The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-01-26 00:00:00

THE MAN WITH THE CARPET BAG.

The late Gilbert a Beckett, in one of his clever farces'
depicts the unpleasant position cf an individual who is sus-
pected of being a swindler because be happened to be pos-
sessed of a carpet bag, which occasioned suspicion because
there was reported to be an individual who, through the
medium of his carpet bag, had committed various robberies.
Every day's experience, however, shows that there is more
romance in real life than in fiction ; and, although Mr.
a Beckett forcibly and ridiculously portrays the misfortunes
of the man with the carpet bag, they fall far short of a
reality which has just been made public through the medium
of Mr. Brady, M.P. The press generally very freely and
justly sat forth attention to the claims of a poor man of the
name of Markham, who was innocently convicted of forgery
and sentenced to four years of penal servitude, six months
of which he served before his innocence was made
clear, and the injured party was pardoned. Sabscrptioes
are being raised (very properly) for this individual, and it is
generally felt that the Government should also endeavour to
compensate him for the injury ho has suffered through the
laws of the country. But, bad as his case was, it is nothing as
compared with that of a Mr. Temple, and no compensation,
pecuniarily speaking, can ever make up to his poor widow
for the loss she has sustained in the death of her husband,
by being erroneously convicted of thieving. The facts of
the case are distressing in the extreme, and should be a
warning to magistrates, judges, and juries how they rely on
circumstantial evidence only. Mr. Temple had been a
commercial traveller in the large wholesale London house of
Coster and Co., and was advanced for good conduct to the
high position of buyer to the house. He had previously
been in the firm of Greatrex and Co. for many veers, and
was intrusted to make purchases of from £30.000 to
£40,000 per annum i his character was unimpeachable, and
stood deservedly high. In the early part of 1853 he left
town for Manchester by the mail train, but, in the course
of his journey, altered his mind, and determined to stop at
one of the intermediate stations. On leaving the station
he was stopped by a policeman, who accused him of stealing
a carpet bag, which he had in his hand, and which,
on examination, was found to belong to another
gentleman, which he had taken by mistake for his
own. He endeavoured to Zxplain, but to no purpose.
lie was searched, and his ticket for Manchester found
upon him ; and this was considered conclusive evidence
that he had left the train at this station for a
felonious purpose. Another policeman fancied he recog-
nised in Mr. Temple a notorious swell mobeman ; he was
locked up for the night, and permission to write to his wife
refused. In the excitement of the moment be endeavoured
to escape, which increased the bad impression against him.
He was taken before a magistrate and committed for trial.
All this time his wife was in perfect ignorance of what had
become of her husband, until by chance she read in a country
pacer an account of a person having been taken up on a
charge of robbery. She hastened to him, but could not succeed
in inducinr, the magistrate to take bail. The day of trial
rn cae, and his former employers and brother (a man of high
respectability) were telegraphed to come down and bear tes-
timony to his high character ; hut, by a curious fatality, the
trial took place twenty-four hours earlier than was ex-
pected. Counsel did all he could for him ; but his
witnesses are not present; he was found guilty, and
sentenced to some years' imprisonment. In the interim
his poor wife, through anxiety, was prematurely con-
fined, and her life was despaired of. Three weeks later
two of the elder children were attacked with scarlet fever,
and died ; ten days more and her infant died ; and within
three months from that time she received information
from the governor of the gaol that if she wished to
see her husband alive she' must come at once. She
went, and found him a hopeless idiot; although only
thirty-five years of age, his hair had turned perfectly
white. Repres-entations having been made to the Homy
Office, he was pardoned, and removed to a private lunatic
asylum near London, where he shortly after died. His
unhappy widow was reduced step by step until she
became obliged to slave as a poor sempstress to support
her children, although she was born a lady and delicately
nurtured. Such are the facts of this truly heart-rending
case, as stated to Mr. Brady.
The peculiar fatality which from first to last followed this
unfortuate man is very remarkable. The policeman, magis•
trate, judge, and jury doubtless conscientiously did their
duty, but they were all fearfully in the wrong. This sad
tale should, however, act as a warning against jumping at
hasty conclusions. Ana now, as to Mrs. Temple, what is
to be done for her ? Adequate compensation is out of
the question, for what can make her amends for this
hurt ? But still pecuniary relief ought to be provided
for her, not from the purses of the benevolent, but
from the Government. Through the law she has been
cruelly oppressed, and as hundreds of thousands
of pounds are annually expended in rendering the
laws efficacious, surely when through the law such
misery is unjustly inflicted, funds should be provided
to alleviate as far as possible the distress that has been
occasioned. Let every one reflect that the same thing
may any day occur to him or her, and should no funds be
provided by the government for this forlorn widow, let
their sympathy have full sway, and assist in alleviating
her present sorrow.

A somewhat similar case occurred some years ago at
Folkestone, although not so serious in its results as the one
lust described. Mr. Alexander, the celebrated oculist, had
his pocket picked on board the Boulogne boat of a pocket-
book, containing £5O. Four gentlemen, who were previously
unknown to each other, but who made acquaintance on
board the steam packet, were suspected, and were care.
fully watched by the police, who, when they got into the
train, cautioned their fellow passengers against them.
This was immediately resented by one of the parties, who
knocked the man down, and he was taken into custody.
The other parties got out also, and remained at the
Pavilion hotel until their respectability was fully
established. They were all parties of the highest respec-
tability, and deeply resented the injurious treatment to
which they had been subjected ; but all the redress
they could get was an apology on the part of the
South Eastern Company for the carelessness and
stupidity of their servants. With the Metropolitan Police
such mistakes do not often occur. The frequency of their
appearance before the magistrates necessarily induces a
proper amount of caution ; but with the provincial police
the case is quite different, and they are but too apt to
jump to hasty conclusions without sufficient consideration.
It is an axiom in law that it is better that ninety-nine
guilty persons should 'escape rather than an innocent per-
srl should be unjustly punished. Magistrates, judges,
jury, and police should bear this constantly in mind, and
never convict except on the fullest and most ample testi-
mony, as the injury inflicted by an unjust verdict can
scarcely ever be remedied.