Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1868-11-18
LEGAL BARBARITT.

-. =, u.
LEGAL BARBARITY.
Hanging Wen and women I'm England
for Petty Theft and Cuttins Down
Cherry Trees.
At a late meeting Of the electors of
Berkshire, England, SIR. Walter, one ofthe
liberal candidates for the House Of Com
mons, remarked that they had arrived at
one of those crises in the history Of EGG
land when the British Constitution was
once more going to be ruined, and said
that he was old enough to have seen it
going 70 be ruined three or four times. He
added that in his boyhOOd people we're
hanged for sheep stealing and cutting down
cherry trees; and at that time there were
similar arguments used in favor Of the per
petuation Of such horrors az are now adj
vanced against the present policy Of the
liberal party. In the reign of George III
a married woman of the tender age Of 10,
and the mother Of two children, was hanged
at Tyburn, for al attempt at petty theft.
The case was thus recorded in a public re-
port Of the poor wOm4n'5 trial aud exscn-
ton
She was very young, under nineteen,
aud remarkably handsome She went to 4
lineu-draper's shop in LudgIto street, took
some coarse Inca of the counter aud
slipped it under her cloak. The shopmln
saw her, and she laid it down. For this
she vas hanged. Her defence waS, that
she had lived in credit, and had wanted
for nothing, till the press gang came and
stole her husband from her; but since then
she mad no bed to lie or, nothing to give
her children 10 eat, aud they were almos.
naked; and perhaps she might have done
something wrong, for she scarcely kueE
what she did. Tn, pIrish officers testified
to the truth Of this story. When brought
10 receive sentence she behaved in such
frantic manner "a proved her mind TO be
in a depending and distracted state; and
the child vas sucking at her breast whel
she set out for Tyburn 70 be hanged.
Under the premiership Of Lord Liverpool
and the chaucellOrship Of Lord EidOu,
man named Elg4rl Polio was hanged tOr
cutting down q yonng cherry tree 10 a
plantation in Essex. la passing sentence
upon him the Judge observed that a man
| who would IwIliu.ly cut down a Young
| berry tree would take away 4 mans life
| Ia the same year, 1914, 4 child ten wears
| Of az. Wa hanged before the walls Of
/ Newglte for stealing 4 pocket haudksr-
chief. while a ruff N Eees. we'd 4 few weeks
impfis Inment Tor COuging Oul = wJmln'-
eye. A voice. fha. was ia the g0Oi
old tlme4'l It wss IN the good old
ines But such laws had been repealed
by the Liberals Of the old school, aad yet
the Bri i5h Constitution survived
The above il interesting not oEly from
its political moral, bat from the iilustrI-
tions il affJrds Of the msrci!szs and savage
spirit, unrelieyed BY oHe glstu Of refine
ment or humanity, which hal stamped Its
unredeemeI brutality upon the criminal
lava and administration Of Great Britain
down TO as late period as 1914, add at the
time when the Uuited States were al waF
with That country for the vHdiCatiOn OF The
right ot eXpIlriI'iOn and the inviOiabi,iiy
OF our ships NDghere, whether in the
camp, the fleet, the schlolhduse or any
branch Of civil or domestic government
was The influence Of compassion permitted
II soften the harshuess Of discipline. The
groundwork Of the English character,
though admirable in liz md-siveness, was
80 hard and unyielh.s that nov that il
has been polished off by the modifying in
auence Of civilization, it Is difficult to re-
eognize it az the same, except, when in
some volcanic explosion of re.ribu,ive
rage, it blows SePOys from the mouths Of
cannons, or, in a fit OF Fious aPprehelsi1n
for lis religious liberties, bOwlJ around the
doors of ritullist chapels, and peIts the
clergy till they are IN peril Of thsir lives.
IL must be acknowledged that a people,
| members Of one OF whose political parliei
1 - mia IraA ~
| leader of the opposite party was suffered t.
die without seeing his bJSels burned be-
| fore his face, and when gentlemen Of the
same period arranged pleasure ezcursioa5
| to Brideweli 10 zee women whipped, and
who were 50 slow in yielding TO the soften
| ing Influences Of the age that but little
more than half century ago they could
/ hang a child Of ten years Of age for stealing
a pocket Observation-Disclosures have been
naturally IS good haters and as free from
| humanity as any race OF men that ever
| lived. What must have been the lndura-
ton Of national characters which, amid all
the luxuries Of wealth, and an intelligence
among its educa,iOua! classes no where sur
passed, could retain upon I-s statute books,
not as 4 dead letter, but Il living thing,
which was actually put into practices, a law
| whereby Cnilu Oi ltu years NlI SJillU DC
hung for stealing pocket handkerchief.
| And actually, Mr.. Walter speaks now "a il
the British Constitution, In the opinion of
sonre, vas rather put in peril by giving up
the practice Of hanging children for chat Of
Tease. IL the British Constitution was sub
i.cted to strain by such change, what is
t. become Of it now, when the diseslabiish-
ment Of the Irish Church ia proposed ?
/ However, it ia evident that We derive our
party passions 10 this country legitimlely
, irom tie old stock, though 1t il no vanity
, TO remark that our people are IN improved
edition in the way Of seusibIlity TO suffering
Tbisis said innosPiTit Of displragement 10
the perhaps most progressive nation Of the
, Old World but sull, IN view Of the les
, cons of the past, which teach that the
} | British Constitution can survive necessary
: changes in the direction Of humanity aud
Liberalism, land it 1t couldn't, 10 ought noe
TO survive at all, ) 1t is well enough 10 take
? the advice which Mr.. Walter ans the other
liberal leaders give her ia regard 10
| Ireland, which has now been - On uHrC-
| constructed slate for some seven hundred
years. and il likely 10 remain thorn in
The side Of England until the cad OF time
unless she Is tr. ated with justice and
. | humanity.