The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-06-29
Paralyzed ScoundreIism.


Friday last. His Lordship seemed
moved almost to distress at the pitiable
object, who, with an injured spine. was
brought into court lying helplessly on
stretcher, and who could only feebly
plead guilty to the charge alleged
against him. ''The intiiction you are
suffering UNDER said the Judge, "sur-
passes punishment can give your
Had Neale been in ordinary health he
would undoubtedly have had penal
servitude, for it was not his first act of
felony; but who could find the heart to
carry out the extreme rigor of the law
IN the case of poor soul who would,
to all appearance, never again be able
to rise from the pallet on which he lay,
writing in all the agony of au injured
spine. So much did His Lordship feel
this that, having first sentenced him to
eiSh teen months, his conscience seemed
to have smitten him, and he reduced it
to twelve. 1t appears that in October
last Neale was apprehended for steal
ing mare, the property of Mr.. John
Smith, of Luckington, and was lodged
in Malmesbury Lookup, previous to
his transmission to Devices On the
following morning, when the police
visited his cell, they found him lying
on the floor unable to move His state
ment was that he had got up to look
out OF the window, when he fell back
ward across the corner of the bedstead
and injured his spine. Medical advice
was obtained, and his sad condition at
once appreciated. In fact, he appeared
to be almost irretrievably injured, and
to be suffering the greatest agony-and
to remove a man distance of twenty
miles under such circumstances would
have been the height of cruelty. He
accordingly remained at Malmesbury
for nine weeks, during which time
everything which humanity could sug-
gest to mitigate his sufferings was re-
sorted to. A person was kept in con-
slant attendance upon him; all kinds
OF nutritious things were ordered for
him, such as roast fowl, etc, and his
comfort was studied with the utmost
Solicitude. At the end of nine weeks it
was thought that he might bear the
journey to Devices, and in January last
a conveyance was obtained belonging
to Mr.. Walter Powell, NJ. P.) long
enough to hold bed, and, with great
care and no little anxiety, he was
brought to the county Jail, and was at
once carried to the Infirmary. Two
men were specially detailed to attend
to his necessities and minister to his
comfort; for the medical officer and
another doctor he brought with him to
see " the case'' were Qike the medical
gentleman at Malmesbury) both of
opinion that the poor fellows spine was
seriously, if not permanently. injured.
In this melancholy state he was brought
before the Judge on Friday last, and a
general murmur of pity, amounting al
most to shudder, ran through the
court as those present beheld the pallet
with the injured man lying helplessly
upon it, A breathless silence prevailed
as the poor fellow was sentenced to
twelve months Imprisonment, and the
pallet, with its occupant, was carried
back to prison. And now comes the
sequel. To prove former conviction,
the Deputy Governor of the Gloucester
Jail had been summoned to Devices,
and, on going over the Jail, close in
spection enabled him to recognize in
Neale an old "invalid" with whom
he formerly had to deal. " Halloo"
said the Deputy Governor, as
he scanned the countenance of
the cripple. "Halloo! what, at
your old game? That fellow" said
he, sis an impostor. There is no
more the matter with his spine than
there is with mine" Impossible, it
was thought The Deputy Governor
must be deceived. However, DR.. Clap
ham, the medical officer, thought it
worth while to communicate with the
surgeon of Gloucester Jail, and the re-
ply he received so entirely confirmed
the Deputy Governors statement that
he determined to test the point in such
a way as should put it beyond doubt
that Neale was really the great suf-
ferer he appeared to be or an arrant
knave. Taking with him DR.. Carless
and Mr.. Waylen, he went to the prison
on Sunday last, and, having put the
man through severe examination, the
previously formed opinion of the doc
tors began to waver. Still the man
protested that his sufferings and his in
juries were real, and he seemed totally
unable to move. To put the matter to
a further test a galvanic battery was
introduced, and the "shocks" were
turned on pretty strong. All, how
ever, failed to produce the expected re-
suit. The man was no more able to
move during and after the Shocks
than he was before. So the doctors
left. The morrow came, and, as it
came, SO it found Neale lying in the
same position as he had lain for the six
previous months-if possible, in greater
pain than ever. Regardless, however,
of all demonstrations of suffering, the
electric machine was again set to work,
and so sharp was the effect that the leg
which appeared most affected by the
spinal injury began to move, until at
last, unable to stand the shocks any
longer, the fellow jumped out of bed,
and in a few minutes afterward walked
across the courtyard to obtain his
prison clothes, as 1.-THE and agile on his
pins as any man in the prison walls.
A clever scoundrel! Electricity has
produced many wonderful results, but
none more wonderful than its effect
upon Charles Neale. 1t is too late to
give him the desert (of penal servi-
tude) which would inevitably have
awaited him but for his "pitiable con-
dition. "-LO'1d0n Telegraph.