Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-01-27
COMPOUNDIN7 FEL0HIES.
Historical Experiences.
HOW THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS MANAGED THE
THIEVES.

To the Editor of THE EVENING STAR:
Recent events In this city, of which The STAR
has given the particulars, furnish another illus
tratiOn of the Oft-quoted observation, that his
tory repeats itself. We Americans are apt to
think of laws and institutions rs the immediate
offspring of legislative actOn-that they spring
forth from these bodies armed and defended at
all points by preambles and proyisos, just as
the tabled goddess of antiquity was said to have
issued from the brain of Jove. But in the old
world, and especially in the ancient world, such
was not the rule. And even in our mother
country, England, her NEST valued institutions
have been evolved by time and circumstances.
Her common law, which has been adopted in
nearly all our states, originated in custom. Her
most fundamental and characteristic institu-
tions, the parliament and the jury trial, can be
traced to no defined period of time for
their origin. Their history takes US back
into the dim shadowy traditions
of the times which ante-tlate the CONQUEST.
also. notwithstanding the fact that we have
fundamental, written constitutions. with lesis-
lative bodies, national, state and municipal,
whose powers are defined and limited, and ut
the same time a,nple,-we still are dependent in
a great measure on custom for our laws and
institutions. Customs arise, perhaps, in viola
ton of existing statutes; they originate in the
particular interests of class-they may be
innocent and useful or they may be sinister and
hurtful; but they are often allowed, or wlnked
entrench themselves in the laws. The Egyp-
tians, who we've very ancient people in the
days OF Joseph. the great grandson of Abraham.
and who resided mostly in great cities, which
were governed by commissioners appointed by
Pharaoh, were called on to deal with anumber OF
haaf1 rIrrr LONE 20
years altogether similar to the one which has
attracted SO much attention in this city.-a case
in which a lady had to choose betw cen recaining
her stolen property by screening the thief from
merited punishment, on the one hand. or of
eOnvictthg the, culprt at the cost of losing her
property. The American lady chose the nObIer
part. Shepreffrred thep public good to her private
interest and her valuable watch was sacrificed
on the altar OF public justice. It seems, however,
that the thief was not the recipient of the WATCH
which fell to tne snare OF some party or parties
known to the police, whose wits were as dexrer-
Gus as the fingers OF the thief Now It 90 hap
penAd among the numerou8 narallel cases
among the Egyptians that noble lady. de-
scended from . collateral branch OF the reigning
family, was robbed ofjewels OF great yalne; and
this circumstance brought the class Of offenses
to the attention Of the sovereign and his CHIEF
minister The subject was freouently censid-
cred by the royal councils. The di1Iicnlty oi
providing remedy was admitted For although
Pharaoh xos IN absolute monarch, whose ut
most wish was Obeyed by all whom he could
reach. there WINS etill the obstacle to overcome
of finding honest men to enforce the laws-to
catch the thieFes recover the stolen goods
and restore them to their owners.
There had crown up. in . civilization
which was even then thousands OF years older
tnan ours class which was known as go
betweens. Their vocation was to negotiate COM
promises with the police in regard to the stolen
property. It was found in practice that thii
the go-betweens and the police who, in those
| days. never were known to lose By their instru.