The Barrow Herald and Furness Advertiser. — 1871-12-02 (Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England)

CRIME IN IRELAND.  The result of the late trial in Dublin afforded the English journals a very inviting opportunity of commenting upon mine :0 Ireland. The ; acquittal of Kelly took away their breath. Alter the prisoner had been judged not guilty by twelve men, six Protestants and six Roman Catholics, sworn to do their duly conscientiously and without fear or favour, half a dozen London editors proceeded to try the case over again, and unanimously agreed that the verdict we a false one, and into which the jury had been coerced by mob intimidation. . . . At this very opportune time, when certain London jouinals would, on the s,rength of this isolated and exceptional case of murder, make out, eao people of this country a nation of murderers, and sympathisers with crime of the most revolting kind, the annual report of the criminal and judicial statistics t.f Ireland has been puplished. We have no desire to afflict our readers with half a column of figures to 'Jute the groundless charges which have beim advanced against the country because a Dublin Jury, belected with the most scrupulous care from amongst the leading citizens, refused to convict Kelly. A few statistics will be quite enough to prove that Ireland at the present time is enjoying a remarkable immunity from ei imp. If we compare the rotors awe have for a pot in of the year with those fulnialied for a similar length of time with proceeding years, , we shall see that thete is every room for conwatulation on the state of the country. We have the statistics for the present year, up to the 31st of Murei. New, if we take the number of agrarian crimes reported in eight months, ended the list if March, 1670, it will be seen that 1,622 of that description were c. mmitted, while the number reported for the eight mouths ended March 31, 1871, was 212, or 1,410 less! In the same period the Dumber of crimes other than agrarian fell from 2,040 to 1,722. So far as offences of a treasonable , character are concerned, there has been an equal decrease during the past few years. In 1666 they numbered 535; in 1867, 530; in 1668, 111; in 1869,47; in 1870, 37; and, up to that period of the present year at which the statistics were eampiled, there was not a single case of sedition, treason-felony, or administering treasonable oaths. If we compare the criminal returns for England and Ireland for the year 1670, so far as respects serious crime, indictable offences. not disposed of summarily, we shall find that the comparison is by no means discreditable to this country. It seems the number of. Irish offences was 4,737 less than the number (14,251) in a portion of the ulalien if England and Wales equal to that o: Ireland. These figures convey their own ral. We have no desire to make any vidioua comparisons between the criminal records of the two countries, but it is somewhat difficult to mite with patience when we see the leading organ of public opinion in England advising the abolition of the jury system in Irelaud, and writing in the most sensational style about the social condition of the country, because a respectable and intelligent jury refused to find as verdict in a difficult and delicate case according to its arrogant dictation. —Londonderry Jolrnaf.