The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-11-30
THE PARADISE or WIFE-BEATERS
The Justice That Woman Gets 10 the En-
pire Of the Gear.
-LI.nnfinn Ttimf,as 1

Wife-beatlDg in England on leaving the
uncongenial atmosphere Of the treadmill, to
which they have been condemned by %
sa wae eboad not be eey
used III asserting the husbands authority,
may find consolation In the fact that there
are jurles who view this matter In Q
different light. and who. possess Q just
shown by the weaker vessel to her
lord and master. The government Of Vol
hvnia. In the Empire OF Rnseta. appears to
afford peculiar advantages to those indvld-
lAls whose wives occasionally require n
little wholesome correction. II we are to
believe the account just published In the
Russian press Of o sage decislonlon this sub
ject al rived at by a district court. The wife OF
q well-to-du peasant In the District OF Krem-
anetz addressed herself to the court Of the
volost, OF distrlct, with complaint against
her husband charging him with beating aud
tOrturing her, and with keeping her In tho
cold without food until she had nearly died Of
starvation. He had bound her stark naked
to a post in the street, and requested the
passers-by to strike her, which hs did him
self each time they refused to do 80 The In
human brute had even fastened her down to
the ground. and In such position had heaped
stones and heavy weights upon her body IN
til one OF her arms had been broken. When
the wifa's accusation was brought before the
local tribunal this specimen of domestic all-
thority took fright, and did not appear to
answer the charge, but neither MS absence
nor contempt Of court prevented the learned
judges from coming to an immediate decision.
The wife heater was found mot guilty." On
the pea that husband has perfect right
to beat his wife II he So chooses, for, said the
wise conclusion of the court, II cannot be per
mitted To wife to ignore the authority of
her husband. But the affair did not end
there On the following day the husband, en-
holdened through tho generous acquittal by
his peers, turned the table on his better
half by bringing n counter complaint against
her before the same court, and this excellent
authority actually declared against the un-
fortunate woman, and by It's salutary judy
ment she was actually noRged publicly there
and then on the spot in the most shameful
manner. Or such extraordinary distribution
Of Justice aa this we have lately had more
than one example. and 1t shows plainly
enough that the new judicial tribunals of
Russia, from which 30 much was expected at
the beginning Of the present reign. are in q
vast number of cases quite incapable of ap-
preciating tho duties which they are called
upon to perform. 1t Ii hardly necessary to
recall attention to the recent case of the post
man In st. Petersburg, whose youth and
a7ness obtained fUr him u full discharge
from the compassionate tribunal before which
he was arraigned for stealing letters during
d whole twelyemonth. This fragrant case,
about which ] wrote to you ut the time, Is
now about to undergo the revision Of higher
court and II is to be hoped that the decision
Of acuuittal will be reversed