The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1835-03-24 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

SOUTHGATE.was unpopular with the subordinate officers, NORMAN WELCH labouied under a conviction that he had been injured, and .being at times insane, as is most_ abundantly proved on the trial, he avenged himself of hit supposed injuries, and murdered his superior officer.. .  Bat if the man was insane why was he permitted to hold a responsible situation ? This is a very awkward question. The officer whose duty it was to report his conduct, and effect his removal, on the ground of insanity, swears that he did not believe WELCH to be insane. If he had stopped here, we should have been silent, but the Inspector General, if we can. believe the witnesses, and we have no right to question their, credibility, was repeatedly told that the" man Was mad, and an affidavit, or. sworn evidence to that effect, was made or given before this same Inspector General. lle, however, does not recvlicet tho G4ciy, atiil pit he swears that he never suspected and never believed that WELCH was occasionally insane. If thelnspeetor general have a memory so treacherous that he cannot remember facts sworn before him, and which were embodied in a memorial sent to the Board at London, we are bound to presume that he is equally incapable of remembering occurrences of another kind, of retaining an accurate description of acts, and looks, and features, and consequently is incoinpetent to pronounce an opinion on the state of mind with which the unfortunate man was afflicted.  *Our own opinion is, that WELcit was, at the time he committed the fatal deed, and for some time previcens, labouring- under mental derangement. Some people imagine that spirituous liquors,in a person so afflicted, cause madness. It would be well to inquire whether the madness is, not the proximate cause of excessive inebriety. Much error prevails on. this subject. That which is supposed to be the effect of drunkettness is, we suspect, too frequently .the cause of it. The fever—the helplessness—the torture--and the prostration of mental energy, caused by arty derangement of the nervous system, drive the buffeter to those indulgencies which produce excitement, but which, we are inclined to believe, are frequently tl►e preventives of self-destruction. WELCH was in that unlytppy condition. He drank hard—to excess—to an un reasndable extent—therefore l►e was mad  Although we have .made these observations in justice to all parties, yet do tiot see how any other verdict could have been,retuined, 'how any other result could have been preferred. It is an awful crime in a man to lift his hand against .the life of another.—" He who sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his- blood be shed."— At the same time We:trut that in such an establishment as, the customs of Liverpo9l all measures of .unnecessary severity, calculated to create a belief that injustice has been done by one 'officer towards another, will, in future, be at pitied.. There has been 'too many differences already, and many of them of a very senseless kind. The trade of the port is injured b,y,absurd and foolish formali ties. Laws passed: to-day are rescinded to-morrow. Favourites ate Introduced, and old servants suspended— artd..all this forthe sake (.)f what 'is' 'called discipline, and under the' pretext of enforcing economy. Under the whig adminiSttioif kunds'Avere thrown away to nave farthings,'nur.filkal financiers- fishing with herrings to catch sprats. _ • •