Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1868-11-12

LEGAL BARBARITY. AT late meeting OF
the electors of Berkshire, England, Mr. Wal
ter, one of the liberal candidates for the House
Of Commons, remarked that In his boyhood
people we're hanged for sheep stealing and cut
ting down cherry trees. In the reign OF George
3d. married woman of the tender age OF 10
aud the mother of two children, was hanged at
Tyburn for an attempt at petty THEFT. The
case was thus recorded In public report OF the
poor woman's trial and execution:
"She was very young, under nineteen, aud
remarkably handsome, She went TO linen
diapers shop in Ludgate street, took some
coarse linen off the counter and slipped 1t un-
der her cloak. The shopman saw her, and she
laid it down, For this she was hanged. Her de-
fence was that she had lived In credit, and had
wanted tor nothing, till the press gang
came and stole her husband from her ;
but since then she had no bed to lie on,
nothing to give her children to eat, and they
were almost Naked and perhaps she might
have done something wrong tor she scarce
ly knew what she did. The parish oth-
GERS testified to the truth Of this story. When
brought to receive sentence she behaved In
such frantic manner as proved her MIND 10
be in responding and distracted state; and
the child was sucking at her breast when she
set out for Tyburn to be hanged. Under the
premiership of Lord Liverpool aud the chan,
celorship of Lord E.don, man named Edward
Polio was hanged for cutting down young
cherry tree in plantation IN Essex In pas
sing sentence uoon him the judge observed
that a man who would wilfully cut down o
young cherry tree would take away mans
lte ln the same year, 1914, chlld ten years
OF age was hanged before the walls OF NeWgate
for stealing pocket-handkerchief, while aruf-
han received few weeks imprisonment TOR
gouging out woman eye. "A voice. That
was in the good old times. 1t was In the
good old times But such laws had been re-
pealed bv the Liberals of the old school, and
yet tue British Constitution survived.
The above is interesting, not only from It's
political mora but from the illustrations lt at
lords of the mercileSs aud savage spirit, unre-
heved by one gleam of refinement or humanity,
which had stamped its unredeemed brutality
upon the criminal laws and administrator OF
treat Britain down to as late a perlos as 1914.
LITERARY RELIC-A gentleman In New
Orleans has in his possession 90 edition OF the
works of Edmund Burke, of 1884, which was
once the property of Samuel Taylor Coleridge,
author of the Ancient Mariner" and 'Chris-
tabelle." On the fly leaf of the first volume
are the following lines in the autograph of the
poet
Burke possessed, and has sedulousy sharp
ened, that eye which sees all things, actions,
and events in relation to the laws that deter
mine their existence and circumscribe then
possibility. He referred habitually to princi-
pies. fia XroS coiaptifIo cfafacmon and there
lore seer. For every principle contains in
Nselt the germs of prophecy; and as the pro
pnehc power is the essential privilege OF science
50 the iul6lment of its oracles supplies the out
ward, and to men in general, the only test o.
It's claims to the title. s. I. CoLERIDGE.
On another blank Leaf is the further opin.
Burke in his public life found himself as it
We're, lu Noah ark, with very few men
and great many beasts. s. L. CoLERIDaE.