Capital Punishment.

Cromwell Argus, Volume III, Issue 119, 20 February 1872, Page 6

Capital Punishment.

Mv Saunders, who wi’s for some years t; 1 J'Suji' i'.ut ‘iidciK of v o'i ■• i. h.-v; lately return* I to that i'rovn?." from England. whither i I bad been on a pleasure trip. Ho lias anr ; mvouivd the I\< 1' >•* pnb] : c with a few re;r nisociioes of ids visit, in tl\3 form of ;i, !e , tmv. and the following is one of his storie; i—“ 1 was crossing t!ie Channel to Duhli: ' and in- the same sir was Mr Bright, wi. ■ whom 1 had some pleasant conversation. Iwc wore approaching the hurl, Mr Brigh | pointing to a small island, said, ‘That | called the Eye of Ireland. Several yea | ago, a doctor took his wife out there in | boat, and returned without her, saying si fell into the water. Me was accused of ha j ing drowned her, was tried, convicted,, an i sentenced to bo ’mug. A number of poop , wnn did not think the evidence proved hj j gu It, endeavoured to get Iris sentence cm: i mut 'd. 1 did wir’d. 1 could to help thorn, - | not that I agreed with them as to his inn crncc, for I had no doubt, he was guilt" : hi I I am opposed to capital punishment, nr ; therefore I objected to his living cxocntei ! and desired that lie should ho transport. ! for life. 1 am happy to say {continued li ■ Bright) that we were successful; hissontem was commuted, and lie was transported ft bje.’ Smglarlv enough (said Mr Saunders i had learned tlie suosegnent history of th j convict (ioch-r, and I ashed Mr Bright if 1 know what became of that man. ‘ No,’ w; j )us reply. ‘ Tuon,* said 1, ‘ 1 will tell ym He was sent out to Australia, and from hj Knowledge of medicine, was appointed t dispense the dm y> in the convict cstablial i niont or which lie was an inmate. Me wi I accused of murdering—poisoning—one of hj I icliow-prisuncvs, agamst whom lie had j grudge ; and it was believed that he had no. sonod more in the same way. He was condemned and executed for this murder, and this was one result of the commutation of the original sentence on this murderer.’ When I was finished, Mr Bright suddenly turned jon his heel, and wc had no more convcraa- | tion on that subject.—(Laughter.)