12, 1771, is the following news from
England:--
A Correspondent expresses great Surprise and indignation at the
Disproportion of Punishments in this Country. He says he read in
a News paper that two Men were hanged together last Month in
Kent, one of whom had committed a barbarous Murder on his Wife,
and the other had stolen three Shillings and Sixpence. In the
same Paper there followed immediately another Paragraph, that a
Woman had been only whipped for stealing little Children and
burning their Eyes out.
At this day we believe it is the custom of the English authorities to
treat all prisoners alike, whatever the charges against them may be.
It seems as if they were desirous of degrading men as much as
possible. Mr. John Boyle O'Reilly, a poet and gentleman of culture,
who was unfortunately a political prisoner, was chained to a
wife-murderer. And this the English call "justice,"--as if there could
be no difference in offences!
-------------------------
Severe punishment used to be inflicted for the crime of passing
counterfeit coin.
Pages:
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60