" In New York in January, 1767,
"A Negro Wench was executed for stealing sundry Articles out of the
House of Mr. Forbes; and one John Douglass was burnt in the Hand for
Stealing a Copper Kettle." In the last half of the eighteenth century
it appears to have been a capital crime for negroes to steal. At
Springfield, Mass., in October, 1767, "one Elnathan Muggin was found
Guilty of passing Counterfeit Dollars, and sentenced to have his Ears
cropped," etc. On reading these quaint accounts we are led to inquire
whether the punishment for crime in "olden times" was more severe than
at the present time. Many people think it was, and justly so, and
argue that crime has consequently greatly increased of late years, on
account of the lightness of modern sentences or the uncertainty about
punishment. This may be true. Crime is said to increase with
population always. According to Mr. Buckle, it can be calculated with
a considerable degree of accuracy. We can estimate, for instance, the
probable number of murders which will take place in a year in a given
number of inhabitants.
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