Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-01-10

CouRT OF COMMON PLEAs.-This courtmet at
ten o'clock yesterday morning to taperOffthe
business of the term by giving continuances
&c. It was to adjourn at noon. The term
just closed has been a long one, having COM
menced on the 18th of November, 1855, and
been in session every working day since,
excepting, Of course, Thanksgiving, Christ
mas and view Year. The Grand Jury were
in session Twenty-Five working days, and
returned two hundred and ffty-three true
bills against parties charged with every sort
| of ofFense from assault and battery up to
murder in the first degree. We have had
cases Of shooting with intent to kill, stab
bling with intent to wound, selling intoxicat-
ing liquor, grand larceny not a few, receiv-
ing stolen property, burglary, robbery, rape,
bigamy and divorce, granddaughter andmur-
der. No less than thirty-nine parties have
been convicted Of penitentiary oienses.
T~wenty-seven have been already sent to the
State prison, and twelve more await speedy
transportation thither. The criminal bust
ness. this term, has been more extensive
than at any term for a long series of years,
It is doubtful ifmore men have been turned
out during any one previous term to try
their fortunes in the penitentiary than have
graduzted from the criminal branch of the
Court of Common Pleas st this session.
And the cases Of crime have seemed
more aggravated than ever before; at least
this is indicated in an increased severity Of
penalty awarded the transgresscrs. -Four or
Eve eOnvicts have been sentenced to seven
years imprisonment, and very few for the
shortestterm allowed bylaw. Cuyahoga eoun.
Hymaintains her reputation, by no means an
enviabIe one, of ability second to that Of no
county in the State, to turn out criminals.
The public has no occasion to criticize the
manner in which Justice has gone on her
way 10 her ends through the courts appoint
ed for her, unless it be in the disposition
made Of the cases Of parties offending
against the statute touching the sale of in
toxicating liquor. We cannot resist the
conviction (for it is a matter Of daylight
~pereeption) that the treatment Of this large
class of offenders has been in the
EXTREMIST degree trivial. The arraign-
ment Of these parties has been
manifestIy apublie farce, and treated flip
PANTY and in jest. The fnss-what have
they beeu7 In no case over $50 and costs
oftener from s. to SIS and costs. What has
been the inevitable effect buts weakening
of the public sense of the sin, or evil, Of
liquor selling, and al increased, though COW
| ert, disrespect Of, or indifference to, lawi
We greatly admire the nerve Of Judge
Burke, Of Lorain county, who collars these
offenders and claps the doors Of the county
jail upon them, leaving them there to think
of their sins and giving them no oppOrtu-
nifty to laugh over the statute other than
with such an inane laugh as the ass makes
eating thistles. If we're going to have a law,
make violaters Of the same respect it-else
repeal it, and done with it With what con-
sistency can courts sentence criminals, as
was done here Monday, lecturing them
upon the careers they had entered on, and
asserting that their crimes were aggravated,
as in the case of gsrroter Bedford, by the
fact that they were drunk and drinking in 8
~disgraeeful saloon, and on Sunday night,
when the Sunday night keepers of the dds
graceful saloon" were let go with a ridicu-
Ious fine : Bill Bedford was 50 lect1red, and
yet Msgorey, at whose saloon Bedford and
Clinton had been drinking and from which
they issued when the robbery was commit
ted-this Magorey, who keeps the worst
place in Cleveland, was fined less than $40
and costs Why drop snow-Aakes of moral
ity on The rhinocerOs-hide Of Bedford when
Magorey gets not ever a sniff of a lecture 2
In the language Of Carlyle, /" Why sprinkle
rose-water in the face Of crOcOdiles,@ when
no effort is made to @reforms the lurer Of
crocodiles ? It strikes us this is reversing
the business and Harvesting the horse in
the cart with his head to the @dasher" and
his tail to the weather.
LADIES BREAK TRRoUeH TIE IoE-GExTLE-
MEN RUSH HsRoicALEY TO ZEE RescUE-We