A Burglar Caught by a Skeleton & Other Singular Tales from the Victorian Press (20 page)

Singular Coincidence

A woman named Ellen Hoyle walked into the canal at Shipley during fog, on Wednesday. She had given evidence the same day at an inquest on Frank Seed, labourer, who was drowned under similar circumstances.

The Shields Daily Gazette and Shipping Telegraph
, February 27, 1891

Vicar and Church Struck by Lightning

The Rev. F.W. Keene, vicar of Misson, near Bawtry, was struck by lightning eleven weeks ago, and so seriously injured that it was feared he would not recover.

However, the rev. gentleman sufficiently improved to enable him to leave home for a short time for the re-establishment of his health. This was happily effected to a great extent, and it was hoped that he would have been able to resume his duties on Sunday, while his home-coming was to have been celebrated by bell-ringing and other rejoicings.

Unfortunately lightning again played an important and an unpleasant part in the proceedings, for, on the previous day, the church was struck during a storm and set on fire, and the greater portion of it destroyed. Instead of Mr Keene being welcomed by a merry peal from his church bells, he found the edifice an utter wreck.

The Citizen
, Gloucester,
September 26, 1893

A Singular Coincidence

To the editor of the
Cheshire Observer
.

Sir,

The following coincidence appears to me to be worth recording. Last Sunday morning Samuel Whitehead, a Willaston labourer, whose wife is an inmate of the Upton Asylum, was about to start to Upton for the purpose of seeing her, when he received a letter addressed ‘S. Whitehead, Willaston,’ informing him that his wife had completely recovered, and that her clothing must be sent at once to the relieving officer. The poor fellow was overjoyed, and on Monday morning sent off her clothing as desired to the relieving officer at Bebington. There, however, he learned to his bitter disappointment that it was the wife of another S. Whitehead, of Willaston, near Crewe, who was referred to, and that his own wife was no better.

Your, &c,

Sympathizee.

The Cheshire Observer
, May 30, 1885

Coincidence Extraordinary

A singular coincidence of events has recently occurred at Ely, where a Mr Thomas Ellis finding his last hour was approaching sent a message to that effect to his friend Mr John Kester, who was also in declining health, and the reply was ‘Tell my old friend I shall not be long after him.’

Within one hour both were dead. They were born on the same day and hour, and died on the same day and hour, aged seventy-five.

The Grantham Journal
, January 30, 1869

Romance of a Warship

A telegram from Montreal describes a romantic incident of the Tourmaline’s stay. Among the visitors to the ship was a pretty young girl who met a gallant blue jacket by the name of Charles Moore.

In comparing experiences while he was shewing her about the ship, they made the interesting discovery that they were brother and sister. They are orphans, and were placed in an asylum in London in their early childhood.

Eleven years ago she was sent to Canada by an immigration society, and the boy was placed on a training ship. They lost all knowledge of each other until the discovery made by their meeting.

An unfortunate termination to the romance was caused by Moore’s anxiety to see more of his sister. He begged for leave, but was refused, and when he jumped over-board to swim ashore was brought back and placed in irons.

The Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald
, October 3, 1891

Calamity at Washington.

400 Killed and Injured.

A shocking catastrophe, which constituted also a very remarkable coincidence, occurred at Washington yesterday morning. While the funeral of the late Edwin Booth was taking place in New York, Ford’s Theatre, in which, 28 years ago, the great actor’s brother, John Wilkes Booth, shot President Lincoln, collapsed, burying in its ruins all who were at the time within its precincts.

The tragedy enacted in the theatre more than a quarter of a century ago was a memory which had over-shadowed the life of the popular actor since, and it is nothing short of a startling coincidence that at the very moment his remains were being borne from a New York church, amid crowds of sorrowing friends and admirers, the building which had been associated with so sombre a reminiscence in his career should have disappeared with serious attendant consequences.

The Lincolnshire Echo
, June 10, 1893

A Fisherman’s Luck

On Friday afternoon, shortly after four o’clock, a butcher named Burrows, in the employ of Mr William Harris, of West Smithfield, was fishing in the Grand Surrey Canal when he came upon a very remarkable discovery.

Upon pulling his fishing line out of the water, he found hanging on to the hook a lady’s fancy leather hand-bag, which upon being opened was found to contain 39 gold wedding and keeper rings, and £23 in gold and silver. The bag was very old, and judging from its rotten condition, had evidently been under water some considerable time.

The Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette
, July 18, 1892

Where the Gold Spoon Went To

A curious story is told by Lady Middleton of how one of Queen Victoria’s smallest gold spoons was lost and found. A lady attended a State Ball in a dress the skirt of which was arranged in perpendicular pleats in front, stitched across at intervals, and, unknown to her, a gold teaspoon got lodged at supper in one of these receptacles.

Of course, there was one missing after the ball, and it caused great perturbation to the official in charge of the gold plate. The next spring the lady who had been the innocent cause of the loss went to a Drawing Room in the identical dress she had worn at the State Ball, and as she bent low before Her Majesty the pleats of her skirt expanded, and the gold spoon fell at the Queen’s feet!

The Evening Telegraph
, Dundee, August 12, 1897