Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-08-26
IR1NT6V MO- THIJRSDAY AUGUST
EYE FOR EYE.
How the Offenders of We Olden Times
Were Punished in New York.

How the Offenders of Ye Olden Times
| Were Punished in New York.
There are three books, old and musty,
and covered with parchment, in the col
lection of the New York Historical So
ciety, which are practically invaluable.
They contain records of the court of
general sessions for the city and county
of New York which date half way back.
to the year in which America was first
discovered, and continue down to- the
early part of the rule of King George
III, when the troubles began which
| finally brought on the revolution The.
merciless Justice Of our forefathers is
| hluntly outlined onEt the time-stained
| leaves. and the brutal violence Of many
of those who tasted the same justice,
tarel matters calculated to make the
] present generation sshudder.~ Aside
from this feature of the record, how
ever, they give the reader an insight
into the ffe,s NJ miners and custom of
the early colonists in our city which is
seldom obtained from other histories.
The earliest recorded meeting of the.
court was ON ssye first Tuesday in Au-s
gust, being We seventh day, annodom,
! 1694.''s I, l4r. -
The grand jury was called over and
sworn, proclamation made and silence
commanded while the4charge was given
to the grand jurors. The only indict-
ment or xprescntment. found by them
was against John w attsen, butcher. for
forestalling the markell He was
convicted and fined six shillings, and
the court adjourned sine die. It was at
this time called the general quarter ses-
sions, as it met regularly only four
| times year.
At the last quarter session in 1895 it
is recorded that Anne Sewell, widow,
was bound over for appearance for
excepting in chains and irons for several
weeks upon bread and water only, and
also for cruelty beating a certain SER
vant-maid of hers called Anne Parsons"
| In her defense the widow said that the
maid had highly offended her, and that
she did not know she was committing
| breach of the law in furnishing her as
she did. And this was the punishment
| that was melted out to the heartless
widow: ''The court, having duly con-
| sidered the matter, does order that said
servant be discharged from the service
of Anne Sewell." 1t was further adj
judged that the widow should pay the
fees of the trial.
An affair which doubtless created
great sensation in New York was jotted
down in the courts minutes of August
20. 1896, as follows: civilian Merritt,
Esq, mayor of the city of New York, in
formed the justices Of the peace that last
night several persons were making
great noise and disturbance in the street
near his Westinghouse, and uttering
several oaths and eX;eeratiqns where
upon the said mayor went out and Or
dcred them to dispense and go home to
their several habitations, which they re-
fused to do; and thereupon, he offered to
strike some of them and took them into
custody, upon which one Prince assault
ed the said mayor upon the face but
some pclsons coming to the mayors
assistance, seized said Prince and he was
eommttedl:e gaol, and upon exaniina-
ton of the faetand the pernicious and
evil example thereof we do order that
the said. Prince be by the public whipper
carried forthwith to the public whipping
post. and there be stripped naked from
the middle upward, and then and there
be tyed tosthe tale of a carte, and, being
so stripped and tycd, shall be drawn
round the city within the Notifications
till he return to the said Whipping-post,
and at the corner Of every Street Shall
receive eleven lashes upon his body for
the said misdemeaner, ,ti =
A sailor who forged the name of his
ships master to an order for goods is
put down for ..one, less than forty
lashes,' and a couple of women who
stole remnants of serge valued at f10
from Isaac de FPeystey, merchant, re-
ceived 'tWentY.-one lashas each with
birch rods Another mild way Of adj
miaistering corporal punishment was to
brand letter L on the ''braun of the
thumb. The operation would be per-
formed in open court by the Sheriff,
after he had first taken the branding
iron out to be heated. = * = .
The first murder on record was COM
mitted April Z, 1712. s The victim was
prominent citizen named Adrian
Hoghlandt. Four persons were arrested,
ana a special session Of The court was
called for the trial of the offenders on
| the 11th. From the evidence itlappears
that, one Clause struck the fatal blow
with dagger. inficting a wound two.
inches in. breadth, whereof Hoghlandta
died immediately. The record leaves 4
doubt in the mind of the reader as : to
whether the support Of his fellows was
moral only, or physical as well. The
poor fellows all protested their inno-
cence on trial, bat evidently with little
effect, for the story Of the tragedy ends
with an order from the court directing
shat the said Clause be broken alive
upon a wheel, and so continue till he be
dead, and his head and quarters to be
at the Queen's dispo THAT the said
Robin be hung mp in chains ialiYe and
so continue till hs be dead; that the said
Quaco be burnt with fire until he be dead
and consumed, and that the aforemen- 1
toned Sam be hung by the neck until
he be dead - D. 80 IS
For the death of Adrian Be- ckman,
one slave was burned alive slowly and
another hung by the neck. The murder
of Henry Braglier, who was killed with
an ak, was revenged in burning Of the
leading conspira tor and the hanging of
five theirs. There were TN other muir 3
ders, for which at least three slaves suf-
fered death.-N. Y. Cor Toronto Mail
49, ~
Be Cautious at Home.
s