The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1875-01-08
RuNA WAY HUSBANDS.


In the fifth year of the reign of
George the Fourth was passed an act
entitled the yagrant act. which holds
that every person running away, and
leaving his wife; or his or her children,
chargeable, or whereby she or they, or
any of them, shall become chargeable
to any parish, shall be deemed rogue
and vagabond. Other supplementary
acts passed during the present reign
provide that any woman deserting her
natural child shall be equally deemed
rogue and vagabond, and punished ac-
cordiagly. Acting by authority of and
upon the terms of these acts, there is
published in England small weekly,
entitled the Poor LGs0 Uaaio4ss' Gazette,
which is posted to every union through
out the country on the Friday evening
of every week. The scope of this
weekly is very simple. 1t describes
every man who has left his wife and
children. his age, height, trade, cloth
ing. habits, mode of speech, haunts,
and every particular concerning him.
Through it's means the light of outraged
justice is cast upon every skulking
renegade. He cannot escape it without
leaving the country. and it is lawful for
any person to apprehend him, to lay on
hand, 10 turn him over to the nearest
constable. The pages of this little.
paper are full of the most curious
statistics. It includes men of every de-
scription, trade. and calling men of all
ages and complexions, dark and sallow
being the rarest, the generality being
fresh, ruddy, light, forid, freckled, and
fair. There are gardeners, coiliers,
sawyers, blacksmiths, tailors, miners,
butchers, cabmen, quack doctors, cOs-
termongers, sailors, servants, and men
of every conceivable trade and special
ty. Some of the Irregularities, or
things to be made note of, are quite
singular and amusing. Thus we find
that one man has a scar at the corner
of one eye another, mark from the
kick of a horse; a third, projecting
teeth a.fourth, tumor on the right
arm fifth, hare-ip sixth, burn
on the left cheek seventh, mark
on the nose an eighth, down. cast
look, stoop, lame walk, or only one
leg. Singularly enough, the majority
of runaway husbands have blue eyes.
We are also told that one runaway hus-
band is an efficient musician, that
another speaks through his nose. Some
are fond of dancing, while one man
plays the bones in a negro minstrel
troupe, and another plays the piano,
frequents betting houses, and hawks
pies.
There can be little doubt that such a
law and such periodical must exercise
very salutary influence upon the class
of worthless vagabonds it is intended
to reach. There is nothing which peo-
pie dread SO much as notoriety when
their deeds are evil, and with the
chance of having his name branded
about !; his person and habits described;
price, as it were, placed upon his
head, man win think twice before he
deserts his home and family. It is true
that the poor woman, in her little pride,
will slave and toll to keep the wolf from
the door, in hopes that the husband,
however drunken and useless, may re-
turn to save her from the pity which
every woman breads. She will not
make use of this powerful organ until
every other method has failed her. She
has one hold, at all events, on her faith
less spouse; hold which will justly
show the craven idler up to public
ridicule and contempt. Mr.. Gladstone
has proposed to try the effect of shame
in the case of drunkards, by publishing
the names of delinquents in black
list, to be kept specially for the pur-
pose. It seems to be an excellent idea,
because when young Mr.. Fitz-Noodle
knows that his young lady friends may
read in the morning paper that their
dashing exquisite has been seen the
night before drunk and incapable, he
may think twice before risking his pros
poets and reputation. Human nature
is unfortunately weak, and while the
philanthropist, the millionaire, the au-
thor, the actor, and men generally
dearly love notoriety for its own sake,
the criminal, the vicious, and the fool
ish have every reason to dread it for
exactly opposite reasons.