Diary in America Volume I Part 35

_Recorder_. Murray, you're a deep fellow. You got a Green Mountain boy into an alley, and played at "shuffle and burn," and you burned him out of a hundred dollars. You must go to Sing Sing for five years; and we hope the reputable reporters attending for the respectable public press will warn our respectable country friends, when they come into New York, not to go into Orange street, and play at "shuffle and burn" among bad girls and bad men, or they'll very likely get burnt, like this Green Mountain boy.--Go to the next.

William Shay, charged with shying gla.s.ses at the head of a tavern-keeper. Guilty.

_Recorder_. This rioting is a very bad crime, Shay, and deserves heavy punishment; but as we understand you have a wife and sundry little Shays, we'll let you off, provided you give your solemn promise never to do so any more.

_Shay_. I gives it--wery solemnly.

_Recorder_. Then we discharge you.

_Shay_. Thank your honour--your honour's a capital judge.

John Bowen, charged with stealing a basket. Guilty.

_Recorder_. Now, John, we've convicted you; and you'll have to get out stone for three months on Blackwell's Island--that's the judgment of the court.

Buckley and Charles Rogers, charged with loafing, sleeping in the park, and leaving the gate open, were discharged, with a caution to take care how they interfered with corporation rights in future, or they would get their corporation into trouble.

Ann Boyle, charged with being too _lively_ in the street. Let off on condition of being quiet for the time to come.

Thomas Dixon, charged with petty larceny. Guilty.

_Dixon_. I wish to have judgment suspended.

_Recorder_. It's a bad time to talk about suspension; why do you request this?

_Dixon_. I've an uncle I want to see, and other relations.

_Recorder_. In that case we'll send you to Black well's island for six months, you'll be sure to find them all there. Sentence accordingly.

Charles Enroff, charged with petty larceny--coming Paddy over an Irish shoemaker, and thereby cheating him out of a pair of shoes.--Guilty.

Sentenced to the penitentiary, Blackwell's island, for six months, to get out stone.

Charles Thorn, charged with a.s.saulting Miss Rachael Prigmore.

_Recorder_. Miss Prigmore, how came this man to strike you?

_Rachael_. Because I wouldn't have him. (A laugh.) He was always a teasing me, and spouting poetry about roses and thorns; so when I told him to be off he struck me.

_Prisoner_ (theatrically). Me strike you! Oh, Rachael--

"Perhaps it was right to dissemble your love, But why did you kick me down stairs?"

_Prisoner's Counsel_. That's it, your honour. Why did she kick him down stairs?

This the fair Rachael indignantly denied, and the prisoner was found guilty.

_Recorder_. This striking of women is a very bad crime, you must get out stone for two months.

_Prisoner_. She'll repent, your honour. She loves me--I know she does.

"On the cold flinty rock, when I'm busy at work, Oh, Rachael, I'll think of thee."

Thomas Ward, charged with petty larceny. Guilty. Ward had nothing to offer to _ward_ off his sentence, therefore he was sent to the island for six months.

Maria Brandon, charged with petty larceny. Guilty. Sentenced to pick oak.u.m for six months.

_Maria_. Well, I've friends, that's comfort, they'll sing--

"Oh, come to this bower, my own stricken deer."

_Recorder_. You're right, Maria, it's an _oak.u.m_ bower you're going to.

The court then adjourned. See Note 4.

But all these are nothing compared with the following, which at first I did not credit. I made the strictest inquiry, and was informed by a legal gentleman present that it was correct. I give the extract as it stood in the newspapers.

_Influence of a Pretty Girl_.--"Catherine Manly," said the Recorder yesterday, in the sessions, "you have been convicted of a very bad crime. This stealing is a very serious offence; but, _as you are a pretty girl_! we'll suspend judgment, in hopes you will do better for the future." We have often heard that justice was blind. What a fib to say so!

Mr Carey, in his publication on Wealth, a.s.serts, that security of property and or person are greater in the United States than in England.

How far he is correct I shall now proceed to examine. Mr Carey says, in his observations on security of person:--"Comparing Ma.s.sachusetts with England and Wales, we find in the former 1 in 86,871 sentenced to one year's imprisonment or more; whereas, in the latter 1 in 70,000 is sentenced to more than one year. The number sentenced to one year or more in England is greater than in Pennsylvania. It is obvious, therefore, that security is much greater in Ma.s.sachusetts than in England, and consequently greater than in any other part of the world."

Relative to crimes against security of property, he a.s.serts:--

Of crimes against property, involving punishments of one year's imprisonment, or more, we find:--

+================+==========+ In Pennsylvania 1 in 4,400 +----------------+----------+ In New York 1 in 5,900 +----------------+----------+ In Ma.s.sachusetts1 in 5,932 +================+==========+

While in England, in the year 1834, their convictions for offences against property, involving punishments exceeding one year's imprisonment, was 1 in 3,120.

Now, that these numbers are fairly given, as far as they go, I have no doubt; but the comparison is not just, because, first, in America crime is not so easily detected; and, secondly, when detected, conviction does not always follow.

Mr Carey must be well aware that, in the American newspapers, you _continually_ meet with a paragraph like this:--"A body of a white man, or of a negro, was found floating near such and such a wharf, on Sat.u.r.day last, with evident marks of violence upon it, etcetera.

etcetera, and the coroner's inquest is returned either found drowned, or violence by person or persons unknown." Now, let Mr Carey take a list from the coroner's books of the number of bodies found in this manner at New York, and the number of instances in which the perpetrators have been discovered; let him compare this list with a similar one made for England and Wales, and he will then ascertain the difference between the _crimes committed_ in proportion to the _convictions_ which take place through the activity of the police in our country, and, it may be said, the total want of police in the United States.

As to the second point, namely, that when crimes are detected, conviction does not follow, [see Note 5] I have only to refer back to the cases of Robinson and Goodwin, two instances out of the many in which criminals in the United States are allowed to escape, who, if they had committed the same offence in England, would most certainly have been hanged. But there is another point which renders Mr Carey's statement unfair, which is, that he has no right to select one, two, or even three states out of twenty-six, and compare them all with England and Wales.

The question is, the comparative security of person and property in Great Britain and the United States. I acknowledge that, if Ireland were taken into the account, it would very much reduce our proportional numbers; but, then, there crime is _fomented_ by traitors and demagogues--a circ.u.mstance which must not be overlooked.

Still, the whole of Ireland would offer nothing equal in atrocity to what I can prove relative to one small town in America: that of Augusta, in Georgia, containing only a population of 3,000, in which, in one year, there were _fifty-nine a.s.sa.s.sinations_ committed in open day, without any notice being taken of them by the authorities.

This, alone, will exceed all Ireland, and I therefore do not hesitate to a.s.sert, that if every crime committed in the United States were followed up by conviction, as it would be in Great Britain, the result would fully substantiate the fact, that, in security of person and property, the advantage is considerably in favour of my own country.

Note 1. Miss Martineau, speaking of the jealousy between the Americans and the French creoles, says--"No American expects to get a verdict, on _any evidence_, from a jury of French creoles."

Note 2. America though little more than sixty years old as a nation, has already published an United States Criminal Calendar (Boston, 1835.) I have this book in my possession, and, although in number of criminals it is not quite equal to our Newgate Calendar, it far exceeds it in atrocity of crime.