The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1873-04-04
Jhe 5elarietta soarnal.
HANGING IN OLD TIMES.
Contrast Between the Past and Pres.
emit,

ent.
1t is really surprising to those of
the present century to learn for
what comparatively light and trivial
ofenses capital punishment in the
olden time was inflicted. A CORES
pendent gives the following Incl
dents
While John Hancock was Covers
nor of the Commonwealth, Rachel
Whall was hung in Boston for high
way robbery. Her offense consisted
in twitching from the hands OF an
other female bonnet worth, per
haps, seventy five cents, and run
ming off with it. mention this not
to The disparagement of the Cover
nor. He, doubtless, acted upon a
sense of duty, thinking it beet for
the community that the laws of the
land-however frightfully severe
while they were laws, should be ex-
ecuted. A lad eighteen years of
age was hung in Salem for arson,
during the administration of Cover
nor Strong, similar appeals in his ia
vor being considered and overruied.
Yet the intelligence and the human
ity, alike of the Executive and of
the Council, Notwithstanding the re-
suit arrived at in both these insian
ces, were unquestionable. Within
the same period, gentleman saw
girl seventeen years Of age hung in
in London. for stealing 4 silver cream
pitcher. Edward Vail Brown was
hung in Boston for burglary commit-
ted in the house of Captain Osias
Goodwin, in Charter street, and
stealing therefrom sundry articles
once owned set of the Old
Bailey Trials Q765 to 1920 en-
braced in a series of perhaps, fifty
eight quarto volumes. The earliest
of the volumes contain the details Of
the trial of the unfortunate DR..
Dodd, for forgery, whose touching
appeals for mercy here recorded
were fruitlessly enforced by the
splendid eloquence Of johnson. In
a later volume, long after the COM
mepcement of the present century,
eight separate capital convictions
are recorded as one days job of a
single tribunal, the culprits being all
boys and girls between the age of
ten and fifteen, and their offences
petty thefts. One case ] remem,
Der of peculiar judicial atrocity.
A young girl in her eighteenth year
was indicted for stealing roll of
ribbon worth three shillings.
The prosecutors evidence was to
this effect: "The prisoner came in
tony shop and purchased some rib
bons. | personally know her, and
was on the most friendly terms with
her. When she left accompanied
her, and offered her my arm, which
she accepted. We conversed to-
gether. AS we reached the corner
of a street leading to the Bow street
office | turned toward it. She said
she was going ia another direction,
and babe me good morning. No!
you are coming with me! saw
you steal a piece Of ribbon. She
Immediately implored me for Gods
sake to overl ,ok it, and restored to
me the article. said to her that |
had lost many things in this way,
and was resolved to make an exam
ple--I was determined to have her
life" And he got it.
| can never forget how my blood
boiled as | read the evidence Of this
cold hearted wretch. In view of the
| Judgment of a merciful God, far
rather, it seemed to me, would |
have been in the place of that poor,
frail erring girl on the scafold, than
in the place Of her heartless accuser.
| rose from the perusal of these vol
umes horror struck with the contn-
uous record of uncomfortable cruel
ties. 1t appears to me that the
seventy>thousand hangings in the
region of Henry VIII were matched
by an equally long list of persons
condemned to be hanged in the
reign of George Ill. SiLce that
time much has been done by Romi-
", Brongbam, Macintosh and Sid
ney Smith, and as much, perhaps
more, by kindred philanthropists Or
this side of the Atlantic. C0ncor0