The Barrow Herald and Furness Advertiser. — 1883-01-20 (Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England)

BARROW-IN-FURNESS. SATURDAY, JANUARY 20rg, 1653.  Tax Assizes at Lancaster, which were opened yesterday for the trial of causes, had not a calendar remarkable tor the number of offences awaiting investigation and judgment: but were at all events remarkable for the unwonted proportion of crimes of a violent character which were set down for trial. Two charges of murder, two of rape, and one of manslaughter, out of a total of six cases, showed an unenviable notoriety this Northern Division of the County would very gladly have dispensed with. Barrow came in for its share of this questionable fame by providing one charge of murder and one of rape. It may perhaps be some comfort to those who are sensitive for the good name and reputation of our towu that in both these cases the charge has not been sustained to the fullest extent. In the latter case the verdict has been returned as one of attempt only, the jury preferring to adopt the theory of the defendant's Counsel that the extreme charge had not been sustained although declaring the prisoner none the less guilty of the intention to commit it. The minimising of the verdict to one of attempt only will proportionately reduce the severity of the sentence which might otherwise have been passed but will doubtless be sufficiently heavy to serve as a warning to deter not only the prisoner, but others, from the perpetration of the like dastardly offence. The charge of murder which was sent for trial from Barrow has also been thought by an impartial jury to be unsustained by the evidence, and this will prevent the disgrace of an execution upon a resident of the town falling upon us. The trial is now concluded, and the verdict of the jury properly registered as one of manslaughter, and there can be no hindrance to the course of justice by the remark that it is from the evident tendency of the jury, in this case as well as the one above mentioaed to take a leni-nt view of the circ mstances ef the case, and give themselves freedom from the responsibility of assigning a fellow creature to a fearful doom that helped them to the dec.sion they arrived at. At the same time no exception ought to be taken or suggested to the merciful course thus taken, although from the charge made by the Judge a different result might perhaps have been anticipated. Few people will regret that the retribution which will fall upon the nahappy man through whose violence the poor wife and mother came to her death will,--t be the taking away his life. A judgment Wlich still leav-s time for remorse and repentane without exacting blood for blood wiircOmmend itself to most unprejudiced minds, while the punishment which will be this day decreed upon him will undoubtedly be such as will act as a deterrent to others. Punishment of another's wrong-doing should never be actuated by vindictive feeling:, nor be prompted by any reckless notion of retaliation, and we are inclined to believe that the verdict will meet the approval of the great preponderance of our townsfolk. The old enemy of society, which is declared by judges, by counsel, and by juries alike to be the cause of PO immense an amount of the crimes of violence which occur every year throughout the country, has again to be charged with being the cause of these terrible and horrible events. Druckenned in both cases has been pleaded to extenuate the offence, and although the law very properly lays down the rule that that vice is no excuse for a crime there can be no doubt that it does in some measure often form the basis of a more lenient judgment which would otherwise be less disposed to find an excuse for such deeds. But as the Judge at these Assizes very pointedly remarked, if drunkenness once comes to be recognised as an excuse for crime no life will be safe. A man would only need prime himself with drink to commit any atrocity and might hope to escape some at least of the punishment due to his wickedness. We hope that it will be long before Barrow will have the undesirable fame of similar events.