The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-05-19 00:00:00

PUBLICHOUSE LICENSING.

Impudence has its great successes. We have seen a
candidate inconveniently attacked on a ticklish subject at
a preliminary meeting of electors. A great hubbub
ensued, in the midst of which the senator expectant
rushed up to his opponent, who was vainly vociferating
his queries and objections, seized him by the hand, took
advantage of the momentary pause which this telling pan-
tomime created, and before the adversary could recover
from his surprise, declared that he (the candidate) was
quite satisfied, that he accepted the apology tendered to
him, and drowned all protest in thanks and commendations.
Much such a piece of impudence is being attempted by the
friends of publichouse licensing—the friends of the system
—because it ensures their own most frandful, dishonest
monoply. They do not, indeed, venture upon the per-
formance themselves, because their appearance would
sufficiently display the intent. They have, therefore,
found a cat's paw in a Mr. Herdy, who is represented as a
well-intentioned person, thoroughly uninformed upon the
subject. We are quite willing sa far to excuse his pro-
ceedings. Ia 1854 a committee of the Commons came
to very decisive conclusions against the magistrates
and their doings. We treated of the matter at -the
time, and we see nu reason whatever to depart from
our belief that the authority of these personages puts
dawn no incentive to vice, and establishes no guarantee
for decent treatment at an inn. We see with our
own eyes gin shops, glaring in colour and blazing in light,
all over the town—gin shops, and nothing else—mere
distributories of poison, to be swallowed without the pre-
tence of other enjoyment or accommodation; and we can
Point all over the suburbs and vicinity of the metropolis
, to a majority of houses in which the honest wayfarer can
find neither meal nor repose—dens existing for no other
purpose than that of debauchery in drink. We can exhibit
public houses stuck up on building plots long before any
other habitation 13 erected there, although with other
houses of the same sort in the immediate vicinity. We can
point to neighbourhoods uselessly infested by public-
house groupes. where no inducement but that of a share in
the monopoly would have brought them. We 1-,.e ow, of
our own knowledge, of the influence, thorough and unop-
posable, of the great brewers and distilis-re. who can get
from their friends and connections on the bench licenses
for their houses which have been refused to the respectable
parties who have themselves built the houses out of their
own savings. We know that what is sold is often sold at a
price that necessitates adulteration, while a ruinous rent,
paid for the share of privilege, augments the tax that
deteriorates the liqaor. We defy any law to be worse for.
public health, morals, or economy, while there is added to
it the proilig-ate hypocrisy of a care for the physical and
moral well being of society. While a majority among us
are determined, and are certainly entitled to avail our_

selves of the use of generous beverage, we have as much

right to this at its natural price as we have to a loaf un-
taxed for the benefit of a class. the brewers and gin-
spinners stand exactly, in the case of our drink where the
landlords stood in the matter of our bread before the repeal
of the corn laws. The one wrong is only by the fact that
we may, if we choose, drink nothing stronger than coffee,
a less scandalous oppression than the other. Police attend
the public resorts, for the purpose of kee.ping good order,
where it may be necessary. But as it is, thieves, robbers,
and sharpers of all kinds are at no loss for a duly licensed
home and place of rendezvous. When one keeper of such
a place becomes too notorious, the magistrates' friend&
and clients put in another. The whole system is plunder
of the decent, facility for vice, electoral influence for lords-
lieutenant and magistrates, enormous dishonest gain for
their connections. To improve this state of affairs, Mr.
Hardy proposes to put beershops and all under the same
honest and judicious treatment. It is a hold move. When
you feel that you are decidedly in the wrong, and that
reform stares you in the face, there is nothing like
charging your opponents with all that is evil, and
making a move in advance, disconcerting them by insist.
ing upon more mischief. - A young Irishman who had
knocked another through a shop window, by the advice of
Sergeant Toler, afterwards Lord Norbury, instantly chal-
lenged him, to forestal kls complaint. The beaten part,
felt that he lid had enough of the business, whereupon he
decamped. This is the trick attempted to be put upon us
through the innocent Mr. Hardy. We trust that Mr. Ker
Seymer will take the move as a reminder that he has
something to do, and appeal to the people at large to sup-
port a contest against as arrogant a gang of marauders as
ever made use of the sham of respectability and order for
the opportunity of fleecing the community.—Weekly
Dispatch.

lATTING MURDER TAKE ITS COURSE.

John Blackwell, a shoemaker at Wokingham, evinced
unmistakeable signs of religious madness, and it was feared
that be would do some violence to himself or to ethers.
The parish authorities in this case were in no hurry to put
Blackwell under restraint. No, they cause the madman
to be watched, and pending the completion of the forms
for treating him as a pauper lunatic, they employ
an unfortunate man usmed Rance to sleep' with the
dangerous lunatic. Blackwell does not lose time like
the parish authorities, but murders Rance the first night,
taking him for the devil. Such is the consequence of
dilatory forms when the quick mischief of mama is to be
dealt with. Stephen Fox, a mechanic of Canterbury, tells
his friend Edward Gurney that he has been deceived in
Miss Hadley, and asks Gurney upon his oath whether he
can keep a secret. Upon an answer in the affirmative, Fox
produces a pistol loaded, as he says, with ball, He also
exhibits four bullets, observing—" If this (the loaded
pistol) won't do for Miss Hadley, the other four shall,
before Igo to bed this night." Gurney's cool comment on
this diabolical declaration must be given in his own words :
—" Don't do that, but come home with me to my house
while I have a wash.' He did so. I told him then that we
would go to the Cambridge Arms, to this room. While he
was there I told my wife to go and tell Mrs. Hadley what
had taken place. Fox and myself then came to this room,
and had some refreshment, Fox having a behle of ginger.
beer, and myself a pint of porter. While we were drinking
it I said to him, ' What a shocking thing it would he for von
to take the young woman's life away, for you would be sure
to get hung for it.' He replied, I do not care a d---
about being hung upon the scaffold, any more than I do of
shooting her.' " The mother; thus apprised of the danger,
goes to the police and states what she has learnt, and her
beliet that her daughter's life is he danger. The charge
that Fox had pistols about him, and with the design of
killing Miss Hadley, is taken, and a constable is
sent with the mother to prevent mischief. On
the way another policeman joins them. The party meet
with Fox, and the mother, reminding him that he has
expressed the desire to speak with her daughter, saes
he shall see her if he will allow the policeman to search
him. He refuses to submit to this condition, and says he
will see the daughter in the morning. We copy the
evidence of what followed:—" One of the policemen said,
What have you got here ?' Fox said, It is a cigar-case,'
at the same time pulling something out of his pocket. One
of the policemen said, We can't take him without you
give him in charge.' Mrs. Hadley said, ' Then Ido give
him in charge.' Fox said, What bevel been doing ?' The
policeman said, You be off ; and if you are here again,
we will take you.' Fox then left, and so did the police."
And Fox, with his deadly purpose and deadly weapon to
accomplish it, thus let :free, shot the poor girl dead next
morning. Her life might have been saved but for the
astounding conduct of these Dogherrys, who tell a man
charged with carrying deadly weapons; with intent to
murder, to be off, or, forsooth, they will take him if they
meet with him again. Of course the villain so warned
made tee best and worst use of his time. The evidence
of a police officer, Epps, who took Fox into custody
after the murder, deserves notice, as it manifests
sympathy with the assassin, and the last reflection volute_
teered, is indeed a sort of palliation of his crime :—" About
seven o'clock this morning Stephen Fox was brought to the
station-house charged with shooting Mary Ann Hadley.
I asked if she was dead. They said they did not knew,
On searching the prisoner I found the four bullets, powder_
tusk, some caps, andlthe letter produced, in his pocket.
While I was searching him, Gurney said, ' This is a. bad
job, Stephen.' Fox replied, There were six bullets, but I
hope the other two have gone through her.' While Fox
was in my custody he said he was happy and comfortable,
I and he was ready to meet his fate, as she had brought it, on
herself. They went to chapel together on Sunday last,
and they had made it their habit to do so twice every
Sunday. He had worked hard to get things, and They
were going out for a holiday in Juee. He was to have
seen her the next day, but he did not, which exasperated him.
On Tuesday he saw her about ten o'clock, but did not see
her again till next morning. It was very hard to his feelings,
as he hod worked hard to have everything ready for them.')
Was this apologist for Fox one of the officers who the
previous night told him to be eff, instead of t?dtiree hire in
charge, as it was their duty to have done ? And how
marvellous is the tone of indifference about such a crime I
This a bad job, Stephen," said the man Gurney, whe,
when the intention to commit -the murder was confided to
him', had merely observed, " Don't do t hat, but come home
with me while I have a wash." And when the crime pro-
posed has been perpetrated, about as much is said of it
by this Gurney as mighs have been applicable to shooting
a dog. Is the wholesome horror of murder passing away ?
Gurney, let us add, had been the comp inion of the poor
girl when she was attacked by Fox, and the crime had been
perpetrated under his eyes which he styled so li.,htiy" a
bad job." It is true the feelings of the people of this cla a
are not to be judged by their words. lint is the conclust
better than the expression in this case? Was the laissez
alter laissez faire ever carried farther than by the two
police officers who, instead of acting on the mother's
charge, bade the assassin, with his arms for murder upon
him, ',be off ?"—Examinsr.