The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1877-06-19

| What Shall We Do With Or mellow Eng
land Hung Clergyman for Forgery-The
The "Hermit" Favors the Whipping Post
I Some Reflections on the Press-Who would
Have Made Good Editors, etc.
NEW YORK, June 10, 1877.
| "What shall we do with them?' Such
is the exclamation of the Fencing Post in
reference net only to Sweeney but also to
| the prospective return of Connolly, Harry
Genet and other exies of the ring. what
shall we do with them ?" however, extends
beyond these gentlemen thieves, and in fact
includes the entire army of criminals. The
laxity of justice and the lenteny OF public
opinion have done SO much to encourage
law-breaking, that the above question is
heard all over the land. Speaking briefly
l should suggest as a reply, punish them.
For no criminal have less sympathy than
for Tweed. AS he is in prison, | should
keep him there The full extent of his SEN
tence. A still heavier penalty Is endured
| by the exiles of the ring, and if possible l
should render their Punishment permanent.
| The army that makes war on society must
be dealt with as enemies unless we surTen-
| of the ring as well as 10 petty vilainy.
CENTURY AGO.
The laws of Great Britain were then very
severe, so much so indeed that the prison.
er sometimes might reasonably complain of
injustice. They had this compensa,ing fea-
ture, however, that they did not spare the
| guilty. Popular sentiment in America on
the other hand generally views any noted
| criminal when punished as the unlucky hero
| of the romance of fraud. The 9th of this
month will be the centennial of public
| execution at Tyburn of a very remarkable
| character. The victim was a clergyman
| of the church of England man of learn
| ing, eloquence and elegant manner. He
| had been bred In affluence, and had min
| gled with the best society in London, but
he had joined the great army of crime, and
| when the question was raised, "What shall
we do with him ?" the law saiG, "Let him
be hanged" and it was done. Such was
the fate of
WILLIAM DoDD.
Asa clergyman he was, as has been said,
popular for his gifts and appearance but,
like Judas; he had another master than the
one whose livery he wore in public. While
| delighting the church with his elcquence,
he was the slave of vice. Dodd was born
! in the rural part of England, and graduated
| atCambridge, in his twenty-tirst year, with
great honor. Before he reached 20 he was
| called from country parish to one of the
best churches in London. Here he aban-
| doned himself to life of dissipation, but
| had sufficient influence to become appoint
|: ed tutor to the young Lord Chesterfield.
| His luxury continued TO increase, and with
| it the habits of fraud, until in his thirty
seventh year he was oisgraced, and fled
| from London. Leaving his wife and fam
| lily to the charity of friends, he sought shell
ter with his former pupil, whom he found
| at Geneva: Chesterfield was moved with
| pity and offered the wretch home. AT
terward on receiving from him promises of
improvement, he gave him rural parish
in England and added a large sum of money
| to pay his expenses
| FACILIs DRCENsUs.
Dodd took the money, went to Paris, and
resumed his dissipation. Here he remained
as long as he could beg or borrow from
the English tourists who SO frequently Wis
tied the French capital. When all resour-
ces we're sunk he returned to London, after
an absence of 10 years. Here he obtained
another pulpit and resumed preaching, but
continued his former denominations. In the
meantime Chesterfield had returned from
the continent and Dodd imagined his for
mer pupil would be as ready to forgive as
ever. He therefore forged his name to O
bond for "a 200, on which the money was
advanced. For this crime he was arrested,
convicted and condemned. Chesterfield
abandoned him to his fate, the king declined
interfering with the process of the law, and
the villain received his due desert at the
gallows, June %, 1777. Dodd was then
AS could he have had long life and plenty
of money, what giant of crime he might
have become do not rejoice that forger
was hanged, but am glad of such prece-
dent of impartial execution of the laws.
THE WHIPPING POST.
l observed recent article in your col
umns suggesting the restoration of the
whipping post for minor offences. am
an earnest advocate for such course, and
having been for 10 years prison visitor |
can speak from observation. Just as the
lax administration Of our laws favOrs gross
criminals, the i'll COM dered and iniudicious
dealing with minor offenders encourages
vice. dor Instance, il man steal or be-
come intoxicated, the public is punished by
being rquired to board the criminal for a
specified time. The Jail affords a desirs-
BILE loafing place to thieves and bummeIs
where they can amuse themselves by in
structing Beginnerb in the ways of crime,
Our ancestors had better way. They
could not afford TO give free entertainment
to criminals. Hence they had few jails.
They whipped minor offenders and either
hanged or FINISHED the grosser criminals.
The stocks were also used with much adj
vantage.
SOME SAMPLES.
Twill give some extracts from the court
held in New Haven two centuries ago
February 8, 1859, Ellis, Mr.. Eaton's boy,
was whipped for stealing hog and a goate
and selling them" David Anderson was
whipped for being drunke." February
49, 1859, Goodman Lowne was whipped
and sent out Of the colony, being not only
a dlsorderly person himselfe but an encour-
ager of oihD' t. disorderly drinking meet.
ings." "Gw le Spenser, being propbane
and dlsordery In his whole conversation,
and an abettor of others to sin, was whip.
ped and sent out OF the colony" "Janu-