Washington telegraph., 1853-04-13
Hanging a Child.

eel of the justice of Great Britain; but in
the days Of the "bloody CODE" the same re-
mark could not be made The New York
Sunday Courier publishes terrible account
of a scene of the kind, which it clips from
an old newspaper:
The JUDGE AND THE HANGMAN.-Did
your lordship never attend killing time at
the old Bailey? If not, pray favor me with
your company not on the gallows, but stay
ing in the street, amid crowd that always
assemble when am at work for you and the
sheriff Perhaps it will add to the zest if
you come when have a young woman to
stifen, supplied BY yourself: Will The fut-
tering Of her peticoats, as she swings in the
wind, produce pleasant sound in your ears
my learned master? Fail not to watch the
people the men, women and children
good, bad and indiffepnt-who have gather
cred to behold the sacred majesty of the law
you will see such flashing of eyes and grind
ing of teeth-you will hear sighs and groans
and words of rage and hatred, with fierce
curses on yourself and me, and then laugh
ter, of such an unnatural kind that it
will make you sick You will feel-no-
why should you feel any more than your
faithful journeyman We shall 90 to our
breakfasts with appetites and firm convic-
ton that every hanging but changes many
pilferers into savage robbers, fit for murder
a few years ago | was called out Of town
TO hang little boy who had been convicted
of killing with malice aforethought If
guilty, he must have been in the habit Of
going to executions. Ten thousand came to
dabble in the poor creatures blood That
was the youngest fellow creature ever ham
died in the way of our business and a
beautiful child he was. as you have seen by
the papers, with strait nose, large blue
eyes aud golden hair | have no heart, no
feeling; who has, in our calling? But
those who came to see me strangle that ten
der youngster. have hearts and feelings as
we once had. Have no-had; for what
they saw was fit to make them as hard as
your servant, or his master
They saw that stripping lifted, fainting
on to the gallovs; his smooth cheek Of the
color or wood asheS-his little limbs tremb-
ling, and his bosom heaving sigh after sigh,
as if the body and soul were parting without
my help.
This was downright murder for there
was scarce any life to take of him When
| began to pull the cap over his baby face,
he pressed his small hands together, (his
arms, you. know, were corded fast to his
body,) and he gave me beseeching look,
just as a calf will lick butchers hand
But cattle do not speak this creature NUT
tered, pray, sir, don't hurt me-" My
dear" answered |, you should have spoken
to my master am only journeyman, and
must do as I'm bid" This made him cry,
which seemed to relieve him, and 40 think
| should have cried myself if had not
heard shouts from the crowd-"Poor, dear
lamb -shame-murder " -"Quick," said
the sheriff Ready" said T. The revcr-
end gentleman gave me the wink-the drop
fell-one kick-and he swayed to and fro,
dead as the feelings of the Christian peo-
pie Of England. The crowd dispersed
some swearing, some weeping with passion
ate exclamations some swearing rs if he'll
had broken loose and some laughing, while
they cracked blackguard jokes on you and
me and the parson and the dangling corpse.
They had come for the sight; they would
have come to see an angel murdered. They
had come to get drunk with strong excite
ment they went back reeling and filthy
with the hot debauch. They came to riot
in the passions Of fear and pity; they went
back some in fever Of rage, some burning
with hate, some hardened in heart, like me
or YOU; all sunk down in their own respect,
ready to make light Of pain and blood, cor
rupted BY the indecent show and more fit
than ever to make work for us--the judge
and the hangman.
O wise lawmakers. who think to soften
the hearts of the people-to make them
gentle and good-to give them feeling OF
respect for themselves and others, by show
ing them sight like this.