Show DOSS IT recent in the police court in rich mond inginia ginia an old colored man was arranged on the of stealing a watch in august 1872 he was sen fenced to eight ye irs in the penitentiary for breaking into the houie of E kiev asahl and stealing a gold watch before being arrested be placed the watch in a tin box and buried it after his release from prison he found it as he had left it in almost older while attempting to sell the watch he was ai rested and taken before the po lice wacie he unhesitating 1 gave a history of the and said he was punched for stealing it and sup posed that it was his property this is undoubtedly a very peculiar view to take of tho matter and whether the court will look at it in the manner or not remains to be decided in one ene of the word the negro is light because he has severely paid the penal 4 of the camf serving out bis sentence hereby satisfying the demands of an inifred law in another be is wrong he takes the same view as other al who steal large sums of money and conceal it until alter they have served out their time in tho penitentiary and then it to their own use by tace proceedings the loser is loer austre is satisfied the criminal is content to suffer a few years of an ahone because at the end of ins corvi tude ho quietly to the spot hei e his ill gotten gains ai e concealed it and goes to a strange country and lives like an honest man no blime can be attached to thoin minal bo cause he has the law can any blame be attached to the offic cis of the corn t as they have done all the law requires them to do consequently the defect is in the law our lawmakers law makers has made no provisions pio visions for the imprisonment of alie culprit until the return to the rightful owner the money which his been stolen As in tho caie of the when at the tr acho widow of the deceased roan vi ho lot the v atch could pot identify it the justice was it a loss to know how to decide the case and has taken the matter andas probably at this timo undecided if alc tlc law bould have made provisions lor to have sentenced ibe butil the ty was returned to its owner then the loser would lae been the liw also and there hould chaia baago ment for biro to continue his thieving if he had a desire to do so As tho law now stands it encourages crime rather than to discourage it the imprisonment of a thief does not return the stolen goods or money to the owner and when a thief servo out his sentence ho can steil away to some quiet nook and livo the remainder of his natural life on he wealth belonging to victim |