The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1894-09-21
Srleet aNiseellany.
WHEN ANIMALS WERE MALEFACTORS.

animals were prosecuted in courts of
justice between the thirteenth and seven
teenth centuries for mi iuries by them to
human beings or private property, said a
lawyer in speaking of the curiosities of
ancient legal procedure and laws, land
were subjected i'll due form to trial, judg
mcnt and sentence-the latter often that
of death in some cruel manner When
the animal was capable of physical seizure
it was formally arrested and brought before
court and then imprisoned in the ordinary
prison of the place. The public prosecu-
tor prepared a formal accusation Wit
nesSeS were then examined and their de-
position taken as to the truth of the charge
If the charge against the accused beast
was sustained, and conviction followed,
the court solemnly pronounced sentence
upon the culprit, which, if IA capital case,
was followed by public execution with
great formality, the condemned animal be-
ing sometimes dressed in the garb of men
The mode of death was by burning hang
inc by the legs, mutilation or manning
according to the gravity of the offense for
which punishment was to be inflicted
1T seems so ridiculous now, that if the
facts were not spread on the official records
of the courts that took cogniZance of the
eases, it would not be believed by any one
to day that in France in the latter part of
the sixteenth century-1512-seve
hogs were tried, convicted, and sentenced
Fto be hanged, drawn and quartered, the
| crime alleged gainst them being the mu-
tilation and dcvouring of infants in their
cradles. Still, when one stops to ponder
| over what must have been the economical
condition of the time that the association
of swine and sleeping babes was so close
that the latter became easy food for the
| former it may not need the court records
to testify to the peculiar relations of dumb
| beasts to the laws of that credulous age.
! In 1899, near Dion Il bull, cnraged by il
| lad who insisted on fishing through a field
/ in which the animal was pasturing, charged
upon the boy, and placing him forever be-
yond the pale of the angling brotherhood.
| The bull was arrested tried, and convicted,
the accusation against him being that he
had 'furously killed Il young lad of IA or
- yeaFs..~-He was sentenced to, be public
| " hanged until dead, ana he was. Even
horses were visited with capital punish
ment in France for the killing or maiming G
of human beings.
In Sardinia the law was also very rig
orouS against animals, and judicial punish
ment was visited against all offenders eX
| cent the ass. This animal, for some rca-
son, seems to have escaped the death pen
altv for his offences. For the first offence
one of his en-, was cut off. For the sec
ond his other ear was chopped from his
head. and if he was incorrigible and taken
third time charged with crime he was de-
clarcd forfeit to the crown. This, at this
distant dav doesn't seem to reflect much
credit on the crown, for presumably the
punishment for third offence is greater
than that inflicted for Il first or second In
what estimation must the crown have been
held in Sardinia 800 years ago if it were
greater punishment for IA mule to be
lonm to it than it was to have both ears cut
/ off.
But. compared with other prosecutions
and procedures under the law of that time,
these and similar actions became rational
and of good cause Thus. in cases where
physical seizure of the offender was impos-
siblc or mpractcablc and its appearance
in court not to be had the law handed the
malcfactor overt0 the ecclesiastical author
itics to be dealt with Such offenders were
locuStS, rats, flies catcrpillars, and the like
of such things. which went about without
the fear of the law before them, devouring .
the crops and pcstcring the people. Judg-
mcnt against these offending outlaws was
; tcrcclv hurled in the shape of anathcma
and malcdicti0n. In the prosecution OF
culpritS such IL these legal forms were OBJ
served, and the accused were assured the
right of assignment of counsel for theil
dcfcScc One of the latest cases of this
kind on record is Il prosecution brought
against caterpillars in Nalence, in 15S5
This was argued with the greatest solemn
itv, and taxed the learnin" of both lawyer.
and ccclcsiaStics, so accutc were the many
points of law that were urged pro and con
The LEGAL and ecclesiastical battle over tht