d
deliverance either by death or pardon. In fact, scarcely any extenuating
circumstances were allowed; so that in some cases cruelty seemed
actually to have banished justice. It is recorded, as one of these
cases, that a young woman with a babe at the breast, was hanged for
stealing from a shop a piece of cloth of the value of five shillings.
The poor woman was the destitute wife of a young man whom the press-gang
had captured and carried off to sea, leaving her and her babe to the
mercy of the world. Utterly homeless and starving, she stole to buy
food; but a grateful country requited the services of the sailor-husband
by hanging the wife.

The _certainty_ of punishment became nullified by the _severity_ of the
laws. Humane individuals hesitated to prosecute, especially for forgery;
while juries seized upon every pretext to return verdicts of "Not
guilty." Reprieves were frequent, for the lives of many were
supplicated, and successfully; so that the death-penalty was commuted
into transportation. Caricaturists, writers, philanthropists,
divines--all united in the chorus of condemnation against the bloody
enactments which secured such a crop for the gallows. Men, women, girls,
lads and idiots, all served as food for it. Jack Ketch had a merry time
of it, while society looked on well pleased, for the most part. Those
appointed to sit in the seat of justice sometimes defended this state of
things. One of the worthies of the "good old times"--Judge
Heath--notorious because of his partiality for hanging, is reported to
have said: "If you imprison at home, the criminal is soon thrown back
upon you hardened in guilt. If you transport you corrupt infant
societies, and sow the seeds of atrocious crimes over the habitable
globe. There is no regenerating a felon in this life. And, for his own
sake, as well as for the sake of society, I think it better to hang."

As a caricaturist George Cruikshank entered the field, and waged battle
on behalf of the poor wretches who swung at the gallows for passing
forged Bank of England notes. He drew a note resembling the genuine one,
and entitled it "Bank note, _not_ to be imitated." A copy of this
caricature now lies before us. It bears on its face a representation of
a large gallows, from which eleven criminals, three of whom are women,
are dangling, dead. In the upper left hand corner, Britannia is
represented as surrounded by starving, wailing creatures, and surmounted
by a hideous deat