The Warrington Examiner. — 1874-08-15 (Warrington, Cheshire, England)

THE JUDGES ON THE USE OF THE  CLOG.  The use of the clog in Lancashire and elsewhere, as a weapon is menaced with the suppression of legal physical force. Judging from what has just transpired at Liverpool the Wigan collier and his brothers in arms —or feet—in general are about to lose the impunity for murder or its attempted commission, involved in the policy of moral suasion. The moral suasion dispensation is past and gone, and it is to be superseded by the policy of a tooth for a tooth, which it must be confessed, has-especially in the worst regulated families, advantages for the body politic. The progress of intolerance has at last got to the point of a judicial determination to do for "puncing" what has been done for garotting ; not exactly to visit its exercise with the "oat " although it may yet have to come to that nine-tailed remedy—but to a good stiff punishment, which the assessin in clogs will be able thoroughly to appreciate. The authorities in Liverpool made their intention tolerably clear on this matter on Thursdly. It seems that John Glover, aged 23, collier, was charged with wounding William Derbyshire at Scholes, near Wigan, on the 19th of July last, with intent to do him grievous bodily harm. The injured man was stated to be 84 d to have been infirm for three years. years of age, an He could not apnear, and his deposition was read. The prisoner, who was drunk at the time the offence was committed, went into the house where Derbyshire, who resided with the prisoner's mother, was, and after ' pulling him out of a chair in. which lie was sitting, kicked him with his clogs, inflicting two Wounds on his head, one of which was 4 inches long, and other wounds elsewhere. The prisoner had avowed that he would "purr " old Darbvshire to death, and after he had kicked him told some persons to go into the house, and they wouli find "old daddy" dead. On their goiseng, into the house, the old man was found on the floor n a pool of blood. When the prisoner was apprehended blood was found upon his clogs. The produced to the jury, and were formidableelwegesapwoenree, with sharp pointed toes and irons on the soles. The Jur`, found the prisoner guilty of the offence charged. His Lordship, in sentencing him commented on the cowardly character of the case' This he said. was one of 'a number of cases which happened tip and down the country, where persons like the prisoner, without the sliehtest provocation, with their clogs kicked their fellow creatures, utterly reckless and regardless of what the consequences might be. He had had an onP°rtunitY of speaking to the learned judge (Mfr.. Justice Archibald) about this case, and they were both punishment was absolutely agreed that very heavy in Lancashire necessary to put down this brutality Whether they were judges of assize, chairmen of quarter sessions, or recorders, they were all determined, so far as punishment could do it, to stamp this offence out of this couTnthrye B.ente('n'elleenarf, thheeacro,'u' rtfrwoaam soveral of the jurors.) i ten years. The prisoner wept upon that the prisoner must be kept n pehneaalrsinergeitthuedesefnof tence. Probably when Mr. Glover—in the year 1884, or twhi el will ehaabv:loel vitsl in —has expiated his horrible attempt to murder an o upwards of four score years of age, he his exceedinglyidle tears and have re man veid wiped away perhaps to live out his remaining years as becomes—not the wild beast he appears to be at present—but as a reasonable and decently behaved human being. Savage as he is, and duly caged and clogirs as:it is the happiness of society to behold, the question will yet intrude. How eame he to be so wild and terrible a creature, and who and what and where were his schools and schoolmasters.