LARCENY v. MURDER.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume III, Issue 629, 6 May 1882, Page 2

LARCENY v. MURDER.

It would almost seem (says the Pall Mall Gazette) to bo regarded as a more venial offence in the eye of the law to kick a woman to death than to pick her pocket. In illustration of this, Mr McFarlane, M. P., strings together in the March number of Macmillan a few sentences inflicted last year for offences against persons and property, from which we make the following extracts :—May 2G : Kicking a woman to death ; six weeks’ hard labor. Juno : Picking a woman’s pocket of 9s (second offence) ; ten years’ penal servitude. June 11 : Knocking down a wife and kicking her savagely in the face ; three months’ hard labour. Nov. 23 : Woman ill-treated indecently and killed by three men ; one sixteen months’ hard labour, and two six months’ each. December ; Stealing coals value 2s ; eight months’ hard labor. December: Trying to kill wife with razor (second offence) ; twelve monk s’ hard labor. December ; Stealing watch value 30s (second offence) ; five years’ penal servitude. December : Stealing a knife and keys ; Five years’ penal servitude. Deo. 10 : Striking violently in the face and indecently assaulting a woman ; 40s fine. Dec. 16 : Knocking down and kicking a woman twice ; L 4 fine. In the last two cases the women were strangers who were wantonly assaulted by ruffians in the streets. Is it any wonder that the rough regards a brutal .assault on an unprotected female as a legitimate pastime, winked at, if not actually encouraged, by the magistrate ?