People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 April 1894 — Rather Hard on the Prisoner. [ARTICLE]

Rather Hard on the Prisoner.

A story comes from Paris of a venerable and benevolent judge, who, at the moment of passing sentence cn a prisoner, desirous of meting out absolute justice, invariably consulted his assessors on each side of him as to the proper penalty to be inflicted. “W’hat ought we to give this rascal, brother?” he would ask, bending over to the assessor on the right. “I should say three years.” “What is your opinion, brother?” to the assessor on the left. “I should give him about four years.” Whereupon the good old justice would address the prisoner thus: “Prisoner, not desiring to give you a long and severe term of imprisonment, as I should have done if left to myself, I have consulted my learned brothers, and shall take their advice. Seven years.” —Harper’s Young People.