course, know the circumstances attending all these
cases; but robbery and burglary are usually premeditated, and the
criminals are prepared to commit murder if it should be necessary for
their purpose, so that we can have no sympathy with the perpetrators.
Our sympathy ought, we think, to go to the victims.

-------------------------

OLD NEW ENGLAND.

Early in the settlement of New England, as is pretty generally known,
some of the laws and punishments were singular enough. A few extracts
from Felt's "Annals of Salem" may not be out of place here, as
illustrating our subject:--

"In 1637, Dorothy Talby, for beating her husband, is _ordered to
be bound and chained to a post_."

"In 1638, the Assistants order two Salem men to _sit in the
Stocks, on Lecture day_, for travelling on the Sabbath."

"In 1644, Mary, wife of Thomas Oliver, was sentenced _to be
publickly whipped_ for reproaching the Magistrates."

"In August, 1646, for slandering the Elders, she had a _cleft
stick put on her tongue for half an hour_." Felt says: "It is
evident that her standing out for what she considered 'woman's
rights' brought her into frequent and severe trouble. Mr.
Winthrop says that she excelled Mrs. Hutchinson in zeal and
eloquence."

She finally, in 1650, left the colony, after having caused much
trouble to the Church and the authorities.

"In 1649, women were prosecuted in Salem for scolding," and
probably in many cases whipped or ducked.

"May 15, 1672, the General Court of Massachusetts orders that
Scolds and Railers shall be gagged or set in a ducking-stool and
dipped over head and ears three times."

This treatment we should suppose would be likely to make the victims
_very pleasant_, especially in cold weather.

"May 3, 1669, Thomas Maule is ordered to be whipped for saying
that Mr. Higginson preached lies, and that his instruction was
'the doctrine of devils.'"

Josiah Southwick, Mrs. Wilson, Mrs. Buffum, and others, Quakers, for
making disturbances in the meeting-house, etc., were whipped at the
cart's tail through the town. Southwick, for returning after having
been banished, was whipped through the towns of Boston, Roxbury, and
Dedham. These are only a few of the cases of the punishments inflicted
upon the Quakers. Mr. Felt says in reference to the persecution of the
Quakers:

"Before any new denomination becomes co