San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-04-27

IL, was surprised to find the fol- !
lowing editorial:
eff Queen Victoria was woman
she would long since have taken a
personal interest in Mrs, May
brick, Abe is only a queen and it
10 ber narticuIar -ad to be held in
awe and fear as the quee" " tnls
generation who has nothing o. the
o about her, unless it be her
tecundity," -, ,ory
Because you have paid many
lust tributes to the queen anu soS
are generally on a fair pase Oh"
have a knowledge Of public affairs
that leads you to just conclusions
But great men have made serious
mistakes, and / think, in all kind
ness. as a friend and admirer, that
in this instance you are OH your
base.
IL there is any trace OF greatness
in Queen Victoria, 1t has been her
pure womanhood. AS wife and
mother she stands queen among
women, and 1t is that womanhood
that endears her to the hearts OF
her people. Even to this day che
sorrows for a husband that was
untimely borne by death from her.
1t is a common but erroneous
idea that the queen OF England
pardons in criminal matters, even
as the president OF the United
States, or the governor OF any
American state, but she does not.
In fact she never interferes in such
matters, although such action Is
formally taken in her name. The
real pardoning power lies with the
home secretary, and is rarely exer-
cised except in case Of absolute in.
nocence, although Communication,
from the death sentence to impris-
oument for life are frequently
made. In such cases that means
Imprisonment for life, without a
hope Of pardon.
The home secretary bases his
Judgment upon the evidence ad-
duced, the opinion Of the presid-
ing Judge, the attorney general and
the prosecuting attorney. All
the home secretaries, intervening
between the conviction Of Mrs.
Maybrick and the present time,
have Investigated the matter and
all have seen no reason to interfere
with the sentence. Surely these
revisors have better opportunity
of forming an authoritive opinion
than either you or l, at this dis.
lance. -
The queen has. been a model
wife. There has been no slur cast
upon her morals as a wife. She
has an adherence Of adultery and
has excluded many so-called noble
and titled adulteresses from her
court. This has been her rule Of &C
tion all along. Could she then, II she
exercised her pardoning power
personally, consistently take VI
Mrs. Maybrick's case. The un
fortunate woman was an admit
ted adulteress. Not one yielding
to momentary passion, that Nigh
in a measure be excusable, though
wrong, but of one stealing from
the sick bed Of a husband II
Liverpool to 60 to London an
be. de facto, the wife of her para
mour, briefly. This was DISTINCT
proven and it was shown that thi
infamy occurred on more tina
one, and several occasions. !
was this that showed that she ha
no love for her husband, that sh
would be rid of him to be the wit
OF the paramour she loved.
Arsenic was found in Maybrick
stomach at the autopsy and /
sufficient quantities to cause deatf
Mrs. Maybrick had bought som
arsenic, it was found in her dres
ing room and the only excuse tia
could be given was that she too
arsenic internally for her con
plexion. But she still lives an
it apparently, had no evil effect {
her. The defense ingeniousl
raised a theory, based on a plan
ible fact, that MaybricS took ars
mic and might have poisoned hir
self. But how? In England the
is a kind Of cocktail called epic
me-up." 1t is the best "brace
in the world after a night with &
"boys" or "girls" for 1t contains
infinitesimal dose Of arsenic a.
strychnia, the greatest Of nervin'
1t was asserted that these dos
were accumulative and 30 caus
Maybrick's death. The thee
was plausible, but the fact tt
thousands OF men were taking
same cocktail more frequently q
yet had no i'll, let alone fatal