Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1855-12-01
HANGING IN 0LDEN TIMES.

A correspondent of the Boston Transcript gives
the following incidents While John Hancock
was Governor of the Commonwealth, Rachel Whall
was hung in Boston for highway robbery. Her
offence consisting in twitching from the hand Of
another female a bonnet worth perhaps IS cents,
and running off with it. The most urgent appli-
cations for Lor pardon were unsuccessful. | mem
ton this not to the disparagcment Of the governor.
lie doubtless acted from u sense Of duty-tliDk-
ing il best for the community that that the laws Of
the land, however frightiully scvere-while they
were laws should be executed. \ lad Of Is years
of age was hung in Salem for arson, during the
administration of Governor Strong, similar APP
peals il his favor being considered and overruled
\ et the intelligence and the humanity, alike Of the
Executive and of the Council, Notwithstanding the
result arrived at in both those instances, were UNI
questionable.
Within tho same period, q gentleman of this
city saw a girl Of II hung in London for stealing
a silver cream pitcher. Edward Vale Brown was
hung in Boston for burglary committed in the
house Of Captain Osias Goodwin in Charter street,
and stealing theretrom sundry articles. | once
owned a set of Old Bailey Trials, Q775, 1880 EN-,
braced in a series Of perhaps 80 quarto volumes.
The earliest Of these volumes contained the de-
tails of the trial of the unfortunate DR.. Dodd, for
forgery, whose touching appeal for mercy here re-
corded, was fruitlcssly enforced by the splendid ell
oquence of johnson. In a later volume, long after
the commencement Of the present century, eight
sepelatc cdpital conrictionS are recorded as one
days job OF a single tribunal, the ~culprits being
all boys and girls between the ages Of ten and Sir-
teen, and. their offences petty thefts.
One case | remember. of peculiar judicial afro
city. y young girl of II was indicted for steal
ing Il roll Of ribbon worth three shillirgs: 'The
prisoner came into my shop aud bough, some rib
bon. | saw her secrete thio piece also. l person
ally knew her, and was on the most friendly and
.sociable terms with her, ard altered her my arm,
which she accepted. Wechatted together. AS we
reached the corner of a street leading to the Bow
street Office, | turned toward it. She said she was
going in another direction, and babe me good morn
ing. Isaid to her No! you are going with me l
saw you steal a piece of my ribbon p! She imme-
diately ~implored me for Gods sake to overlook it,
and restored to me the article. said to her that !
had lost many things in this way, and was resolved
to make her an example-that l WaS determined to
hare her l!f6!" And he gotit. l can never for
get how m blood boiled as | read the testimony Of
this cold-bloodcd wretch. In view Of the Judge
ment of a mercilul God. far rather, itseemed to me,
would have been in the place of that poor, frail,
erring girl, even on the s~oanffold, than in the place
of her heartless accuscr.
| rose from the porusal of those volumes, horror.
struck with the continuous record Of inconceivable
legal cruelty. 1t seemed to me that the 10000
h~angiugs in the reign of Henry VIII were match
ed by an equally long list Of persons c~ondemeued
to be lang in the reign of George III. Since this
time much has been done in England by Romilly.
Bruougham, Msckintosh ard Sydney Smith, and
as much-perhaps more-by kindred philanthro-
pists on this side Of the Atlantic.