The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-03-17

cation had great reason to congratulate him
self on having had very lucky escape OF
imprisonment or worse. IL 10 not every mag
issrass. nor even every jury. that would have
displayed the sagacity with which the Coven-
try police superintendent detected the false
hood of . plausible and circumstantiai lnyen-
ton.
1t is one of the most cruel features of this
class of charges that the ordinary presump
ton of law 10 practically reversed In respect
to them. Unless innocence 10 positively made
out, guilt is inferred. Juries make IL point
of principle always to believe the woman,
| and they are careful to avoid any rick OF tam
pering with their principles, or confusing |
| their minds, by listening TO evidence. Some |
| of tho magistrates seem 10 iook upon perjury |
Of this kind, even whom it 10 decisively prov. |
| ed as q weakness of lovely woman which |
| rather exalts than diminishes her charms.-
! So that the accused on such q complaint is In
| evil case. Virtually he is called upon 10
prove a negauve-to show that that which
woman asserts to have taken place at given
| time did not take place. If he fails, the
chances are that he is absolutely lost. A
soldier, or sailor, or an NJ. P. for populous
| borough might recover from such a convic
| ton, with no worse damage than a standing
Joke against him. But a solicitor, barris-
ter, a medical man, or q clergyman would be
irreooverabiy ruined. Yet according to the
practice of magistrates and juries, it is no
avail for him to pit his word against VIC
mans. Practically, the presumption of law
In this case is that the man IL guilty, unless
he is proved 20 be innocent. 1, is worth
| while 60 examine the ideas upon which this
curious perversion of justice rests. The no
ton seems to be that the woman can have no
interest in making such an accusation unless
there is some ground for it. Those who have
cherished this theory appear to have wholly
overlooked the easy application OF such a
charge to the purpose of extorting money
The same kind of reasoning used to be ap-
| piled to the law of utilization. liz was the
, fashion of philauthropists of Q certain sort to
. ! maintain that a woman could never be
. | truo to what was called her s"wom anly in
2 stiucts" as to father a child on the wrong
: man Facts, however, were, too strong for
o the admirers OF womsnly instincts. 1t was
: soon established by experience that the
Q threat Of sthliation was very available in
! strument in the hands of enterprising young
mothers tor the purpose OF extortlng money
Y from such modest young men as did not like
to make au appearance in the county paper
/. in the I'm pleasant character OF ''the putauSe
j. father" The inherent difficulty OF obtain
9 ing sufficient evidence of immoral acts has
4 always been Il sore temptation to Legislators
q especially to that class of Legislators who are
most keen to deal with these questions. The
+ are always inclined TO sldr over the proof OF
s guilt, aud to assume guilt whenever it Ii
IL plausibiy charged, for the sake OF the moral
ity of the community. Social reformers used
e to be guilty of the error when they
If ;laced under their ban all men who we're &C
% oased of the worst of eli offences against NOR
y atty, whether it were proved or not. Suct
a tampsring with the most rudimentaTy
20 principles of Justice for presumed pub
8. lie good always ends In one way.
it invaribly breeds q race of extorticners, NAL,
- or female. no trade upon the penalty whicI
"A has been affixed, not to the offence, but to th'
he mere accusation. The trade Ia very lucra
tive one Thsse victims of these piundsrer
have been known,in several instauces,t to pas
their lives in buying from time TO time a shor
respite from the dreaded disgrace, at pric
rising, with each demand esoh paymen
seemed 10 furnish more conslusive admiss
ion OF guilt.
But the desire TO exhibit, money is nc: tn
- only motive that drives girls of polluted mind
d. to make charges of this kind. 1t is not
rr very uncommon thing for the well-sducate
girls TO imagine without cause that they ar
being admired. 1t used TO be said that th
young ladies of q peighboring kingdom wer
so keenly alive to the possibility of suite
that if q male friend asked one OF them wha
wine she would take, she was sure to ans
" Port If you please; and ask my mamma
-. IL is natural and innocent enough In yOun
u minds to be on the watch for admiration, ,
~ fancy ii wher. it is not felt, and to iaterprt
no 1t from acts and language which are nc
TO meant to convey it. Blu, translate that ter
'' dency into the mental language of yOun
% girls educated in a corrupt atmosphere, az
" Infatuated by the language OF those aroup
- them t. regard the tender emotions naturs
H. to their age from the least sentimental side
= There is a long interval between the yanit
''s which tancies Ia proposal where none wa
ne meant, and the passion which imagines th
Va more 6emonstrstve advances that ar
we the subject Of these accusations but il
70 not greater than the interval between a pur
IT. and currupted mind. The idea once col
ceived the rest is easy. The glrl, half
'a' pride. half bit of gossip, tells what sh
IN has fancied to be a friend. Perhaps she
"a met with incredulty ridicule, and of court
Ire she invenrs additional circumstances to cor
ey 6rn her story, The assertion once made ST
ny is ashamed to retraot 1t and, st last, when
w. has been made to some person of whom she
IN afraid she fears TO retrsct 1t. To mention o.
ge lv one ca.e-this was exactly the process b
w, which the narrative of Eugenia Plummer,
ow uirl of ten years old brought 60 perts
an ton sometime ago. She invented the ske
", ton of the story spontaneously bus all til
VI circumstances OF the narrative appear TO ha,
'ge suggested themselves In the course of CO,
Tes slant conversation upon toe subject st
as found herself q sort of heroine--a centre
81 attention to an extent she never experience
lm before; and the elevation was much too era
- flying to her feelings to be voluntarily r
as- nounced. After L time, she had Commute
at herself 90 deeply that even her childish mir
- could see that certain punishment would
aft To cn,.eonanoa of rs,r.c,;on In ,ha ON
nts Che waa hsn,,Iv conv,cted of nar;ury ar
vas '.A punished. though very inadequetely; bus
he was not until she had reduced an excelle
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