The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1882-06-02
SHAMROCK SKETCHES.
"NERop NoRBuRY, THE HANGING JUDO


NERO" NoRBURY, THE HANGING JUDGE.
Very instructive reading to the thoughtful
mind would be sketches of the Irishman az
home in the last century, of the OppressOr \
and the oppressed, the advocate, the criminal
and the Judge. What pen could do Justice
to She impenetrabe hearts of Baron George
and Lord Norbury? the two who were asso- F..
ciated in the trial of Robert Emmett Lord
Norbury was then plain John Toer. He
was the first Lord NOrbury, and was always
a keen foxhunter In a child's alphabet of
his day this couplet is to be found
"'Twaz ToIer: ha-lz forwards the cry:
But instead ofa stag tits man that must die"
When he became Lord he was called Nero
NorbUry." How well he deserved the title,
1 cite one example from multitude in his
career. It would seem as if every misde-
meanor was then magnifed into capital
crime, and the laws were executed with saw
age cruelty. The number of lives forfeited
for forging and uttering bank notes was ap-
paIIing. No mercy was shown to man, wo-
man or child convicted Of that crime, even
though the note were Of so low value as
twenty shnlings.
Daring the Viceroyalty OF the Duke of
Richmond,
POOR MAN NAMED MOORE
was tried at the Sessions House, Green
street, for having passed or altered at the
large grocery of Messrs Smith, in SackviHe
street, forged note Of the nominal amount
Of thirty sbiIlings, purportiuP to he note Of
one Of the private banks then existing in
Dublin. Tt was proved that he bought at
the store of the prosecutors, on the morning
of certain dav. some tea and sugar and
paid for them with the note in question.
which. soon after he left was discovered to
be a forgery. He returned in the evening,
made another purchase and offered another
note in payment
''You were here this morning" said the
man who had served him.
He was arrested, and was sent to Newoate
after he had been examined before a Magis-
trate When brought to trial, Moore did not
deny the charge Of uttering forged notes. but
gave the following account of himself: He
said that on the day before the commission
Of the crime for which he stood indicted he
arrived, nearly penniless, in Dublin from
Edenberry, where he was born, and had
passed the whole of his life He had wife
and sevaral children. He was a hedge-car-
penter-that is, he purchased timber trees.
which he made into spokes and fenoes for
cOach-makers. Business falling him, he fell
into great distress, and left his native village
to seek employment Of some kind in the cap
ital. On the evening of his arrival he met a
gang of forgers who were on the lookout for
( innocent men they could use for instruments.
Noticing his simple and honest appearance,
. they accOsted, got his story afforded him
temporary relief, and the following morning
sent him out on his first expedition, which
was success. They asked him to try again
lie declined, but was reassured by their tell
/ ing him that their notes were genuine-the
only mystery being that the notes had been
! found in the street. Believing their story.
/ Moore went boldly to the very store where
/ be had passed the first note, which a con-
/ scious criminal would have avoided, and so
/ stood before the court guilty man.
Immediately on being taken into custody
| Moore admitted his guilt, and declared his
/ Willingness to aid in bringing the actual
/ forgers to justice, stating where they couId
! be found. The whole gang were apprehen6-
/ ed in The very act of preparing forged notes
/ for circulation. They, however. were only
/ sentenced to transportation for having forged
notes in their possession, while
THE POOR VICTIM
} was sentenced 70 death, the sentence being
pronounced by Nero Norbury in his usual
/ harsh and unfeeling manner. Moore had
! produced several witnesses Of good standing
/ who testified to his honesty and good char
/ acter. The jury accompanied their verdict
of guilty" with a strong recommendation
/ for mercy deeming it impossible that the
I man would be punished by more than few
months Imprisonment
+ At The time of Moore's imprisonment in
/ Newgate there was also confined there a DO
litieal prisoner, by name Walter Cox. He
was charged with publishinga a seditious libel
in the Irish Magazine, a pamphlet of which
T he was the editor and proprietor.
/ he was afterward released, went to New
York and started a newspaper there. BE
and Moore frequently met in the prison
courtyard 1t happened that one of the
/ jurors 6y whom Moore had been convicted
called upon Cox, while he and Moore were
/ exercising in the courtyard The Juror
( recognized Moore, and Cox said, speaking of
Moore
Poor fellow; he has no idea of his dan
l ger %
What danger ?'' inquired the Juror. "of
being hanged 2"
impossible. We recommended him "a
mercy, and the Judge promised to Law our
recommendation before the Lord-I4ieuten-
ant"
''wbat Judge ?" asked Cox. Nero Nor
bury You recommend the poor fool to