PLEASANT WOMEN.

Westport Times, Volume V, Issue 894, 30 November 1871, Page 3

PLEASANT WOMEN.

The "Daily News," in an able article on ticket-of-leave women, states that nearly 4000 female- criminals are at large with tickets-of-leave. The majority live in London. A. very largo proportion consists of hardened offenders. More than one is a murderess. Women who have been sentenced to death for murder, and whose sentence is afterwards commuted into penal servitude for life, are not, as is commonly supposed, removed for ever from the scene of their criminal exploits. After having served a term of twelve years, and conducted herself to the satisfaction of the prison authorities, the convicted murderess easily obtains her ticket-of-leave, and becomes a free woman again. In one of the western and most fashionable districts of London many hundreds of domestic servants are ticket-of-leave women. Several of them have run the entire scale of crime, from petty larceny up to burglary and murder. Their employers engaged them with a full knowledge of their antecedents. Strange to say, the worst criminals are not unfrequently transformed into extremely good domestic servants. The saddest and most disheartening part of the case is, that the difficulty of reforming the younger women in the homes is almost superhuman. The reconviction of females are much more numerous than the males. Moreover, the women profess to enjoy thoroughly the wild career of crime. After conducting themselves with perfect propriety for a year or longer period as domestic servants, they will suddenly leave their places and resume their old habits, or, in their own slaug, " have a fly." One of them, being remonstrated with for her conduct, replied With emphasis, " Oh, miss, hut there's a great dial of life in it." Planning and performing a robbery is as exciting and agreeable to these women as a pic-mc party or a ball to fashionable young ladies.

" Why Did He Not Die ? " is the title of a new novel. We have not before heard the conundrum, but believe the answer to be. Because he refused to take his medicine. The Princess Metternich, having gone back to Paris, longs for the restoration of the Empire, and tlie return of Eugenie, who was for years her only formidable rival in point of clothes. She so easily eclipses all other women now by the splendor of her toilettes that fashionable society seems empty, and life a burden.