Essays on the punishment of death / [Charles Spear].

  • Charles Spear
Date:
1845
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Essays on the punishment of death / [Charles Spear]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    murdered Colvin was led into the ring, presented to the sheriff, recognised by the assembled neighbors, and greeted by Bourne, with feelings better imagined than described ; and the people doomed to return home in disappointment—as some remarked, ‘ without seeing thefun they anticipated.’ Had Colvin (says Mr. Balch) not been found, for he was in New Jersey, or had some little hindrance delayed his arrival for a,sin¬ gle hour, an innocent man would have been hurried out of the world as a felon, leaving a wife, and children, and friends, to lament his untimely death ; humanity to w'eep over the mistakes, and weaknesses, and cruelties, of human legislation; and judges and juries to reproach themselves for taking the fearful responsi¬ bility of destroying a life which they could not restore when their errors were clearly manifest. Instances are not wanting where corrupt individu¬ als have even complained of others* for gain. This practice became so prevalent in England, that it * attracted the attention of parliament. It was found that, in 1830, there was paid £31,843 8s. 8d., being at the rate of £17 per head. This was very appropri¬ ately called blood-money, and the individuals man- hunters. It was really suggested that the Burkites. who engaged to find subjects for dissection, might find it riiore profitable to slay by due process of laic ! Three conspirators actually swore away the life of a poor man for £40, which was, at the time, the reward for a highway robber! Alas! what is there man will not do for gold! And how many have been sacrificed for ambition! Hecatombs of human victims have been offered up on the altars of both ! Passing over the fallibility of judges, let us look for a moment at the liability of witnesses to be deceived, or to perjure themseves, or to be corrupted by others. ‘ There is,’ as Judge Hales observes, ‘a charge that is
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