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Leader (1850-1860), 10th January 1857, Edition 2 of 2, Page 7, Jus* jjsvauidkb. Rufjgian. —An instance ...

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      Our Givtlrzliirak. Gentjral Grimiual. Co...

      John Gomptonj a- young - who had been in the poKce ^ force ; was triedfor-a- burglary in Welbeck-street , winlfe fcewas ' yefra constable . One night ; -when he was on his beat , he roused the owner of the premises , to wfiicb ? some new-boildings were being added , told him tHe outer' dbor ~ of that part was open , and ; going in , ¦ called his attention to the fact of a robbery having been conmrittfedi Subsequent' facts rendered it probable that Compton was hiintelf the thief . He suddenly became very "Bush" of-cash , -which'he spent in a-most profuse and reckless manner ; he had been missed from his beat by His brother constables about the time of the robbery ; he "was much agitated and confused when he returned to ttie station ; and he-attempted tobribe one of his sergeants-who had perceived that lie had a large quantity of silver . He-was-found Guilty , and sentenced to transportation forlife ;

      Inan •^Nttar-T 1 0i I8£7.] F Ib Li E'Abe...

      inan •^ NTTAR-t 1 0 i I 8 £ 7 . ] f IB li E'ABEE ,. 31

      , / Middlesex Sessions; The January; Gen...

      , / MIDDLESEX SESSIONS ; The January ; General Sessions commenced on Monday ,-whea . Daniel Sullivan -was convicted of' a brutal and * unprovoked assault on "William Draper , in Long Acre ,- the particulars-of whiehV appeared in the Leader of Deo . 27 . He'was = sentenced to hard labour for a year . Th . omaa-B . eall , seven years of age , who was convicted last week at Clerkenwell of Having stabbed another boy named Charlton , was brought up for judgment on Tuesday ; It was stated' by the boy ' s father , when the case was- ' tried , " that the matter would never have occurred if hiffBtepmother had taken care of him and his- brothers

      and sisters , five in number , tut that she -was given to dissipated habits , the result of which was that neither he ( the father ) nor tbe children had anything in the world but wfrat tliey-stood up in * The prisoner's own mother died * of the cholera when he was but five months old . The Assistant Judge admonished the prisoner , and cautionedhimnot- to use a- knife against any one in future . Me sentenced : hibs to six days' imprisonment , which having * already expired' he -was discharged , and given over * to his-brother , a lad of fifteen years of age , who was told- to take him home and tell his father to give him a goo *? flogging ;

      Mary Hcrrigan and John Regan were indicted for unlawfully assaulting and bftating William Thome , a oonstable of the metropolitan , police force , while in the -execution of his-dnty ; and Began-was further indicted for unlawfully- assaulting and wounding George Anderson * The facts of the case we have already published . Regan was-sentenced to hard labour for eighteen months , and Horrigan tohmprisonment for fourmonths .

      Jus* Jjsvauidkb. Rufjgian. —An Instance ...

      Jus * jjsvauidkb . Rufjgian . —An instance of : misplaced leniency , recently communicated to the Times in a letter from : a correspondent ^ is made- the subject - of ! a ^ leading article in that jonrnadon ! Monday . A convict , named George Holmes ^ . has been allowed . to leave prison before the expiration ; of . his sentence , on account of alleged ill health . " Thia . poor invalid , " says the lUmes , "is described . in the .-local journals ai ' the terror , of the neighbourhood , in which he had long resided ; ' he was suspeoted : of the . murder : of Mrs . M'Knight . A few day a after : tiie murder , in the immediate neighbourhood of the spot > where that , murder had been committed , this worthy crcatura : ' met . io . broad daylight a child travelling on thOibJigh-road * He dragged hex-up a dark lane , brutally

      assaulted her , - and then robbed her . ' Strangely enougli , the sentence' pronounced , upon this abominable ruffian waa ^ otre , of imprisonment for only two years . It was pronounced by a barrister who was acting as judge for the day , to the very general disgust of all who heard it . Well , George . Holmes was consigned to York Castle , but as soon as he ' found himself within the walls of that building , his = formerly robust health began to decline . apace . There was * no donbfc , a craving after his accustomed beershtop and * th © other little excitements in which' his heart delighted ; His liver was affected , and then ~ his lungs ; and ' he contrived-to mako out so good a story to the doctor , and tho doctor to the Visiting , Tustfoosj and the'Visiting . Justices to * the Home Secretary ,

      that-in > five * months' time- ho procured his freedom . Change of ain and-liberty were the two indispensable oonditions' for preserving to society one of its brightest ornan >» nt 8 ~ ini tne < person of Greorge Holraca . The Governor gave-him- some- money , and , no doubt , every caro \ wb taken tbnrt * the interesting convalescent should be provided with every-little comfort hia situation might require . , Away He'went , and we hear of him in a very few dtiys at flubeersftopy where he-was- given into custody fbr endeavouring / to pa 88 > away a bad half-crown . " Some remarks on the- sobjeot were made- at the West Riding SessionB : but no result wus come to . It

      was also alluded to at a ' meeting of the mngistrntO 3 of tho'Bradford division , when a resolution was come to to the effect that , inasmuch as- her Majesty ' s pardon'had been'oonferred' upon Holmes , nothing could be done in his oaso , but that , in the opinion of the bench , it would infuturo be expedient if the Secretary of State for tlio Home- Department would first inquire into tho nntceedtortftof a' criminal befbroher Majesty's clemency wjis cmtfended to > hinnu Holmes , the pardoned convict , has returned 'to- his o > ld haunta in the village of Hnwkc 3-worth , and is living a life of idleness . Ilia presence causes groat ' terror to the peaceable inhabitants . A . Charitable . IuTicRi'ttKrATiON . —• " Civia "

      communicates to the Times the following story : — "A gentleman sitting with two or three friends in his dining-room is all at once informed by one of hia servants that ' somebody is trying tbe door ! ' On cautiously listening , he finds that there is something going on at the door , and on issuing suddenly forth collars a man on the doorstep . The cook , who has been watching in the area , swears the man so collared is tlie one who has been engaged for some time ' doing something & t the door . ' The man is given in charge , is recognized by many of the force as a thief and as a companion of thieves . Fortunately , nothing is found upon him but some silver , a pipe , a cigar , and some lucifer matches . The presiding magistrate before whom he is taken this morning is astounded to hear that any one could ever have been locked up on any such charge ! ' The men might have been lighting his cigar ! ' The cook swears to him , the

      master of the house collars him , and the police recognize him as an old acquaintance ; but at ten o ' clock at night he is only lighting a cigar at the lock of a street-door . The worthy magistrate is astounded at such a charge being insisted on , and the householder who made it and the policeman who took it are ignominiously dismissed . " Forgbky and Embezzlement . —Henry Autey , clerk in the office of Mr . Martin Cawood , Secretary of tlie Leeds , Bradford , and Halifax Junction Railway , was placed in the dock of the Leeds Court-house last Saturday , charged with purloining three several warrants from the office of tlie company , forging the name of Thomas Thompson Cunliffe Lister , Esq ., of Beamsley Hall , near Skipton , to these warrants , paying them away , and appropriating the money to his own use . He was committed for trial .

      A Garotter Kilxed in Edinburgh . —A youth who serves as a shopman at Edinburgh is now in custody under a charge of killing an Irish labourer , who , in company with four other Irishmen ( according to the account given by the young man ) , attacked him in . the streets at night , on his refusing to give them money . It appears that they- attempted to garotte him ; that he took out a clasp-knife , and stru-ck about all round ; and that finally he escaped , leaving one of the men dead on . the pavement . He was not then aware of tho fatal catastrophe , but he told a policeman of the encounteT , and he was subsequently apprehended . The other Irishmen arc also detained , pending an inquiry .

      Embezzlement bt Commercial , Travellers . —William Sewell , a commercial traveller in the employ of a corn miller at Bra ml cy , is now under remand on a charge of embezzling various sums , amounting to upwards of 400 / ., from his master . —Another commercial traveller , named Thomas Culllngvrorth , employed by a spirit merchant at Huddersfield , has been committed for trial , charged with embezzling three boxes of cigars . Voluntary Torxurk . —A convict in the county gaol of Cardiff attempted a few -weeks ago to murder one of the waTdeTS by striking him on . the head with a large

      piece of : firewood . A ; day or two afterwards , he endeavoured to strangle himself , but was rescued just in time . Hisr next feat was one of a most amazing character . -It was found that the pupils of his eyes were greatly scratched . The medical man was perfectly baffled in his endeavours to ascertain the cause ; but at length it was found that he had a small piece of glass in his pocket , with which be had lacerated tho pupils to such an extent that it is doubtfulwhetheT'lie has not destroyed his sight . His object , ho said , was to bo sent out of the country . He is a tickct-of-loavc man , and had been convicted of a burglnry .

      The Crystal Paxack Forcer . —The convict Robson has been suffering in the infirmary of USTewgate from severe illness , and for two or three days he was entirely deprived of his mental faculties . He is under the care of Mr . Gibson , tho surgeon of Newgate , and is now improving . Dedea Hedanies . —Father Laurence , the Roman Catholic priest who administered the last offices of religion to the convict Dedea lledanies , writes to the papers to say that some of the details of the execution of that

      culprit are incorrect . It appears that- ho did not give any evidences of a Mahometan fatalism , nor exclaim , a few minutes before his death , " I shall soon be in the arms of my dear Caroline ; " that he made no mention of the namca of his- victims for the last two days of his life ; that he slept well , instead of ill , on his Inst night ; and that he exhibited ii very devout demeanour , and an appearance of sincere sorrow for the crimes he had committed . His not taking- any refreshment on the morning of Ms execution is referred to a religious feeling .

      PnisoiN Disci rustic . —Two young men , stated to be eighteen years old esich , mid botli apparently active- and powerful , were charged ut tho Mansion House with attompting- to pick pockets in the street .- ) . TUcy wcro well known to tho police ; ami , iiftor having been sentenced to three months' hard labour , the Lord Mayor made some remarks on tile great increase of « riino , and tuo necessity that exists for devising some better means of disposing of our co-nvictH . Ho asked Mr . Pearson , tlie City Solicitor , what was to be done ; andtliat gentleman replied : — " If our legislators -would have tho courage to enforco a sound . system of prison discipline , no difficulty would arise in disposing of our criminals . If industrial occupation wcro provided in district prisons , and criminals were taught that if they did not work they should

      not eat—if prisoners were compelled hy the produce « f their own hands to pay the costs of their own prosecution , and punishment—it would be found that the criminal class could maintain itself by a process that would be afc once primitive and reformatory . " Stating the various species of imprisonment by which a criminal graduates in wickedness , theCity Solicitor continued : — "Humanity will not kill him , false kindness will not cure him , and the world will not receive him ; yet he is a man , ani must be somewhere- It is bad legislation that has made criminals what they are : by its influence they have graduated from trifling offencea to the gravest crimes and such will ever » e the case unless you provide industrial prisons in which they may be inured to labour , and

      never discharged until they have acquired fixed habits of industry , proving- that they can and will maintain themselves . " The Lord Mayor asked the City Solicitor to put Ills opinions on paper . Mr . Pearson replied : — " I am here , as your Lordship Knows , upon other business , and am not prepared with documents to prove tie statement ; but the fact is , that the present Government is unteacbable and untractable on this subject . Seven years agro , Sir George Grey promised that my system , of prison discipline should have a thorough investigation and a fair trial , and nothing has been done , that I am .

      aware of , towards the fulfilment of the promise . It is the press and the public to whom I shall next make my appeal . The press is nobly leading , the way by preparing the public mind , and the public must follow t £ e course which the press is opening . In obedience to your Lordship ' s wishes , I will in two or three days lay before you a detailed statement of my opinions upon prison , discipline , transportation , and tickets of leave ; and if your Lordship will call a public meeting to consider these important questions , I shall be proud to take part in the dismission . "

      The Alleged Abduction Case at Bath The hearing- of the case " Yescombe v . Roche and another " in the Bath County Court , the particulars of which -we gave in our last paper , was resumed on Friday week , and concluded on . the following day . According to Mademoiselle Kocli , she left Mr . Yescombe ' s house on account of ill-treatment , and went to Mrs . Madocks ' s , where Mr . Roche treated her like a gentleman . The jury , after an absence from court of rather more than an hour , returned with a verdict against Mr . Roche , on the count for harbouring : damages , one farthing . They also expressed a unanimous opinion that the case ought never to have been brought into court . The verdict was received with applause . The plaintiff then withdrew another action against Mr . Roche for trespass , of which he had given notice . Jfr . Walter Savage Landor gave evidence on Saturday ; but his testimony did not materially affect the case .

      Countt Police and the Garotte . —It was resolved at the Worcestershire Quarter Sessions , on Monday , to make a small addition to the Dudley and Stourbridge . districts . Some observations -were then made on tie prevalence of outrages against the person , on which Sir John Pakington remarked that undoubtedly a good , deal of crime was being committed in various parts of the country just now but nevertheless he thought there was a panic in the public niiud on the subject . Everybody was talking about outrages by ticket-of-leave men and of garotte robberies . He thought this arose from a panic , and that it would be removed and

      forgotten m three months . Lord Lyttelton agreed with Sir John Fakington that a groat deal of alarm existed in . the public mind on the subject , but said they must not forget that they had still the worst part of the winter to go through . Captain Bennett , who submitted tho motion to the Court for the increase in the Dudley force , said thAt'the inhabitants in that district were afraid to venture out after nightfall , and even working . men after receiving their wages dared not go home alone . Ho and his brother magistrates had had as many as seventy cases brought before them in one day . Sir Jolin Pakington resumed the subject the next day , and spoko to the same offect as before .

      Tnrc Samaritam Institution . —The charges against Mr . Suit Edward Pack Barber , the secretary to the Samaritan Institution , were proceeded with on several ilays during tbe present week , and a great deal of testimony against him was given by some girls who had been in tho liabit of going to the place ; but what they stated ono day they denied another . The girls stated that Mir . Harbor had offered them remuneration if they would swear that they had received relief from tho Institution , ; but Mr . Alderman Carden said their testimony could not for a moment be depended on .

      A Woman found Disad in a Railway Aucn . —Tha body of ii woman , about thirty years of age , was found on Sunday evening lying deud upon a heap of rubbish , in an arch belonging' to the Blnckwall Railway Company . The poov creature , who was without shawl or bonnet , and appeared to bo utterly friendless and unknown , was seen in the morning alivo by two otlier women who entered tho arch . Thoy left for a short timo to procure sonic food , and on their return sho was dead . A medical man , who had been called to see tho woman , having given his opinion that death was caused from destitution and exposure to the wentlicr , tho jury at the inquest returned a verdict accordingly , tUo coroner directing the police authorities to prevent desti-

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Jan. 10, 1857, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_10011857/page/7/