A Miscarriage of Justice.

Waikato Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1514, 18 March 1882, Page 4

A Miscarriage of Justice.

The Home Secretary has ordered the release of two Staffordshire farmers, named Johnson and Clowes, who, a couple of years ago, were convicted of the mutilation of Isaac Biooks and sentenced by Mr Justice Bowen to ten years' penal servitude. Brooks on his deathbed at Christmas confessed that the mutilation was self-inflicted. At the time of the trial he swore that ho had been suddenly attacked by three assailants, two of whom he positively identified as Clowes and Johnson, while a third man, whom he failed to recognise, was acquitted. The motive assigned for the alleged outrage was the desire of Clowes to avenge the seduction of his sister by Brooks some years previously. There was no other evidence to convict the prisoners except Brooks's unsupported statement. There is now very little doubt that the man at the time he made it was suffering from a form of mania, lie was, in all probability, equally demented when he mutilated himself. Such outrages upon their own persons are comparatively common in lunatic asylums. The health of the two victims of s>o deplorable a miscan iage of justice has been seriously impaired by the effects of their confinement, and it is proposed to give them a sum of money by way of compensation.

" Ei'iTAriis arc .sometimes so ludicrous," says a waggish stonemason, "that they make even grave stones funny." Wiu:v a mouse makes its appearance in a ladies' sewing circle the woman with striped stockings on and the prettiest boots always jumps the highest. Tiih returns lately received fiom the Indian tea districts show that the whole crop will probably not exceed 47,500,000 pounds. Putting the export to Australia at 700,000 pounds for the country consumption, this leaves an available total of 46,000.000 pounds for export to England.

Dean Stanley's Hand-wmtino. — We have not the slightest doubt as to the truth of that amusing story, at present going the rounds, with respect to the MS. of the article contributed to an American magazine by the late Dean Stanley, and which had to be returned to one of Dean's friends in England to decipher, as no printer in the United States could make it out. The figure of a fly walking over a sheet of paper after its legs had been dipped in au ink-bottle presented but a faint image of the Dean's usual caligraphy. On the occasion of the unveiling of the Bunyan Statue at Bedford one of the London reporters congratulated himself on securing the MS. of the address which the Dean deliverd on that occasion. With this in his pocket he gave no heed to the subsequent proceedings, beyond partaking with great heartiness of the dinner, and returned to town in a very comfortable frame of mind, only droppingintoFlcet-streetforafew minutes in order to deposit the Dean's precious paper with the printer. Then he shied home tothebosomofhisfamilyat Brixton. feeling at peace with all mankind He had not been in bed, however, above half an hour when a P. D. arrived in hot haste, summoning him back in the office. The printers were not able to make out one word in twenty and the editor was imperativethattheymusthave the Dean's address. So our awakened reporter had to sit down and extend his notes in hot haste, and withadisgustwhich may be imagined. We may add by the way a fact that we have nowhere seen noted. Of the distinguished literary men in England of about the same age as Dean Stanley, especially such as have been trained either at Oxford or Cambridge, a majority wrote very bad hands ; and we have seen several which, like the Dean's were the despair of every printer who had the misfortune to make a professional acquaintance Trith them.