The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-05-19
THE CAIRNES CASE ONCE MORE.

From the N. Y. Tribune.
We published on Thursday last the letter of
AN Old and Constant Reader, who thinks that
''the law provides no adequate redress to the
injured party, or, in other words does not infict
adequate punishment for seduction and adul-
terry" While we agree with our correspondent
that well-marked Offenses of this character are
deserving OF severe penalties, we beg leave to
suggest that the deficiency of the law probably
arises, in a measure. from the difficulty of de-
termining upon n penalty which shall be no
more than Just and equitable About most
crimes there is a monotonous uniformity of
character; one theft or one forgery is almost
exactly like another. But in cases of seduction
and adultery, it may well happen that the man
OF weak will and of riotous passions is really
the tempted and injured party. To send him to
prison, while his paramour remains at large,
receiving the sympathies of an indignant but
rather thick-headed public, is to treat n man
with injustice and woman with unmerited
leniency. 1t does not follow because n woman
resents the faithlessness of one who has stolen
her virtue, or because she waylays and assassi-
mates him, that she Is not herself ut all to
blame. Probably there are as many Dallas
now as in the days OF the unfortunate Samson,
who said:-
"How cunningly the sorceress displays
Her own transgressons to upbraid me mine"
Now in order to arrive if we can mt "A dispas-
sionate estimate Of the propOrtiOnate delin-
quency on each side, in cases like these let us
look at the late case of Martha j. Cairnes i'm
Maryland. There is no evidence that the woman
is or has been at any time insane. For vic
tim OF cruel deception, she appears TO have
been all along uncOmmOnly strOng-mindcd.
She shoots her taithless lover, and maugrc the
remonstrances of the judge, she is found ''not
guilty" she is feted and carcsscd as a heroine
she marches away free, and by the fiction OF
the law innocent, amidst the applauding shouts
OF mob OF fine ladies and gentlemen. The
man she sent suddenly to II Btrictcr than any
earthly account, with all his lmpcrlcclions on
ms head is IN his grave and cannot tell his
side of the story. But here Is certainly Il
woman Who according TO all the rules by
winch we ordinarily determine character, has
Il ueSree OF mental energy which might have
| projected her against the wrong Of which she
| complains, and TO ayenge which she committed
| athoioughly murderOus murder According 10
| all lalr prcsumptions, which In this affair wns
inc tempted and betrayed p0rtyi What man,
| unless OF a courage unusually ndOmitable
| Would care to marry woman capable OF doing
tnlS lInng Yet, while juries insist that women
9naer tne influence Of rage, modification aud
uis9Ppomtment may kill with impunity, we
| snall continue to read in the newgnapers that
Miss A. yesterday shot Mr.. b. for re}usinG to
marry her as he had promised to do We saw
| ionable. J '''"
Junes, OF course, refuse to hama women puiltv
1 ~ I"Nllg M tnelr revenge into their own hands;
and so instances of this really indefpnsihlc ari,
contrary as 1t Is to the whole spirit of the law
are multiplied. But suppose Martha i Coirn"5,
had been found guilty and sentenced to
twenty years imprisonment Is il not ploiu
that this would at once have taken tbe rorha'',r
out of the whole affair? But a verdict ~
''guilty" meant the halter, and the Jury shronI
| from strangling the woman. BY the theory n.
the law she should have been put to death. an{
she simply goes scot-free-a lonness of In,
rarest description
! Nobody, we fancy, win accuse the Tribune o