The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-01-18

in the case of Mrs. GILRoY, an imm
grant on bo9rd the ship Neptune, has dis
closed the condition of our laws relative to
tie protection of foreigners who come to our
shores to find home, which should receive
the attention of both the people and their
officers. Mrs. GILRoY left Ireland to ioin her
friends in America. She paid her passage
fare, and was entitled to that protection
and care which custom, if not the law,
demands should be shown by the captain to
every emigrant on board his. ship. During
the passage she fell sick, was confined to her
bed and was removed from the cabin to the
steerage, where the rush of water had caused
much ice to overspread the floor, and freeze to
the bed-clothes she lay on bundle of straw,
had half her body frozen, was never attended
to by the Doctor-a fend by the name of
HERRICK-and finally died shortly after her
arrival in our land. Such are the facts, and
they evidence condition OF law in regard to
the protection of emigrants which reflects
upon the humanity of America, and will ruin
her fair fame unless they be remedied.
We have been accustomed to prate of the
horrors of the African slave ships. We have
shed tears of pity and uttered burning words
ofindignation over the horrors of the middle
passage, the thirst, the crowds, the bad air,
and brutal treatment shown to. the poor slaves;
yet there is hardly ripple Of popular excite
ment created by this tale of brutality, which
the Captain KIDD would blush to ac-
knowledge, which throws all the tradition
ary agonies of the slave trade into the shade.
A good, respectable married woman pays her
fare as passenger, and starts to reach her
relations; she falls sick, and is allowed to
slowly freeze, to have no covering, to receive
no medicine, and finally dies from the brutal
exposure to which she is subjected. What
will be the effect abroad should this tale of
horror reach the ears of those who desire to
emigrate to our shores? Which one of them
will have the nerve to trust themselves on
board a vessel with such an example of crimi-
nal, dabolcal brutality before them.
If we would save the lives and encourage
the arrival of foreigners, it is emphatically
necessary that some example be made Of this
offender, and some law provided for the future
remedy of the evil. AS it at present stands,
the captain of vessel is tyrant, as unlimited
in his sway as the Eastern tabled Pasha, with
the lives of the passengers in his hands
their property under his control, their safety
depending on his rod or whip. The Board Of
Emigration appointed by the State OF New
York has testified to its own incapacity to
prevent these injuries being inflicted on the
emigrants. They could not even remove the
poor woman in their official capacity, and it
was only because one of them had heart
was touched by some feeling of humanity
that she did not die in the very cabin in
which she had passed week of severe
sickness.
A double action is necessary, a remedy and
punishment The jury held this HERRICK
bound over to the authorities for murder
Let him be tried, and if convicted let him be
! hung. Unless he is made a warning, there
will be no protection tor future emigrants.
Let this Captain PEABODY be also indicted as
an accessory, and let him in the State Prison
mediate on the evil of criminally neglecting
his passengers. For even should he be ac-
Quilted on this charge, he stands accused of
another equally heinous The United States
Commissioner yesterday held him to answer
to the charge of brutally assaulting, and so
iniuring a seaman, as to cause insanity. The
evidence is most conclusive, and should he be
innocent of any participation, there can be no
question but that the penitentiary is his
merited reward. These two crimes, both
committed on one vessel, exhibit con-
dition of discipline which merits a total renova-
ton of the system. BY vigorous example the
evil may in future be abated. Here we Join
with the Jury in ''urging upon the Legislature
of New York the necessity of passing some
stringent law for the protection and comfort
of emigrant passengers" The horrors here
developed are enough to awaken the indigna-
tion of all humanity, and should receive the
immediate attention of the Courts and Legis-
lature of our sister Commonwealth. We must
congratulate the Empire City on having so
intelligent jury. Had the case come before
any of our citizens, ,sthe Doctor would proba-
bly, have been discharged. AS it is, the crime
must receive immediate punishment, or the
tide of emigration be checked; for who, with
such an example, would venture 20 seek even
our Utopian shOresP