Daily globe., 1879-05-21
AN ENGLISH SENSATION.
The Very Hard Case Of Thomas Mora,..
Boston Herald.

It is not often that pauper-convict has
the honor of drawing the notice of the
British house of commons all to himself,
and on two occasions. Yet assuredly the
case of Thomas Moran merited the excep-
tional attention which it received. We do
not remember to have come upon more
cruel and pitiable instance of the oppres-
sion of poverty by the law. On the 23d
ult. Thomas Moran, a laborer, with luna
tic wife and six young children. was sum-
moned before the magistrates of the police
court in Chester, the county town of Ches-
hire, and the center of English squirachy,
The prosecuting officer of the Chester union
charged this hapless workman with having
willfully neglected to contribute toward the
support of four of his children, who were
living in the workhouse at the expense of
the ratepayers. All six of the children were
taken into the institution on Sept.
IL. Two came out after short
stay, and since then have been
maintained in whole or in
part, by the father. The others remained at
the poor-house, and Moran engaged to pay
the authorities $3.50 per week toward their
sustenance. But up to the date of the sum-,
mons, though often asked and always prom
ising, he had only handed in $3.50 all told.
The prosecutor hailed him before the magis-
trates for punishment under the provisions
of the vagrancy act. Hhe official story ran
straight enough, as beseemed page from
the short and simple annals of the poor
house.
The defendants plea, however, put very
different face upon the delinquency. Moran
proved his inability to pay by the records of
the court that was trying him. He showed
that on Sept. 18, just one week after the ad-
mission of his children to the Union, the po-
lice found him lying in the market square of
| Chester bleeding from ruptured blood YES
sci, and carried him to the hospital on q
stretcher. After his discharge from the in
frmary he was for some time so weak that
| he could not obtain employment. Then a
hard frost set in, and threw him out of all
chance of work for three months. Thus,o the
eight months since September, he had pass
ed nearly six in compulsory idleness. Ma
turally he had fallen in debt for his own SUBJ
sistence and the partial support of the two
children who were living with him. He
earn no more than $5 per week, even when
| employed every day, and, on the average,
his earnings did not exceed $4 or $3.50 per
week. The police describe him as a steady
man, always ready to turn his hand to any
work that presented itself. Moran closed
his pathetic defense by an impressive de-
claration: II asked the guardians for q
few weeks, that might get cottage and q
few sticks together and take my children
home. But they said must come into the
workhouse myself. AS the time was just
coming on when could get work, I did not
want to do that. I'll pay regularly in the
future any sum which the magistrates think
I can afford.'' The reader will probable
conclude that the worthy magistrates wiped
their eyes and drew out their portemonnaies.
Well, not exactly. They put their heads
together, and, after that momentary
formation of a pavement, the Mayor
of Chester announced their decision
and sentenced Thomas Moron te
imprisonment for one month, will
hard labor. The wretched laborer burs
into tears, and cried out: "For Gods sake
gentlemen, give me q chance. I was neve
in prison in my life. If you send me there
shall lose my work. Give me time, ant
I'll pay it all ~ The second appeal, like tn
first, fell upon deaf ears, and he was remove,
below, still pleading for mercy.
But the reporters of the press we're neithe
deaf nor unmoved. The Chester Chr0nScl
published full account of the trial. TIL
correspondents of the London journals in
formed the metropolitan press of the disgra
ceful decision of the Cheshire magistrates
Public opinion took fire at flash. Il
Chester subscription list was opened un
der the auspices of the reverend precenter Q
the cathedral, and considerable sum wa
pledged for the relief of the imprisoned man
In London the magisterial outrage wa
brought up in parliament by DR.. Kenealy
on the 25th ult., the member for Stoke, an
Col. Beresford, the member for Southwark
and on the 2Sth ult. Mr.. Cross, tho secretar
of state for the home department., although b
, refused to admit that the decision of th
police court was indefensible, stated that b
s'had thought it right that the man shoul
not undergo the full sentence of inprlsor
ment passed upon him." Thus, through tt
agony of the press, Thomas Moran, ere thi
has received both release and relief AS fc
the magistrates, we are glad to say that
the last advices they were feeling very III
comfortable over the expressions of indi
, nation which poured in upon them from a
: |