Evening star., 1906-02-12
Protection of Women.

QcprlNeS ler anu Ilti Siii1uhOAA Va
support. which anticipated result Is ire
uuently q bar to her even seeking protec-
tion.
1.-The binding of her husband to keep the
peace, or the order of maintenance by the
magistrate. has been found 10 be futile.
especially among the class to which most
wife beaters belong. namely, drunkards'
who are the only class allowed to take the
law In their own hands and infiict corporal
punishment their wives for alleged faults
existing only too often In their intoxicated
brain. while fines and costs simply deprive
the injured mother and innocent children
of the necessities to sustain life. Referring
to the prevalence of the inhuman crime of
wife beating. Darwin says, With the eX-
ception of the seal. man Is the only animal
In creation which maltreats its mate. or
any female of Its own kind.
English Penalties for Brutality.
ishments inflicted In England for brutality
to wives
Two shillIngs six pence. throwing the
fire irons at the head of his wife.
Five shillings. beating his wife on the
head with a piece OF wood two months
after marriage.
Six shillings. beating his wife several
times, kicking her with his feet in the
breast tearing her hair out, trying to
strangle her, and knocking her against the
bed.
Another. pushing his wife in the fire and
burning her hands
One pound sterling a black eye. trying to
cut his wifes throat. kicking her in the
breast, throwing a cup OF hot tea IN her
face after having boxed her ears.
Two pounds sterling, two black eyes.
knocking her over the head and splitting 1t
open.
Three pounds sterling. kicking her in the
stomach. disabling her for weeks to do any
work
"Here. is the fun man can have in Eng
land for six months imprisonment, Mr.
E,,1t wilt q
face with a knife. beating her with a lamp.
break one (only) of her arms. kick her
while she is helpless on the ground and tear
off her clothes and burn them. surely these
runishments are travesty on justice and
not calculated to restrain these brutes from
repeating. their crime.
Prosecutions In Pennsylvania.
Referring to reports of prosecutions for
wife beating in Pennsylvania, Mr.. Adams
said.
Five hundred and twenty-five COM
plants by wives against their husbands
for brutal beatings in one year is
terrible showing for a state so long set
tied and so far advanced in civilization In
other respects as is Pennsylvania Three
hundred and thirty-seven of the complaints
were pronounced well founded by the grand
Jury. and 2l1 husbands were convicted for
terms averaging three months each, thus
deprivlng their families of necessary sup
port. Would that we could fatter our
selves that these returns showed the full
extent of this crime in that commonwealth.
but IL is probably ten times as great as is
directly apparent. 1t will be noticed that
there Is no return from the coal regions
of Luzerne county. Attention is also called
TO the prevalence OF wife beating In Cam
den. y. j., which. except for geographical
lines Is part of Philadelphia The tabu-
lated reports represent only the aggra-
waited assaults. In which the wife, driven
TO desperation by repeated assaults, sseks
% have her husband imprisoned
The Ordinary Procedure.
''rhe ordinary procedure, when complaint
is made is before justices of the peace. to
whom the wife applies to have her husband
bound over to keep the peace or to provide
maintenance. These cases usually set
tied. the wife preferring to risk second
beating rather than deprive herself and on
spring OF food and shelter. The risk of
such deprivation likewise deters the masis-
trate. The district attorney of Cameron
county writes: The greatest difficulty IN
enforcing the law properly and Furnishing
wife beaters arises from the fact that the
wives themselves In every instance come
Into court and beg their husbands release.
This has been my experience, and my pre-
decessor says his was the same. Summary
conviction before q magistrate and the
whipping post within hour after the
crime would in my opinion. be good way
to prevent the constant occurrence of this
crime
Confinement In the county Jail, where
not even hard labor is imposed, has no
terror for brute so demoralized that he
will strike n woman-his physical in
ferior-aud by nature he is incapable of
feeling for those suffering at home.
1T has been urged that wives would not
inform on their husbands and expose
them to the disgrace OF being whipped.
But AT least they would have a chance.
and IL will be seen from the testimony
given that the law. at present exist
ent does not even give them any option.
for with the want of food stirring them In
the face they dare not complain The
punishment OF the lash is not open to the
objection that want will follow to the
complainants. and if they have remedy
and prefer to suffer IL is for them to de
eide. Wife beating is not done openly
where the law can see and take cog
nIzance of the breach OF the peace, and
that the law may be put In motion 1t Is
essential that the wife should be placed
IN an untrammeled position, free TO pro-
tect herself by making complaint.
Effect on the Taxpayer.
what relation does the crime of wife
beating bear to the taxpayer beyond the
shock to his feelings of humanity? 1t affects
the citizen In no degree if the brute plies
his vocation every day of the year. The
person OF the taxpayer. II anything, Is less
secure for the brute from force of habit In
inficting pain might assault others who
were his physical interiors, while the prop
erty OF the taxpayer, IL the brute is con-
victed and sentenced is taxed TO support
him In Jail. The evil does not end here. for
the chances are largely in favor of the wife
and children of the criminal being left q
charge on the county as inmates of aims
houses during his imprisonment. The num-
Der or persons who thus become g. charge
upon the county Ii is next to impossible to
estimate.
THE men convicted of this crime arc
married, and with the average family the
number of persons deprived OF support can
not be small. The Incomplete returns give
lesfnx