk and a crêpe veil with a deep hem. heavily trimmed with crêpe may be worn for six months, after which the crêpe may be lightened considerably, and jet trimmings are admissible. After nine months, plain black may be worn.
- After two years, mourning may be concluded though it is better taste to wear half-mourning for some months after.
- Cards returning thanks for kind inquiries imply a willingness to see those to whom they are sent; so the proper time for sending them must vary according to individual feeling. They should not, however, be sent before six months have elapsed.
- Of course, during be the first year a widow can accept no invitations, and should frequent no public places; but after the year is the passed she may gradually return to society.
Children mourning a parent:
- Children (daughters) must mourn the loss of a parent for the same duration as that of parents for a child -namely, one year. For three months, paramatta, or some similar material, heavily trimmed with crêpe, should be worn with lawn collars and cuffs. For the next three silk, with slightly less crêpe .
- After six months, crêpe is laid aside, and plain black worn for a mouth; black ornaments and gloves must be worn, after which gold, diamonds, silver, pearls, and grey gloves sewn with black are quite admissible. After nine months, half-mourning is quite correct.
- No social appearances should be indulged in for two further months. After that ordinary habits may be gradually resumed; but crêpe is out of place at balls, so they should be avoided.
A wife mourning the passing of her “husbands ex-relatives‘ should adhere to the same conventions that would be followed for her own relatives:
- Six months is the proper period of mourning for a brother or sister – three months in crêpe, two in black, and one in half-mourning.
- For an uncle or aunt, niece or nephew, three months is the period, and no crêpe is to be worn at all. No society invitations should be accepted until after the funeral.
- For a first cousin, six weeks mourning attire is expected though three of which may be slight.
- It is not compulsory to wear mourning for a second cousin at al. If however, he or she has been an intimate friend, three weeks is a sufficiently long period.
The article notes that there are other cases where mourning is compulsory, for instance, in the case of a mother with a married son or daughter. In this case, if either of them loses their father or mother-in-law, the daughter/ mother wears black, not crêpe, for six weeks and slight mourning for six weeks more.
In the case of a man who has lost his first wife and married again, it is customary, if either of the parents of the first wife die, for the second wife to wear slight mourning for three months, more especially if there should be any children by the first marriage. This is not compulsory, but is usual, and in good taste.
The second wife, however, is not expected to wear mourning for any of the other relatives of her predecessor.
Crime and Punishment
A Sweep in Trouble – Belfast Morning News 7th October 1874
At Belfast Petty Sessions, Sub- Constable James Quinn charged James McKenna, a sweep, with being drunk and disorderly in North Street the day before.
The constable reported that McKenna was running with a bag of soot on his back, deliberately colliding with everyone he met leaving soot stains on their clothing..
Witnesses tried to subdue him but he refused to desist or surrender to those stopping him. At this stage the constable was alerted and was “obliged to put him down to hand cuff him“. The accused called on the gathering crowd to intervene and rescue him but none of the crowd offered any aid/ comfort. Swearing at the police constable, he was taken into custody and brought to court.
Mr McKenna was found guilty and was sent to jail for one month.
Criminal Statistics of Ireland – Belfast Morning News 23 October 1874
The Belfast Morning News reported, on 23 October 1974, that they had received the “CRIMINAL STATISTICS OF IRELAND FOR 1873” prepared by Dr. Hancock.
It is noted that one part of the blue-book is devoted to statistical returns on “Police-criminal Proceedings and Prisons” with another section covering “Common Law and Equity and Civil Law.”
The Morning News notes that analysis of the “masses of figures in all the tables” would require days but some notable findings were reported:
- Of indictable offences not disposed of summarily, the number had decreased from 10,865 in 1864 to 6,942 in 1873. (Where a case is heard summarily, the case is heard in the Magistrates’ Court with the magistrate determining guilt or innocence rather than a judge and jury. The person accused of the offence need not be present).
- In ’66 and ’67 there were more than 500 treasonable offences; in 1873 there were none at all.
- The number of agrarian outrages has decreased is the previous year from 356 to 256.
- Of offences determined summarily at the Magistrates’ Court, there were in 332,363 cases in 1864 reducing to 223,843 in 1873. It was noted that the number of drunk and disorderly cases had increased in recent years.
- In terms of indictable offences (i.e. the most serious cases requiring a jury) that cannot be handled summarily the breakdown shows
- the average number for all Ireland is 128 cases for each 10,000 of population.
- In Dublin, the highest in terms of indicatable offences, it was 1,128.
- In Down, the lowest number of indictable offences was recorded, 23 in total.
- Antrim was second to Down in numbers of cases with 28 and Fermanagh was third, with 31 cases.
- More than one-half of all indictable offences in Ireland occurred in the Dublin metropolitan district.
- Towns tend to have larger numbers of cases than their their adjoining countryside with Down noted as the best-behaved county in Ireland.
- Armagh was high in indictable offences but low in summary cases.
- Most counties show a decreasing number of indictable offences (though Armagh recorded an increase).
- The number of summary offences largely increased within the past year with Limerick, Drogheda, Dublin and Belfast showing increases, The largest decrease was in Waterford.
- Compared to England and Wales. indictable offences in Ireland are 33% less per head.
- In respect of potential indictable offences disposed of summarily, Ireland is better than England by 21 per cent though In the smaller offences disposed of summarily, Ireland is worse than England by 48 per cent.
- As to murder, England is worse than Ireland by 33 per cent.
- In Ulster the number of offences was 19% less per head than among a similar number of inhabitants in Scotland. Perjury cases are more numerous in Scotland than in Ulster by 88 per cent and indecent cases by 72 per cent.
Dr Hancock concluded that
The returns, as a whole, are favourable to Ireland absolutely, and to Ireland as compared with England and Scotland.
Dr Hancock, CRIMINAL STATISTICS OF IRELAND FOR 1873
Adverts/ Classifieds
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Other News Stories
A Practical Joke – Impartial Reporter & Fermanagh Farmers Journal 3 October 1874
A few days ago some undergraduates of Caius College, Cambridge, turned out the gas to darken the hallway and placed a roll of carpet at the top of the stairs. A porter, carrying out his duties, tripped on the carpet and fell down the stairs in the darkness.
It is reported that the porter, named French, ‘sustained such severe injuries that his life is now despaired of’.
Two undergraduates, who confessed what they had done, were suspended the following morning.
Divine Justice – Belfast Morning News 17th October 1874
Meanwhile in the Belfast Morning News, we read an account of miraculous event that occurred in the small town of Kung Lung, in the province of Hupeh, where ‘the wife of a man in affluent circumstances lately gave birth to a son’.
The midwife employed on the occasion stole a hundred ‘taels’ (a Chinese monetary unit equivalent to 1.3 ounces of silver) from her employers, and was subsequently accused of the theft by her mistress.
The midwife denied the accusation and was requested to swear her innocence by an oath.
“If I stole your silver may I die by thunder within a few days” was the security given by the Chinese Sairey Gamp, who, in her turn, insisted on a similar oath from the mother.
The mother swore that, if she had falsely accused the midwife, then “might Heaven slay my son within three days“.
Waiting for the three days to pass, the midwife returned to her duties of washing and caring for the child. However with the aim of “helping Heaven” to reach the appropriate decision, she inserted a long needle into the stomach of the baby, resulting in the death of the child a short time later.
However, on bringing the child to the parents and claiming its death as a proof of her innocence in the theft allegations representing evidence of the “justice of Heaven“, the midwife was suddenly struck dead by a clap of thunder.
“But this was not all that occurred; for at the same time the needle shot forth from the child’s stomach, and he lived again, while the midwife died irreparably“.
Overland China Mail.
The author concluded with the note that “Kung Lung is not far from this city, and the event has produced a profound sensation on all the natives here.
Encounter with a Shark – Londonderry Journal 11th October 1874
The Londonderry Derry Journal recounts a tale originally included in Cassell’s Popular Natural History that is not for the faint-hearted.
Introducing the tale, the author notes that
Fatal as the white shark is to the unarmed, those who carry weapons of defence very frequently cope with and master him; even women have been known to stab and destroy them in their bath.
Cassell’s Popular Natural History
The article notes that a little boy about eight years old happened to be washed from a catamaran which was managed by his father ‘who was early initiating him into the hardships of the mode of life which he intended him to pursue’.
Before the father could rescue his son from the turbulent waters, a shark drew him under, and he was seen no more. Reacting immediately, the father rose and, placing a a large knife between his teeth, leapt into perilous sea. He remained underwater but, after a while, witnesses saw the father rising above the waves and then diving again out of sight as if combatting his formidable foe.
The white foam was visibly tinged with blood – viewed with a sensation of horror by those who could only surmise what was going on under the water.
After some further time had elapsed, to the astonishment of all those witnessing the struggle, the body of a huge shark was seen for a few moments above the white spray before falling from sight.
Immediately, the man rose above the surf and made for the shore. Although exhausted, ‘he had not a single mark on his body, which bore no evidence whatever of the perilous conflict in which he had been so recently engaged’.
As the crowd of witnesses celebrated his survival, an immense shark was cast upon the beach by the strong waves. The shark was dead and was dragged ashore and its stomach cut open. Regrettably, the boy had perished in the initial attack.
Marry that Dowdy? – Impartial Reporter & Fermanagh Farmers Journal 24 October 1874
When the Duke of Richmond incurred a gambling Debt of Honour to Lord Cadogan, which he was unable to pay, it was agreed that the Duke’s son-a lad of 15 who bore the title of the Earl of March, should marry the still younger daughter of Lord Cadogan.
The boy was sent for from school and the girl from the nursery; a clergyman was in attendance, and the children were told that they were to be married on the spot. The girl had nothing to say; the boy cried out, “They are surely not going to marry me to that dowdy?”
But married they were.
A carriage at the door immediately took the bridegroom and his tutor to travel abroad indulging in a “grand tour” to further his education. The bride was sent back to her mother.
The groom, Lord March, remained abroad for several years, after which he returned to London, “a well educated, handsome man, but in no haste to meet his wife, whom he had never seen except upon the occasion of their hasty marriage”.
Accordingly, he remained in London to amuse himself.
One night at the Opera, his attention was attracted to a beautiful young lady in the boxes. “Who is that?” he asked of a gentleman beside him. The reply?
“You must be a stranger in London, not to know the toast of the town, the beautiful Lady March.’
The Earl went straight to the box, announced himself, and claimed his bride.
The two fell in love with each other on the spot, and lived long and happily together; and when the husband died she also died of a broken heart within a few months.
Previous Monthly News
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