Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-07-06

he said, were hanged so fast that there
were twenty sometimes on one glbbet.
The cardinal said he could not wonder
enough how it came 10 pass that since
SO few escaped there were yet so many
thieves left who were stin robbing in
all places. Upon which Sir Thomas
spoke his mind to the cardinal. point
ing out that simple theft was not so
great crime" and that no punish
ment, however severe, could restrain
those from robbing who en- find no
other way Of livelihood. And he told
the cardinal roundly that twere better
to make provision by which every man
might live without the necessity to
steal and to die for it. you just
make thieves, then you punish them"
he eaid.
Harrison, a contemporaneou writer,
confirms Sir Thomas when he says
that after these $4,000 executions there
were more thieves than ever in the
next reign.
In Elizabeth's day a woman who
poisoned her husband was buried alive.
Otner prisoners were boiled alive or
scalded to death in seething water or
lead. Heretics and witches were burnt
alive Murderers were hanged alive in
chains For willful manslaughter the
offender had his right hand stricken
off at the scene of the crime, and was
then conducted to the place of execu-
ton. For treason, men were hanged,
drawn and quartered. For felony--any-
thing from highway robbery to stealing
a. piece of bread-men, women and
children were hanged. For speaking
sedition against a magistrate the Of
fender had both ears cut Off. If a per-
son refused to plead he was pressed to
death between weights.
Harrison says: There is not one
year in which 300 to 400 rogues were not
eaten up by the eallows'; yet SO many
are they that except some better order
be taken jewellers in uplandish towns
and little villages shall live but in
small safety or rest" Such is the eff
ficacy of severity!
A hundred years ago there were 200
offenses for which the punishment was
death. Mr.. Collinson In Facts About
Flogging," says that In 1916 there were
at one time over fifty prisoners await
ing execution by hanging. one of them
child OF tender years. He says
further: 1.-THE efficacy and brutality of
all this torture and death-dealing be-
came obvious to the people through the
propaganda of few daring and en-
lightened reformers, and it was swept
away"
Recorder Hopwood, the lenient judge
of Liverpool, England, told Mr.. Blatch-
ford that he first became convinced of
the uselessness of harsh sentences by
attendance at two courts-Manchester
and Salford--towns very similar as to
population and conditions Of life. In
Stafford the sentences were uniformly
lenient; In Manchester they were uni
formly severe. People said Manches-
ter would be purged of crime; that
the criminals would flock to Stafford.
It was not so. Through several years
there was no increase OF crime in the
one town nor decrease in the other.
= a
of useless punishment in Manchester.
To claim only a negative result, Mr..
Hopwood claimed that in his court at
Liverpool he had reduced punishment
without increasing crime. Il claim
he declared that during my six years
at the court have saved three thou
sand years of Imprisonment" To the
remark that 1t was great saving OF
money he answered: at was a great
saving of humanity" He claimed that
life and liberty were at least as Sc
cure under clement Judge as unoer
cruel one and that his system saved
much suffering and shame, not only
to prisoners, but the those dependent
on them. Every often," he said, tine
lenient treatment had a good effect
on prisoners; they were ashamed to
come back
He met with strong opposition at
magistrates had come to give six TO
ten MONTHS, where formerly the Of
tenders would have got seven YEARS.
s'Does your leniency cause criminals
to flock to Liverpool" he was asked.
mot at ALL" he said, and the CHER
constable backed this by declaring that
crime was decreasing appreciably
Mr.. Hopwood told ,Mr. BiaLcnior rf
he would like to release one-third OF
those then in prison, and added: An
other third ought never to have gone
there because Che explained) they
,uara innocent" HE asked me-" says
MT BIatchford, "to go and see some
Of our prisons, remarking gravely
9The prison system is cruel and we;
ths prisoners are starved, tortured anu
6aeraded. 1t is inhumanly severe up
on the guilty, and In my opinion
rood third Of those in jail are not
guilty." a,., .ee,oar NJ
GLASGOW prison, told the Royal Philo-
sonhical society in that city In lSU4
mat with milder methods Of repres-
sion we have not more but less crime.
and certainly much less brutality.
mr. Hamilton D. Wa OF Elmira re-
eornoatory. America, says the time Will
come when every punitive institution
in fine world will be destroyed ana re-
nIaced by hospitals, schools, workshops
and reformatories.
From the day of Sir Thomas More
az present time the wise and ex-
n 70 sns p' have claimed that punish
ment is not only unjust, but worse
than useless. AND THE STAIlSTdGS
OF CRIME HAVE ALWAYS SUI
PORTED THE CLAIM. s
"There was more crime In the M
tenth century when penalties were
more severe, than there is today. There
we're worse crimes. There was more
brutality" ..4,t
has diminished crime"
Rnt Il NAV be urged that a decrease
IN crime and an Improvement In morals
are not due only to increased lenlency;
there is the spread Of educ .a,ot anu =
imnroved conditions Of life "Exactiy.
saws Mr.. Blatchford; "that Is my case:
decrease of punishment and increass
If education have diminished crltne anu
improved morals"
- ono hut thew were there. They were