Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-02-07
SYMPATHY FOR A SEX
That Is Attempting to Tighten the
Sentence Which Mrs. Osborne
is ALMOST CERTAIN TO GET.
Plea of Hysteria to Be Entered in Be-
half of the Woman.
THE MOST PITY FOR THE HUSBAND
rBY CABLE TO THE DISPATCH


LONDON, Feb. 6.-[Copyright I'M
Osborne, the aristocratic thief and perjurer,
who, after stealing her friends jewels, tried
to bring dishonor upon that friends family,
has surrendered to take her trial in prefer
ence to lifelong exile with the constant dam
ger of arrest. To Judge from the sentimen-
tai language heard on all sides and read in
the newspapers, Mrs. Osborne's surrender,
coupled with the fact that she is about to
become mother and that she wept in the
dock, constitutes full atonement for her
sins. 1t is evident that powerful friends
are preparing popular agitation in her favor,
in the hope of influencing the Judge and
jury, and of justifying the clemency of the
crown when she shall have been formally
found guilty and sentenced.
1t is understood plea of hysteria is to be
put forward on her behalf, and that there is
evidence to Justify it in her own mental
and physical condition and in her family
history. If the plea should succeed, there
will have been placed record the most
remarkable and prolonged case of hysteria
known in criminal and medical annals.
Long Attack of Mysteries.
Many good and ordinarily sensible, hard
headed Englishmen seem already to have
forgotten that Mrs Osborne's hysteria-or
whatever else it may be called-enabled her
to deceive fond friends, devoted lover and
husband, shrewd solicitors and eminent
barristers for many months, and that she
was on the verv verge of triumphant sue
cess when ali her plotting and lying was
unset bv the merest accident.
Much of this misplaced sympathy is
doubtless due to natural commiseration for
the terribly wronged husband. But Cap
tain Osborne will best be served by allowing
Justice to take its course, as in the case of
an ordinary person, rather than to arouse
into active indignation the feeling always
latent among the masses in this country
that there is one law for the rich and another
for the poor.
Mrs Osborne is being treated in Holloway
prison as a sick prisoner in the infrmary.
To-day she is reported to be abed and in a
a verv PROSTATE condition. If her health
should permit she will be brought before
q magistrate and committed for trial next
Friday. She will plead guilty at the Old
Bailey, and in all probability her fate will
be decided by the end of this month.
Where the Treasury Got Even.
The strange procedure in the case of Mrs.
Osborne created intense surprise. 1t was
so entirely unexpected that no one could |
account for it The true reason is now
known. The original warrant for the ar
rest of Mrs. Osborne for obtaining money |
under false pretenses was granted bv the |
LORD Mayor and handed to his own police |
in the city of London. To execute it was
taking the wind out of the sails of the |
Treasury, the Home Office and Scotland |
Yard, who felt iealously irritated But |
they bided their time, aud when Mrs. Os- |
borne is at length brought up in the city |
the Treasury declines to produce any evil |
dence against her.
The Lord Mayor is thus unable to prove |
his case, and the woman is discharged. |
Then the Treasury is revenged and Mrs. |
Osborne is rearrested on the much more |
serious charge of perjury. Had she pleaded |
guilty and been sentenced under the first |
charge, a term of three months would prob |
ably have been the extent of her imprison-
ment On the more serious indictment she |
is not likely to get off with less than IS |
months and it is within the power of the |
Judge to infict term of penal servitude.
Sentiment at Last Changing.
The sentiment of ''the upper classes is
changing toward Mrs. Osborne. After the
trial her duplicitv and barefaced lying, her
sacrifice of innocent people and reckless
disregard of almost every human obligation
caused general horror and indignation. But
recently she has figured as a hunted crea-
ture, hiding her shame in the obscure cor
ners of the earth, sick with harassing sus-
pense and cursed with the knowledge of the
misery she must bring upon her unborn
babe.
But even stronger was the feeling of SYM
pathy with the husband. He has been the
one redeeming feature of the sordid, miser-
able occasion. He has stood lovally by his
wife, shielding her as far as possible from /
the consequences of her own wrong doing.
He led her by the hand when she surren-
dered herself, he stood by her in the dock,
gave her water and famed her when the
tainting sickness came over her, whispered
words of courage and comfort, and accom-
panied her to the door of her cell. The de-
votion of the man, the whole pathos of the
situation, melted other hearts than those
Of the women in court