The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-09-12
A REMARKABLE RESEMBLANCE
BETWEEN FACT AND FICTION


All England is talking about the ex-
traordinary resemblance between the
case Of a Leicestershire factory girl
who has lately been condemned TO
penal servitude for life for the muir
der Of her new born child and an cpl
sode in Sir Han Gaines new story.
@The Master Of Man" 1t is asked:
eHow much the social order has been
benefited by the factory girls punish
ment. and how much the girl herself
win gain BY it," Apparently there is
no answer.
Yet the discussion goes on, gather
ing force as newspaper after news
paper calls attention to the plight OF
the poor girl and hundreds of sigma
lures are being added daily to an APP
peal TO the authorities for her pardon.
Sir Han Game himself has been asked
TO support this appeal which is being
made, not only on behalf OF the mis-
crable victim OF the law, but with the
broader object OF bringing about a
change in the public mind so that
iaaieial crimes OF that kind may
never occur again.
Penal servitude for life for the Lei
cestershire factory girl" said the ia
nous author interviewed, sis great
er crime than the crime 1t is intended
10 punish. The real cause Of infanti-
eide Is temporary mania. and it is to
that fact We must point when we ap-
peal Tor amendment OF the law. In
Great Britain alone. as far as know,
Is infanticide another name for MUIR
der. In several European countries
(switzerland certainly the woman
who kills her child within five days OF
its birth Is thought to. be out OF her
mind. and therefore incapable Of
crime. In all civilized countries, ;
says Lord Erskine, the famous Eng
lish jurist the reason of man makes
him accountable for his actions and
the absence Of reason acquits him Of
the crime.
.sTshe statute under which these
monstroua crimes are committed Is an
old one 1t was first enacted In the
reign OF william and Mary-with a
good object. The frequency of infant
icide at that time seemed to make 1t
necessary. Life was sacred. The is
sues Of life and death were in Gods
hands only and to allow any woman
to be sole arbiter Of the facts OF her
offspring at the price of a life which
was not hers. except so far as God
gave it to her TO cherish and to pro-
tect-~this was to ask for shameless
immortality, to nourish the crime that
would conceal It and to remove the
worst OF It's consequences.
.But the wisdom OF our ancestors
ala not enable them to see that they
were plunging into a domain wherein
no man could take one step with cer-
tainty. In the case OF a solitary birth
4 was nearly impossible to say when
A murder had been committed. To do
so it was necessary to prove that the
child had had a separate existence
from the mother and that was very
difficult. Even In this day the GUS
tomaxy medical tests are far from in
faIiable. He Is a brave man who,
without the mothers confession, or
tangible evidence OF violence, brings
iu A verdict OF murder against a wom-
an whose dead child was born when
ehe was alone. Not for the wealth Of
the world would do so. I know too
many cases Of frightful error"
Ia signing this appeal for the par
don OF the factory girl. Sir Hall Game
remarked that he did so cheerfully,
although he thought he had already
done more TO bring about a change in
the present law regarding infanticide,
through "The Master OF Man." than
his mere signature TO petition could
DO.