The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1870-04-27
English Justice.
DIsTRAINING A BABY's CRADLE FOR
! RENT THE MOTHER KILLS THE oRrI-
GER AND is ACQUITTED.
From the New York SUM-

A curious and novel case was tried
before Justice Wilies at the Spring
Assizes of the Northern Circuit il
England, held at Durham last month
Bridget Mcintyre, an Irish woman
was charged with the manslanghter. Of
one Geo. Massey, at a place called Vii
lihgton, on the lst of February oftllt
present year. The circumstances 81
the homicide were peculiar.
Vasey,the deceased, was sheriff.
officer. Tbe prisoners husband had
hfailed TO pay his rent, aud this baliti
went to the house to distrain for it
There he found the prisoner, her hus-
band being absent at the time. In the
room which he entered was the baby
lying quietly in its cradle. Whether
the balitf was unable to find ANYTHING
else or not does not clearly appear;
but, at all events, he told the woman
he must have that cradle. She very
naturally refused to let him have it
saying he might have everything else
there was in the house, but not that
He insisted, and the alteration be.
tween them, thus begun, was brough,
to climax by the baliff, who turned
the baby out OF tie cradle, which he
passed to All under baliff at the door
The exasperated mother seized the frs,
offensive weapon at hand, which was
rs it happened. rolling-pin. With
this she struck the officer two heavy
blows on the head, and as he fed she
flung an eartlcnWare jug at him. This
was broken to pieces over his head
The baliff departed. He went home
took to his bed, and after an illness o.
six days died Of erysipclas and extray.
asation of blood'on the. brain. 1t was
not maintained on the part of the de-
fence that death resulted from any
other causes than the blows inflicted
by the angry woman.
Thejury found the prisoner guilty
but with a recommendation to mercy
This recommendation was most favor
ably considered by the court, and Jus
tice Wiiles ordered that she shonlt
find two sureties in twenty pound:
(about one hundred dollars( each tt
keep the peace for twelve months, ant
that upon SO doing she should be dis
charged. He said, in the conrse of til,
trial, that the distraint of the cradl,
was quite illegal, and being so, the wo
man used no more force than was nee
essary to resist it; baliff might a
well distrain shirt upon person.
back as cradle with child in it
Even a horse upon which man is rid
ing cannot legally be distraincd, mucl
less baby's cradle in which the bah.
lay, ,s.. 500 .s Is qzu 81 e.s i.
| OF conrse every one will approve TIN
action of the court in this case. 1t j
an admirable warning to the officers o
the law not to overstep the limits o
their authority. To avoid SO doing,
clear understanding of exactly wha
the law prescribes in regard to thei
acts is necessary; for it is to the ignor
ance of officers, principally, that thei
mistakes, and even outrages are attrib
utable. knowledge is primary con
dition for the exercise of care. Ther
are several instances on record in Eng
land where officers have been kille'
while attempting TO serve illegal war
rants which they believed to be legal
and in each case the court refused t
impose severe sentence. Those VIII
assume to act nnder the commands Q
the law ought TO be sure that they hav
the law on their side.