The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-12-30
LAW A CENTURY AGO,
Some Of Vermont's Blue Laws In Olden
Times.

Some Of Vermont's Blue Laws In Older
| Times.
The Albany LdW Journal finds IL
Halls History OF Eastern Vermont
some account of the laws which were in
| force hundred years ago:
| burglary was punished by branding
with b in the forehead, and mailing
| one Of the offenders ears to post, and
cutting off, and whipping; for the Sec
ond offense there was the like branding,
and cutting off Of the other ear: fol
the third offense the punishment was
death, the offender being deemed in.
corrigible.' Counterfelting was punished
by cutting off the right ear, branding
with @, and perpetual imprisonment.
and imprisonment for six months, but
il the offender could not pay the fine he
was let off by sitting in the pillory for
two hours, and having both ears nailed
and cut off.
"Willful lying to public prejudice or
private injury, or deceiving or iniuring
the people with false news or reports,
was punished by fine, sitting in the
stocks and whipping, the punishment
being increased with each repetition of
the offense, except in no case was the
stripes to exceed the number of thirty
nine. Theft was punished by compel
ling threefold restitution by fine and a
sort OF temporary slavery, the prose-
cutor being empowered to dispose or
the offender in service to any subject of
the State for such time as he should be
assigned to the prosecutor by the court.
Unreasonable night walking, that is to
say after 8 o'clock, was prohibited,
as was also the converting Of per-
sons under the government of pa
| rents, guardians or masters after that
untimely hour. Tavern hunters were
punished by posting their names at the
door Of every tavern, and prohibiting
the tavern keeper from supplying them
with anything in the way of strong
drink. No clamorous discourse, shout
ing, hallowing, screaming, running, rid
ing, dancing, jumping, swinging or
Lords day. Listening outside of the
meeting house during the time Of public
worship was not permitted. Secular
meetings OF any number Of persons, in
the street or elsewhere, on Sunday or
Monday evening, were forbidden, under
penalty Of fine or stocks.
"Mr. Hall gives several notable in
stances of popular legal errors prevail
ing In Vermont. One notion was that
III the frlends OF one dying In prison
carried his remains beyond the bounda-
ries Of the jail-yard they were accom-
plices in an escape and liable to sat
isfy the judgment by virtue of which he
has been confined. Another notion was
that II one should bury the body of an
imprisoned debtor he thereby became
administrator in his own wrong, and
liable to discharge the debtors obliga-
tions. In the case Of Judge Chandler,
who died while confined in Jail for debt,
his interment became serious problem.
In this predicament the jailor discov-
cred that by stretching the chain he
could include within the Jail liberties a
small portion Of the adjoining ground.
A grave was dug, commenced just out
side the graveyard fence, and just with
in the jail yard, sloping under the fence.
until a sufficient depth and obliquity
was obtained. SO Judge Chandler was
buried after a Christian fashion, and
yet no escape was suffered"