The Atherstone, Nuneaton, and Warwickshire Times. — 1889-09-28 (Atherstone, Warwickshire, England)

SATURDAY, SEFTEMBER 28, 1889.  THE WEEK.  THE last chapter in the recent miserable manslaughter case at Warwick may be written in the form of a record of the suicide of Henry Parsons, while undergoing punishment for the crime. Parsons, it will be remembered, fought with a man named White after a quarrel over a dog, and White, who was drunk, was felled by a blow and sustained injuries resulting in death. Parsons was sentenced to six months' bard labour, and on Wednesday he hanged himself in his cell. The rash deed is attributed to remorse. In his confinement the deceased had ample time to reflect upon the hasty quarrel and the display of temper which were the prime causes of another's death—the unintentional causes it may have been, but the causes nevertheless. And, presumably, the haunting reflection was too much for him. Conscience makes cowards of us all, and it is not inconceivable that a weak-mindfid man in Parsons's position should desire to escape from the acute wretchedness which conduct like big must bring. There is nothing incomprehensible in the deed, however much it is to be deplored. Never was there a more emphatic example of tbe vast difference which may mark cause and effect. Out of a street brawl, occasioned by the barking of a little dog, it has come to pass that two men have been hurried out of the world. The pity of it all is beyond expression !  ALL the evidence which is likely to be forthcoming in the Offchurch tragedy has been adduced, and Mr. Russell stands acquitted of any blame in the matter by the Coroner's Court at the same time that he is accused 3f a crime before the magistrates, who demand substantial security for his appearance to answer the charge of manslaughter. This is not a singular instance of the strangeness of English legal methods; all the same, it is peculiar, though its peculiarity is not strained to the extremest extent. It is also distressing —indeed, the whole of the tragic incident has been painful, not only to Mr. Russell, nor perhaps chiefly to him, but to everybody concerned. The widow of the deceased is the greatest living sufferer. The verdict of the jury is perfectly comprehensible. There is a consistency in the whole of the story as it affects Mr. Russell which is not to be found in the statements of the other side, and it is not difficult to believe that if Mr. Russell had not acted as he did there might still have been a tragedy, and possibly an inquest, in which the position of the parties would have been reversed. The incident is a most deplorable one, look at it how you will, and its moral is too plain to be missed.  THE indecision of the Leamington Council on the subject of public lighting still continues. The matter was referred to a committee, and on Monday evening a meeting of the Council was held to receive that committee's report. This took the form of a recommendation to adopt a system of gas lighting by Bray's lamps—a recommendation which seemed more definite than it really was, inasmuch as some members of the committee had allowed it to be come to without dissent, although they were not altogether in agreement with it, and reserved the right of voting in the Council either for or against. Under these circumstances, it was not strange that the subject was referred back to the committee. Nor after what has happened were the regretful speeches on the prospect of losing the electric light strange either. It is natural for progressive men to wish to place Leamington in the front rank of towns which depend almost for their very existence on their attractions, and these can see no reason for condemning electric lighting as a whole because one system has not been a success, nor for taking a retrograde step towards gas lighting because the unsatisfactory system has chanced to come within their own experience. Nor can we. Another trial in one of the ways suggested would bring greater satisfaction. The actual cost of the lighting of the principal parts of the town is not a first consideration; success in this direction should not be subservient to economy, though there need be no undue extravagance. We do not despair that, by judicious action, the Corporation will overcome their difficulties without returning to gas. Unlike Mr. Gladstone's policy of Home Rule, there is no single system of electricity which holds the field. The Council may have a wide choice; we hope it will turn out to be a wise one.  IF there should be no retreating from the positions which have been taken up, the municipal elections at Leamington are over already. Compromise has worked this result, and it is quite possible that it will be as satisfactory in the long run as if the elections had been fought on the usual inapplicable party grounds. The fighting at municipal elections is scarcely ever on municipal questions. Matters of finance or civic reform may be included in the programme adopted by the candidates, and much may be made of these things in the preliminary canters over the course; but when the supreme moment arrives, when polling day is here, all else is forgotten but the political views of the candidates, and votes are cast accordingly. As there is no real necessity for a strict line to be drawn between Liberals and Conservatives in local governing bodies—for many Conservatives are as ardent reformers in local matters as Liberals can be, and are only distinguished by the name of their political faith—a Council elected by an angement is just as likely to be as effective as a Council elected at the poll. Nothing is lost politically, because as a matter of fact compromises themselves are usually based on some political ground. In the present case the compromise assuredly is, and nobody will be one penny the worse or better for it. With such a gentle ending to all the tall talk of the last month or so, there is decidedly room for hope that the Mayoral election will pass off without a repetition of the discreditable scenes of the last two years.