The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-12-01
] AN ABSURD LAW.
Sentenced to be Hang for Muir.
der of Her Husband
WHO KILLED H]MSELF
Woman Took Poison With Her Hu!band.
She Recovered, Bat lie Died and
uader Antquated Law She
Was Put on Trial for
Her Life.

Her Life.
BY a singular c)incident sin u'tap-
eously with the publication In l. ndon
England, CT the cabled report Of JI-
Beph Choate's speech at the Lotus
Club, in New York, wherein he ex
pressed the opinion til at British law
was superior to the home. made article
and better administered, we have been
treated to o striking demonstration OF
its assintne lalitities. With black
cap on head, q British ldRe in Lon
don has solmenly pronounced sentence
Of death on an old woman for the
murder Of her husband. whom she did
not murder, ard to complete the far.
cictal tragedy o British chaplain has
solemnly invoke the mercy of coo
on her guilty SOUL" which was not
guilty. And al this with tie full
knowledge that she did not conn i
the crime for which she was convict,
and that she will never be hanged T.,
1t. In condo mned cell III Q aged vc
tim of legal cruelty whose sad pligh,
has evoked expressions Of the deepest
sympathy from all classes is awaiting
the exercise Of the crowns pIerogative
Of mercy: After brief period OF i'm.
prison ment she will probably be re-
leased-to eke out what ION lis of
her wretched existence branu,o as a
murderess. Judge and jury are agtte
that she should never have been col
victed. But they had no other recourse
than to conform to a stupid and anti
quated law which ought long ago to
have been repealed,
Mrs. Marian Seddoh's story ID one
of the most pitful that has ever been
told In the grim old Bailey court She
was 65 years old and her husband was
78. They had been married twelve
years. After their marriage they
started confectionery shop at Staines
For a time they were fairly success full
Then trade fell OF and they moved to
q shop In Mortlake There things
went from bad to worse. The hus
bands health failed. When quarter
day came rour they had not enough
money to pay the rent. Death or the
work house SEE med to be The only al
tentative open to he M al they chose
death, but the husband alone found
It,
We decided" said Mrs. Sed6on,
at the Inquest on bis dy, that we
had better both leave tie vu d TO-
gether.' After passi 6 ,io> pies.
night worrying over tGelr lot, blscs
despair gripped her. II can't stano
this any longer" she said to ier hus
band. Rising from the bed she weni
TO cupboard and tCCk from 1t lot.
tie containing liniment COO peso d Of
belladonna and sconite, which bad
been used to relieve ler ushand's
pain. 1t was marked poison" She
drank half It's contents Then she said
to her husband. There IL nothir q for
us but this or the work house. Are
you going to take GU share ?" Yes, !"
replied the man, and snatching the
bottle from his Wife's hands he drain
ed what remained Of the poison.
Mrs. Seddon then sought her sister
In law, who lived Ia the same ht use
told her what Trey had done ana be
sought here to see to 1T that they were
saved the ignominy OF rauper burial.
Then she returned to tho bed and lay
down by her husbano's side, to died
with him, she thought. But the poison
worked slowly. AS in duty bound the
sister In law told the police what hao
happened. The police removed the
couple to the work house, which they
had so dreaded There the doctors did
their best to prevent them scaping
from 1T by death-as IN duty they
were bound to do. They saved Mrs
Seddoh's life, but her husband, more
fortunate, succumbed.
There followed, OF course, ac)roner's
inquest. The jury brought In verdict
OF suicide while tcmporily insane.
Then the police arrested Mrs. Seldom
md charged her with the murder OF
Che plan who, according to the coro
ner'5 jury, had committed suicide
Paradoxical as it sounds the law justi
fled that charge. For the law 6t clar
eS that If two persons cOnsplre to
commit sucide and one survive that
a;ItT .:aS;;I ttTar is gui4y OF murder.
The evidence at the trial made 1t
clear that 1T was not q case OF murder
that is according tC com mon sense
notions. But the laW WAS equally EN-
phatic that IT vas murder, and the
judge told the jury that they wcud
have to stand by the law. The jury
reluctantly brongGt in verdict Of
guilty, adding a strong recon menda
tion to mercy. And the judge reluc
UhuUly S0uUol'CCu UIlC We man 10 uCdUD.
He said 1t was the saddest case lie had
ever tried. His opinion Of the law
which compelled him 10 impose SEN
tence that was utterly abhorrent to
his notions Of right and jusaic3 he kept
to himself, for in o court OF justice
the most stupid law must be treated
as something sacred
we did not want to find the wo
man guilty, said one OF the jurymen
after the trial was over, "bu0 after
what the Judge told us we could not
do otherwise. OF course, we knew that
the woman would not be hanged, an6
of course, the judge knew IT, too
when he pronounced sentence Of death
upon her. In this case the law is GER
tainly an hass," and 1t is absurd tt
retain 1t on the statutes.
One OF the council who took part IN
the trial said to tile writer:
"a The case reveals flaw in cur Law
Aaas lls eAstainly ought to be amended
q. SO have murder In the first
8 rs the second degree, as
n y 8 ve In the United States
WIZ person who i,
e q Sssilts .2n trial fol