Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1854-01-14
miscellaneous.
AMONG THE SWALLOWS.
" rfsm Dickens Household word.


sometimes runs aground among the Shadows. In
spite Of their lineage, descended as they all are
from Robert Shallow esquire, in the county Of
GOster, justice of peace and corum-av and Gust
'alormn-ay, and ratulorum, and gentleman born,
who wrote himself armgcro.
When transportation was ready punishment
for all offenders, there was odd.handcd Justice
administered ut quarter sessions and in other high
judicial places. There used to be power given
by the law 20 transport any one for larceny who
had been once convicted of felony. The power
vas one that required much tact and dclicacy in
the handling, and anything that requires tact and
delicacy in the handling, it natural TO entust
60 the keeping Of the Shallow family, lust rs IL
might bo natural for any man dealing extensively
IN glass and china to engage an elephant or bull
MS shop-walker. Such animals would promptly
call attention to the delicacy Of the wares.
81 far as that last mattor is concerned VIC will
take the part Of elephant and show some of the
dcicacies of the law In the first place. IL is well
known that true Shulow-hUnorary or stipcndi-
ary-must be tcrrbic It's in his blood: rogucs
aud particularly vagobonds-who are the worst
kind Of rogucs--must trcmble when lie clears his
throat lie knows that what is worth doing is
worth doing well; he does not Ike half measures
Of punishment seven years transportation is the
lowest figure at which he can he said to do bust
ness with any degree Of pleasure and If prisoner
he rude, or should call Ncrges q pig, or fail in
just admiration of the court his worship is ready
TO say another seven, make the term fourteen, and
close the bargain. Thus Colonel Jebb informed
the puDllc IN MS report Tor eighteen hundred and
fifty, that During the last ten years there had
not been an average Of moro than ten or twelve
persons sentenced TO n longer period than two
years Imprisonment, and less than four hundred
aud fifty to two years and above one year where
ms the number sentenced 10 periods OF seven wears
aud ten years transportation has varied from
three thousand nine hundred and twenty-ono to
two thousand two hundred and twenty-sx." Fur
thcrmore we may add, that by the tables Of Grim
inal offenders for the year last closed, it appears
shat only three persons were sentenced TO inpris-
onmont for periods exceeding two years, and loss
than six hundred were imprisoned for two years
or between one and two. But there two or
three thousand transported for from seven to ten
years, and Of those eight hundred and lOrty-sevcu
were SO sentenced for simple acts Of larceny. So
we SEQ what sort of sentencing the Shadows used
10 relish, and the great sweep lately made upon
the transportation system must, IL is to be feared
leave them as dsconsolatc us an alderman after a
waiter has run of with his unfinished calpash
and calpee.
Now, lot us look under the surface and ascer-
tain IL can how justice is justified in these her
ways. We take up an Abstract Return Of Per-
sons tried for Larceny at Courts Of Quarter Scs-
sions for the Counties Of Berks, Dorset Somerset,
southampton Including the Isle of Wight Sus-
sex, and Wiltshire in the year eghteel hundred
and iorty-nine" Here VIC read that in the county
Of Berkshire four persons for theits to the amount
Of eighteen and six-pence, received transportation
to the amount Of eightand-twenty years; that in
amount OF sxy-one shillings and sixpencc, rccciv
ed transportation to the amount Of one hundred
and twelve years; that in Wiltshire seventeen
persons for thets to the value Of four pounds and
ninepence, received transportation to the amount
OF one hundred and tlIirty-two years and again
in Sussex eight persons for thets to the aggregate
amount of fourteen shillings and sxpencc received
transportation to the amount of sixty-two years
or the very great judicial bargain Of four years
and Eve months OF convict life for the small sun
Of one shilling Taking four dozen cases out o
this report, and reckoning them up, we find that
twelve pounds nine sh.llings and pennywOrth OF
larceny got in exchange three hundred and sey.
enty-six years Of transportation.
But we are still dealing in gcnerali.ies. Il is
possible for shilling to be stolen in way that is
more absolutely wicked than some other theft Of
fifty pounds. The robbers Of the widows mite can
not be punished too severely. Down we come,
therefore, to special and, not to be partial
will quit the SOUTH and travel north to Yorkshire
for them, alter we have turned n few more abstract
facts out Of the Abstract Report now in our hands
In Dorset, q. B. received ten years transportation
for shilling I. c. ten years. In Wiltshire, W.
N, convicted ON two charges-one for stealing
property worth two shillings, and the other for
property worth thrce-receiyed seven years for the
two shilliugs, and ten for the three; so that for
five shillings he had seventeen years Of the public
hospitality,
Now We will take a special motto or two, and OBJ
serve what kind of larcenies they are which have
brought down these thunderbolts from the Joyes
onthroned at Quarter Sessions. AT the Spring
Sessions for the East Riding Of Yorkshire last
year, George Ingram was transported for ten
years he had stolen five pigeons At the Mid
summer Sessions Of the same Riding, William
sauders was transported for ten years finding q
dead sheep, he had taken half Of it. At the Nor
folk Quarter Sessions for March eighteen hundred
and htty-three, William Flood was transported for
ton years; he had stolen faggot. At the same
Sessions James Whip was transported for ten years
as man who had received coat, knowing it to
be stoleh upon the solo evidence of the thief
himself, who was the means Of bringing him to
justice.
At the Liverpool Borough Sessions, James Mac
ioyan effected great bargain--thc wares Of just
ro were in this case in fact given away like SO
much bankrupt stock; ho obtained ten years
transportation for the sum Of three-pence-half-
penny.
Atthe Norfolk Quarter Sessions. last Midsum-
msr, John Landiniore for three successive thcits
OF corn from the same owner, received three sue
eessye sentences, and was transported accordingly
for the term of thirty years. At tho Leicester
Borough Sessions last June, William Barret go
ten years for tcnpenee. On the part of the just
ices, f VIC regard them rs the shop-kccpers Of law
this must be considered very reckless trading.
Then, too it is not fair trading The very same
County Criminal Reports, cut Of which We car
pick iUrty-eight persons who had stolen, in all
less than thirteen pounds, and therefore trans
ported for three hundred and seyenty.six years
Icing on an average seven eight years per man,
supply us also with the cases of another set Of
fUrty-cight prisoners who had stolen thirty times
as much, in MI more than four hundred pounds
and whose aggregate punishment was the mere
triho of Imprisonment for sixteen years, two
months and three days, being an average of four or
five months per man. All depends on tho temper,
or the stomach, or tho greater or less degree OF
shallowness in the particular cousin Shallow who
may, in each case, be the prevailing dignitary.
We will not coninc ourselves to generahes in
making these comparisons Let us take, here
again, some sample cases from the bushcl ready to
onr hand. At the Dorset Quarter Sessions one
November, man, for a robbery Of eighty pounds,
was sentenced to six months imprisonment. Al
the same Sessions for the same offence at Midsum-
mer another man was sentenced to be transported
for iuurteen Nehra. J. D. Mal then sanleneel q