The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-11-09
LAW IN GREAT BRITAIN.
CURIOUS INSTANCES AT TIE b.
GINNING OF THIS CENTURY.

GINNING OF THIS CENTURY
Hanging a Woman for Picking CD
some Cloth-ChiIdren Sentenced to
Death for Stealing Sweets-These
We're Old-Time Brutslities, but a
Recent Occurrence Shows that Their
Spirit Still Survives
London Letter IN the Providence Journal.
At little friendly meeting OF frie1ds in
a barrister's chamber in the Temple last
night, the talk turled on the brutality Of
the criminal law a comparati sely short
time ago. The barrister. whose library was
an enviab.e one, turned to his bookshelves
for some records Of criminal trials, aud
showed us pictures Of the Old Bailey and
Horsemonger lane Jail, with scatfolds in
front of them, and Whole rows Of Wretched
people swinging from the glbbet. The peo-
pie were turned of in dozens then for the
most trivial thefts as we should think OF
them nowadays. Two of the Company were
barristers, each of them horrifed at the
conduct Of men of their own profession
much less than century ago. and each told
the story that fingered most disagreeablv in
his memory. One related the case OF the
poor children who, tempted by broken
window, or, to give the utmost excuse to
the law, themselves breaking the window,
angled with stick and wire or some such
oontrivance for some sweets the shOpkeeper
had exposed for sale. Nowadays the tender
age of the children would have at least in
duced the prosecuting counsel, Judge.
jury, and all TO minimize the offensa But
in those days the children, such was the
barbarous preference for property over
life, were actually sentenced to death for
housekeeping. The sentence in this case.
l suppose, was committed, but the death
sentence which had most sh cAed the other
barrister was actually carried out That
was the case of a poor woman who was &C.
cused Of taking a piece of cloth from q
tradesman's door. Now, the cloth never
left the shop. The woman took il I'D and
laid it down again. The judge actually left
it TO the jury to decide the metaphysical
question whether the woman laid the cloth
down again because, after inspection, she
saw it was not for her market, or because
she, having stolen it, saw the Shopman COM
ing and laid it down under the compulsion
of fear, having been actually detected in
the theft. The jury, probably a set of
tradesmen. duly impressed with the neces-
sity Of stopping shop thefts, settled this
curiously doubtful question against the
wretched woman, who swung for the crime
in due course. These brutal executions
were, as the old pictures show, carried out
with all the mockery of a supreme Christian
sanction, and there the clergyman stands
reading the burial service to a row of
miserable coavict3.
Are these brutal instincts quite extiu-
guisned in us yetl was the inquiry. Will
rot our descendants find in our conduct to-
day things quite as amazing to them9 In
talking we had mentioned case that had
amazed the present day beyond belief. 1t
was genuine London echo Of the day.
There was in Lincolnshire the other day a
great horse fair. 1t was held at a place
called Horncastle. On the occasion of that
fair beds are in great demand. There
Is a poor woman in Horncastle
much in need of a little more money.
She had a sympathetic son, who could
not do much apparently to I'LL the void
in her exchequer; but his warm heart
suggested TO him a splendid thought Of self
sacrifice on his mothers behalf as the horse
fair approached. Dealers would be eVerv-
where seeking beds. He would leave his bed
for night aud let his mother have 1t to let
to horse dealer. That would give her a
little money, and would do him no harm
He would sleep out for one night. There
was Mr.. So aud-So Of the Crown inn a good
natured soul, who would not mind his lying
down In the inn stables. SO the poor fellow
goes gayiy to the stable. having first OBJ
tanned not only the owners permission, but
some sacks to cover him-the man being
naturally moved to that small kindness by
the unselfish project of the suppliant.
Poor Cheseldine. however, that was the
mans name-was presently discovered by
the police lying in a stable instead OF in his
lawful bed, and as ill-luck would have it,
is run into the police station as a vaCrant.
SO far it is only an addition to the elf-sac-
rifice. The apprehension was not unnat-
ural, and Cheseidine was probably happy
enough in the belief that the morning would
see everything cleared uD to the policies
satisfaction, and then, after all. the dear
mother had the price OF his owl bed. But
next morning Cheseldine, being hauled be-
fore one of ''tne great unpaid" as We call
the county gentlemen who act
as justices of the peace in our
rural districts, is surprised beyond meas
ure to be percipitately sent TO prison for
seven days. The fact wings its way through
the town, and human nature-eYen rural
human nature, standing i'll absurd a we OF
the country gentleman magistrate-does not
feel quite able TO stand this A solicitor is
got by some kind soul and urged to go and
speak to the magistrate. He goes aud he
says: Your worship, in the case of the
man CheseiGine. whom you have sent to the
prison for seven days under the vagrancy
take. have the landlord of the Grown here
to tell you that the man had his permission
to sleep in the stable" The magistrate. you
will think, make amends. Not he. What
business had men to sleep in stables and
then put him in the position of ackuowledg.
ing mistake. 1t would do a man whc
could sleep in stable no harm to sleeI
seven nights in Lincoln Jail. SO | suppose
this cultured country gentleman, this per.
son who shares with the parson the duty Of
shedding light and leading on the English
village, must have argued to himself Al
all events he refused to hear the witness ht
refused to entertain the application of the
attorney; he refused to grant a case of APP
peal against his own decision; he said hC
saw nothing about permission in the va
grancy act. TIE man must go TO prison.
Such things are still possible in England
but puolic opinion has already tauga - this
stupid magistrate a lesson. The case hal
stirred the public Indignation, and tht
nome secretary has administered saub t.
Magistrate Dymock that he must fec
keeDly. for the release of his prisoner hal
been ordered. Unfortunately it takes
long time TO get the home secretary set al
action, especially in the parliamentary vaca
ton. Six days of Che eldine's imprison-
ment had already passed before the release
was ordered. However, his case has
knocked another nail into the coffin of tn,
unpaid maglstracy. If public opinion
were not active in such cases, II
this case was not published broadcast as q
warning t. other local blunderers in til,
nnagistracy, what abuses might not go or
in the seclusion of country parishes. NJ
man knows the oppression and tyranny