The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1877-01-18

lived IN ihe middle ages They had
confessed their own cria5es 10 open
court. uuder the sanotlly Fl 90 oath
and 10 manner - 4 they were proud
II shat they had doas They bad. ~
their Judicial eosiession. waived every
possible defcuse, save the enc that
they bad been persuaded BY offers Of
reward aud pardon 70 swear 70 an on.
truth, yet they were not brought
40 70 plead aud receive sentence
The States Attorney. after advising
with bis numerous associates. continued
Uelr cars. leaving them ia jail.
Many very good though, suppose,
simple minded people unsrquainted
with the MAJESTY Of the law thought
a tribe strange Of ihis proceeding,
although too ,inid 10 doub, it's wis
dom Others. little bolder. ad.
miited their utter inability 10 see why
self confessed criminals should not
suffer the penalty OF the law, and even
went 80 FAR as to sayIbat il was easier
TO understand why mat who declared
bis innocence should have fair aud
impartial trial unprejudiced by public
clamor, than that one whose gtilt had
been established by his own oath. be.
you'd any question. should not receive
. speedy sentence. sill others, who
thought they saw Niger in the
fence, taid twas plain enough to
understand; ouiy little Yankee wit
was necessary that it would not have
been part Of the programme TO have
brought the two accomplices mp for
sentence, as they might have taken
ufIcnse at such All impolite aud insult.
ing act. aud out OF spite pleaded mot
guilty, or IN case they had received a
sentence and the promised pardon or
reward had failed to be forth coming,
this motive for duplicating
third persons, thereby escap.
lux punishment themselves, would he
wanting.
II was also whispered that the end
was not yet, aud a motion for bail
would next be 10 order.
After the rising Of court, Cole re.
manned in Jail until his friends procur
ed his bail Ii must be remembered
that Coles bail covered two indict
men,s only, he having been acquitted
upon the charge of arson, while Fitz
gerald remained under three indict
ments, having confessed himself guilty
as to all.
After Coles release upon bail, II
seemed to be necessary, from certain
indications, that something should b
done with Fitzgerald and Coffee, and
in the absence Of the presiding Judge
Che being in attendance upon tn,
Supreme Court in 4 northern county
one OF the side judges was called il
aud Fitzgerald and Coffee were admit
ted to BAIL Now, what amount Of bal
was fixed upon in their cases? Tn
presiding Judge had established pre-
cedent in the cases Of Reeves and Col
for the ofIenscs with which they wer
charged. Fitzgerald's alleged offence
were precisely the same as Reeves
Reeves bail was fixed at twelve thou
sand dollars. At what sum was Fitz
: gerald's fixed? He was required I
procure bail in the sum of three thou
: sand dollars, or four times less tina
that of Reeves. Coffee indicted 70
arson was admitted TO bail in sum Q
u one thousand dollars, six times a
small an amount as required OF Reeve
on the same charges Fitzgerald's ba
is twice AZ small as Coles, and We
t Cole has bees acquitted Of tie mai
: crime Of which Fitzgerald declare
himself guilty,
Now, honest people will natural
inquire, in manner indicating tina
they know. what does this meant
: They have seen four men charge
with crime. Two declare their limo
: cence; one is tried and acquitted an
the other as good as acquitted. TIL
remaining two confess that they al
guilty. They are not punished IN
. move il made to bring them to justic,
" On the contrary, the State by il
" officers declines TO have sentence pre-
: nounced upon them, and on the hee
Of this omission comes the fact ths
= they are released on bal
upon recognizances which, when con
y pared with those required OF men mer,
ly charged with the same offences, al
y ridiculously insufficient Now, NJ
0 Editor. refrain from commentiu
y upon the facts already stated, but
:" have sometimes wondered il those pc
- pie who were 80 active in the prosec
= zion Of Reeves and Cole are at O
/" alarmed at the inevitable eonclusic
y that must be drawn from the cour'
- pursued 10 the matter. from its begi
= ming to its strange and unpreceden,t
close.
CRIES.