42 FACT AGAINST FICTION. 



does, botli wife and cliildren by refusing to 

 labour, and by going out at night or in the day 

 to steal game or rabbits, or anything he can lay 

 his hands on, tlie monetary proceeds of which, 

 by all such thieves, being regarded, not as a fund 

 for the support of their families^ but as pochet- 

 money for the man to spend in gamhling or in 

 hecr. As an instance of the culpable leniency 

 in magistrates, I select the following from a 

 vast number of similar cases : — 



Two notorious thieves went out, one winter 

 morning, at daybreak, on a maiden snowfall, to 

 trace hares and rabbits to their forms in the 

 furze and heather. Both of these men were old 

 offenders, and had been previously convicted in 

 full penalties ; and one of them had treated w^ith 

 contempt in a former case the last simmions 

 served upon him, as well as the warrant issued 

 against him, having frightened away, so it Avas 

 said, two policemen (Avhicli I do not believe) 

 who came to take him, threatening to murder 

 them with a stone hammer. Having been thus 

 left at large, in defiance of summons and warrant, 

 for a considerable time, — but keeping out of the 

 way, of course, — he continued all his misdeeds 



