The Tragedy in Berkshire

On Friday, December 7, 1866, The Standard newspaper in London wrote an article about a murdered prostitute. Eliza Shaw was found dead in her bed, laying next to Edward Priest, who was still in critical condition at the time police found him. The article describes very little positive or informative aspects about Eliza, besides the fact that she is a prostitute. The article also does not go into detail about Edward, but describes the efforts to save his life, and the tragedy that his death is.

Other newspapers, including Manchester Times and Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper wrote similar articles on this very story, signifying its interest to readers. This particular article had the shortest description of the crime, yet somehow managed to belittle Eliza Shaw the most. The article describes her as a "bad character," and mentions her crimes that she was convicted for before her death, as though that is the only significant thing to know about her. The article also mentions that neighbors heard her crying out and struggling, but were so used to hearing similar noises, most likely because of her profession, they paid no notice to it. It was a "boy who cried wolf" situation, according to the article.

The other articles include the murderer's name and motive, as he was Eliza's old lover who was jealous of Edward and Eliza's relationship, further placing the blame on Eliza as the problem in the situation. After shooting both Eliza and Edward, the murderer shot himself, committing suicide. It is interesting that this information is not included in this particular article because it is critical in understanding the story. This article makes it seem like Eliza had it coming anyway, and Edward was an unfortunate bystander. It is extremely interesting to see how different newspapers report news, and how the narrative can be different depending on what details are included and who is telling the story.