St. Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1845-1863, 1859-03-31

1853, formed no part # the legrl sentence
bat was in the discretion of the Judge. was per
haps intended Mt 50 much to incuIrate ter.
ror of the crime itself as 70 sati~fy the friend.
q! the deceascd-the murderer i'm srcb posi-
ton being IN the words Of the civil law, "a
pleasant and comfortable sight IN the relation.
Of him who was murdered" In 1852, hang.
ing in chains was directed - form a part oi
the legal Judgement in certain cases, as well
as dissection-the latter bong performed at
the expense Of t'c county .n which tie crime
was committed, and usually costing siO.
There was one spe,ics cf crime formerly
punishable by death. from III hich the add-.. -
u i:Idigniy oG hanging in cl.aus was never
omitted. aad this was piracy. All pirates
brought to England lgr trial were, aneie, rs,
accorling 70 Stow" hanged at low-water =.
! the east siie Of tie Tower, where St Kat,.c-
I rine's Wharf is now situated; and having re-
mained there until three iiles had wa>hc,!
over their bodies, they were removed. and gib-
bcted elsewhere. London Increasing in ex-
/ tent, the place uf execution was removed faith
er down the river, and, ."ithin the last fJrlv
yeas. pirates were executed by the riverside
at n place still called Execution Dock" and
their bodies, after hanging there until the tide
washed their feet, were taken down. bound
round with iron bands, pitched, and gIbbcttod
in a row on the strand Of the river, between
Greenwich and WoolwiCh terrible sight 10
all mariners going in aEd out Of tie port Of
London.
Ia the year 1881, one John Rossc tho cook
TO the Bishop of Rochester. wickeily threw
into a large pot Of broth which he was making
for the family, quantity Of poison, by means
whereof fourteen persons were killed This
horrible act rHlled forth special statute, the
22d Hcurv VIII. by which John Rose him
self, and all future poisnners. were ordered 10
BE 6Oiied 10 death. This fearful sentence was
duly carried into effect on the cook: and eleven
wears afterwards. one Margaret Dayv suffered
the same awful punishment in Smithfcld.
The statute was however abolished in the first
year of Edward VI reign. Is being unneccs-
sarhly severe; and all poisonerS were order
cd To- hc, iur the future. punished like other
murdercrs. tv hanging.
Mairn- was punished for long period bv
a species Of retaliation, on tie principle Of "au
eve i"r AN eve. and 4 troth f1ra tooth" Arson
wa, first punishable with death hy burning.
and afterwards with the pains and penalties
attached t. treason.
/: wuul! Lc neither interesting nor profta-
bile t. run through the long catalogue os lesser
crimes and misdcmcanors and their punish
mems. Al Of the slightest atrocity were visit
81 with ccath, tie r>t with certain cor
poreal iHdIclnti2s-witi fla and impri- IN
: ncut, or with ImpriSOnmeut alone The prac-
tice Of transportation dil MT commence until
1870, and was Tor long afterwards extreme
" limited. Until the time uf George ".
stealing from the person, stealing in dwell
ling g-hUusc 90 the value uf i0S, cattle and
sheep stealing, returning, from transporta-
q. &
coming, highway robbery and vast number
Of other crimes, were all legally punishable
with death; and in MIST cases the penalty
was inflicted. In the thirtv-eight years
during which Henry VIII. was upon the
throne. no less than - 400 criminals were
executed. and in succccl.u. rcigns. the mum
Der was very slightly diminished
II would be idle II attempt to urge that any
particular horror of crime was engendcrcd in
the public mind by these legal butcherics
People high and low were wonderfully care
less Of human life, and thought little or moth
img about an execution. IT. Jersey. for in
stance. during the sixteenth century. hang
ing was SO common that the clerk Of the
criminal court, probably not being a rapid
writer, lid not even take the trouble ~ make
a prnrcr rcrord oC the sentence of death being
pronounced. coutcntiUg himself by inscrtiu-
the criminals name and hv drawing opposite
to il a rude sketch If gtlnws with a man
suspended thcrcirom: AMI In the rolls uf tia.
period still preserved in the island. whnl"
columns Of such primitive entries may b.
seen.
!: is iulecl a notorious fact that rs our
laws became ic>s hnody, the crimes fr IL"
punishment oi which they wcrc intended de-
creased in uumhcr. The parliamentary re-
turns show that in trirruiIi periods erdin-
1920, 1890, 1870 anl 1850. the number of
executions in England were respectively 3l2
lis. GO, aud 81; ari this immense saving of
life was certainly not productive Of any injury
to society at large
In addition to the offences we have dcscrib-
ed. there are one or two which, on account of
the insight they give us into the rude state Of
the Commonwealth in bygonc times, it nav
hc worth while 10 notice
The iirsi of these relates 20 the offence Of
Striking within tue Kings court TO the extent
Il drawing blood"
Every crime in ulden times was, and still is.
considered to involve breach Of tie sorereign's
peacr IA arrangement Of that quiet and order
lv state of affairs which is essential 10 the wei
fare If the community; aud the nearer this
breach Of the peace occurs to the person Of the
S'NfhNt- Alit t'It ~ ARlS u lllt tilCltt SUD-
posed to he; hence an assault committed with
in the verge oi dwelling where the sover-
eigu was actually "lemurreut and abiding"
was, during the time Of our Saxon cons.itu-
ton. considered so seridke, that the life Of the
ofIeIdvr could only atone ifor the act. At the
Conquest. the law relating 10 such crimes was
considerably relaxed, and the right hand only
Of the cuiprit was forfeited In the reign of
Henry VIII assaults hccyIninp very frap,.np,
among the fiery Lobility Of the coar;, and the
law having fallen into de>uetuj". an act of
parliament was made, establishing court for
the speedy trial Of all such ofeudrrs; and j,
may not I've uninleresting - copy one or two
Of the quaint clauses Of that act:
THAT the serieant or chief surgeon for the
time being. or his deputy, shall he ready at the
time and place of execution, Ia scar the stump
when the hand l. 50 sm';en off
And the scrieant Of the pantry shall be also
then and there ready tn give bread to the par
" that Sh1l! have his hand - sulit;cn OF.
"And :he >er!"ant q The cellar shall be also