One hundred years ago
Two convictions, both by juries, have this week attracted some attention. On Friday, July 7th, Mr. Tims, a London County Councillor, was found guilty at the County of London Sessions for hav- ing attempted to obtain 14s. 6d. from the London and North-Western Rail- way by false pretences, and was sen- tenced to three months' imprisonment as a second-class misdemeanant; and thus, for the second time within six months, Sir Peter Edlin has sentenced members of the County Council for more or less disgraceful conduct. On Tuesday, an Irish Member of Parlia- ment, Mr Deasy, one of the Anti-Par- nellite Whips, was found guilty, also at the London Sessions, for having assault- ed a servant-girl in the lodging in which he resided. There was also a charge of indecent assault; but on this the jury, rightly as we think, refused to convict. Sir Peter Edlin sentenced Mr. Deasy to a fine of £25, — not an extravagant pun- ishment. Mr. Deasy's defence that he meant no harm was probably true; but a married man, and a Member of Parlia- ment, who tries to kiss a lodging-house servant in his bedroom, whether with or without her consent, cannot expect the sort of allowance to be made for him which is made for a lad of eighteen. In any case, the story is a squalid and unpleasant one.
The Spectator 15 July 1893
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