The Litchfield County post., 1826-11-14
COUNTY POST.
LITCHFIELD, NOVEMBER a, Ia2s.

We have for a considerable time been 0c-
quainted with the :" M,sseum of Foreign Litera-
ture &, Science" published at Philadelphia, anG
we know of no periodical work which has
stronger, or even so strong claims upon the
notice and patronage of the public, or which
we can SO cheerfully and fearlessiy recon-
mend to those who wish to procure work
containing, in proportion to the price, great
er quantity embarrassing and valuable reading
than any other periodical in the country. 1t
is in fact the spirit and excellence Of all the
best European publications, judiciously and
ably selected, and presented in a neat and
handsome form. Each number contains SO
super royal pages, and is Ornamented with
portrait of some one of our most distinguish
ed public characteristics giving annually l2
elegant and correct likenesses of those men
whom their fellow citizens have delighted, and
are still delighting, to honour. To the man
of taste these would be valued at nearly one
half of the cost of the work but to the lover
of chaste reading, these would be considered
of little value, when compared with the mat
ter which each number contains.
The price of the work is six dollars por an
mum and gentlemen who have that money to
spare for work of a miscellaneous character
cannot makessa more. satisfactory selection
than by taking the publication in question.
IMPRISONMENT for Debt.-A Bill has been in
troduced into the Vermont House of Repre-
sentatives to abolish imprisonment for debt.
It is highly questionable whether the princi-
pies of liberty and justice are not perverted
by law which authorized an officer to wrest
man from his suffering family, and thrust
him into the walls of a prison, or otherwise
deprive him of liberty, simply because fellow
man claims of him pittance of his worldly
substance. 1t is law which allows prac-
tice useless to the rich, distressing to the poor,
True there are arguments in favor, Of such a
law, and the abolition of il would be attended
with some evils: not however to be compa-
red with the evils which follow the full effects
Of the practice. The law now virtually says
to the unfortunate, but honest debtor, if you
cannot pay trifling debt without distressing
your family and even leaving them to want
you shall forfeit your lberty-that liberty
which our fathers considered so valuable as
to be paid for in blood-to your creditor,
however merciless he may be, and however
willing he may be to wreak his vengeance up
on you; the bars of prison and your liberty
are at his disposal, and he may with the assis-
lance of the strong arm of the law, use. the
former to deprive you Of the latter. Its true
there is some mitigation in thealaw, which ;.:-
lows the prisoner the privilege Of what is usu-
ally called the yard extention Of
which is to be defined by. the County Court,
in this state, and we presume also in every
state in the union. But this privilege is liable
to abuses, and We know at least one case
where the spirit of the act which grants the
debtor the privilege of the yard has been
strongly perverted. 1t was unquestionably
the intention of the trainers of the law that
the prisoner should have this partial liberty in
order 10 enable him to earn something, either
to pay the debt, for which he is imprisoned,
or for his own and his family's support. Usu-
ally prisons are located in villages, and the
debtor can always find ample employment.
In the enlightened and Christian town and
county of Litchfeld, even the profitable ben
efits Of prison yard are denied the unfortu-
nate debtors, who are only permitted to enter
public honses. They are not allowed to step
off the highway to labour in woodyardQr
garden, and unless workacan be procure At
the public houses, or in the open street, they
are denied the privilege of earning even the
smallest sum for the support of an afflicted,
suffering family ;---and this too the only pris-
ON house, and these too the only prison laws
for a county containing nearly forty thousand
inhabitants.
"'Tis excellent
To have giants strength; but it is tyrranous
I" To use it like giant"
"A New York paper states that three hum
dred Jurymen have been summoned to at
tend the next session of the Court Of Oyer
and Terminer, to be held on the goth inst
1t is supposed that Eckford, Barker, and their
associates, will be again brought up for trial,
and that this large number Of Jurymen has
been summoned in order to provide for all the
causes whieh.may render large portion of
them incapable of serving on the trial. We
should esteem it strange indeed if even twelve
men, capable of serving as Jurymen can be