The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-03-09
WHERE THE LAW FAILS.

How to punish the guilty without
making the innocent suffer as a conse-
quence is a problem that the makers
of law have never succeeded In solv-
ing. From time immemorial the inno-
| cent have suffered with the guilty. and
probably in the majority of instances
the weight of punishment has borne
heaviest upon innocent shoulders; and
there seems to be no hope for remedy
ing this manifest injustice. The in
EQUITIES of the fathers are. indeed, Wis
tied upon the children; and not only
upon them, but the wives and mothers
also. In this city not long ago a man
was accused of a grave crime, and
convicted and sentenced to life i'm
prisonment. He was the sole depend
ence of a family including young chill
dren, who were thus thrown on the
charity of the community. In many
cities it has become the custom Of
magistrates to dismiss wife beaters
with a severe reprimand. for the rea-
son that to send them to Jail would
be to deprive the wife and children of
lnClT only lledns Oh support.
A rather peculiar case in which the
innocent suffer with the guilty is re-
ported from New York: and it is APP
parently the vindictive spirit of a wom-
an that is responsible for it. Fifteen
years ago Charles F. Stoddard of
Brooklyn was divorced by his wife,
the court ordering Stoddard to pay the
woman IS a week alimony. Within a
short time Stoddard married again,
and 1t appears that his ex-wife did
likewise. For number of years
Stoddard continued to pay the IS per
week, as ordered by the court. Then
he ascertained that his former wife
had married a wealthy man, who was
providing her with every luxury she
could wish Being himself poor man,
who had to work hard for a living,
and thinking his ex-wife would not
need his pittance of IS a week, he
suspended the payments. The woman
bided her time, until Stoddards in
debtedness to her was 1898, than she
applied to the court to enforce IT'S
award. Having failed to make the
payments, the man was in contempt of
court. He was arrested and thrown.
into Jail, where, under the law, he
must remain until he satisfies the
claim against him. In this country
there can be no such thing as impris-
onment for debt, but by making the
Imprisonment for contempt of court, a
man may be kept in jail for debt until
he rots. And this seems likely to be
what will happen in Stoddard's case.
He has no money, no property on
which to raise the money and no
friends to advance it for him. His ex-
wife might voluntarily release him
from his obligation to her. but she
wants her pound of flesh.
Meanwhile Stoddard's second fam
ily wife and two small children. are
in want. Their rent is unpaid and the
larder is empty. What little furniture
they have will be taken away, and they
will be turned into the streets by their
landlord. The unfortunate Mrs. Stod-
dard has appealed both to the court
and to her husbands ex-wife for relief,
placing the cold facts before them. The
court says it cannot do anything, and
the ex-wife. now a Mrs. Brewer, says
she won't do anything. 1t is no af-
fair of hers if the second wife and
children are made outcasts and turned
on the streets to starve. Her heart is
as flint and she is determined to have
her rights under the law" 1t is in
cases of this kind that the law fails
of even-handed Justice