The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1860-09-28
From the Boston JourHul.
Curiosities of Justice.

Tho penal code of England has always
boon remarkable for its severity. Roguos
in that country arc pretty suro OF exemplary
punishment, il onco convicted. Engiish
notions of rotributivo justice arc go strong
that tho penalties affixed to the violations
of law aro not only calculated 10 mako the
culprit suffer more for his misdeeds. but
they arc moro imparIially and fully execu-
ted than in any other country; yet the
British criminal codo of today is far moro
hu,nano than in days of yorc, when almost
every chapter of it was written in tho blood
Of humorous victims. Indeed, SO barbarous
WAS it in soma respects, that but Tor tho
Thin poachabc records of history. tho re.
ports which havo come down from those
times weuld hardly be credited.
Ono of tho barbarites of the English jus.
tice was ;ho practice Of pressing to death
for refusing to plead. This system cor
tinuc1 in vogue, says Chambers Journal.
till l772, when an act was passed by which
any onn refusing To plead in court OF law
should be doomed guilty, tho same ns though
by u verdict of tho jury. Tho process Of
pressing to death was not untrcquently
rcsortcd to by tho judges. The criminal
who thus defied tho law WIS stretched fiat
on his back upon the prison floor, his arms
cured to staples piece of plank was
placed on his body, and on that number
of heavy weights. Tho law directed that
there should bo placed upon him "as much
iron and stono as no can bear, and more
Aud tho first day aftor, no shall have tbree
morscls Of barley bread, without any drink ;
aud tho second day ho shall bo allowed to
drink as much as he can at three times, OF
! tho water that 10 next tho prison door, ex
cept running water, without any brend /;
and this shall bo his diet until he dies ; and
! ho against whom this judgment shall DO
given shall forfeit his goods to tho king.
! There seems to have been two kinds OF
| criminals who at that peliud refused TO
pload to their indictments; the one, men
of property, who, by suffering death by
pressure instead of hanging. preserved their
landed estate to thoir children or heirs
which would not have boon tho case had
thoy plead and been found guilty by a jury
Tho other class were ignorant, dotorminec
men, who foolishly imagined that by re-
fusing to plead they should eventually os
cape punishment. ......
The las, time this cruel punishment was in
fictod. was upon shipmaster charged with
D irncy. who TO savo his landed property tC
his children, remained mute when required
to pleud. Sometimes tho prisoners had
not sufficient forti.hde to adhere to ihoil
resolutions, and after bearing tho weights
awhile would beg to DO allowed to plead
which under tho law they ware not entitled
to. but which privilege was generally &C
corded to thom. highwayman once hor'
three hundred and fifty pounds for half al
hour before his rcsolutiCn failed. There y
ono case OH record in Nottingham where ,
Z H., 10 IN
falling to plead. He was arraigned fol
, murder; was commonly roputed to have
!, been deaf and dumb from infancy, but twt
, witnesses-whO woro subsequently known
10 have borne him il! will--swore they hat
heard him apcak, and he was subjected t
, tho horrid test. which elected no word
from his lips and or course caused his death
. During tho whole OF tho 18th century tn
English gallows 5oro profuso crops OF awiu
; fruit. and the hangman had incessRnt occu
patton. SIX, ton, fifteen. and evcn twent.
men wero hanged at ono time and place
On tho 23d of April, 1885, nineteen mel
were executed together at Nowgate, AM
= not ono murder Most wore hanged to
> robberies and burglaries, and no less thai
:. three for returning from transportation be
fore thoir time had expired. On tho lui
= of November, the same year, eighteen wer
+ hung at Nowgate, and not one for mur der
4 and on December !. nino more-all for Of
: foncos gainst property. IL was an ancien
" custom for the bell.man of st. Sepulchre
!. Church 10 90 beneath tho walls OF Newgat
:, on the night prior the execution OF con
: demnod oonvicts, and ringing his bell,
= recito certain admonitory limos urging theI
to
-''in time repent
That you may not eternal flames be sent
,r The same ceremony was repeated on "a
II morning OF execution, the cart stopp'n
ls before the church while the bellman agai
20 did his Office. Ii was also customary Il
b the cart to stop on its way to Tyburn. tn
10 the malefactors might be presented with
: bowl of ale-their last draught on cart
,s A saddler of Bawtry lost his life in cons
B. auenoe of declining this refreshuent
ts had he stepped. as usual, his reprieye, whit
r. was on the road, would have arrived In tin
enough to save him,