Yesterday week two burglars who were chased by the police
in the neighbourhood of the New North Road, Islington, used their firearms in resisting them to such effect that two of the constables were seriously wounded before the burglars could be apprehended. This has given rise to a demand that burglars who use deadly weapons, or have them ready for use, should have a flogging on their conviction, in addition to the regular punishment at present inflicted by the law. We greatly doubt the wisdom of adding these floggings to more serious punish- ments, unless it be in cases where brutal cruelty has been com- mitted. It would be quite reasonable to make the sentence of a man who has not only broken into a dwelling-house, but used violence towards the person, a mach severer sentence than one who had made stealing his only object; but these supplementary floggings are very apt to demoralise the prison staff, and to put the criminals into a vindictive state of feeling at the very com- mencement of their punishment. As regards the prisoner only, we believe that these floggings are only suitable as sharp punish- ments for brutal offences, when the punishment ends as well as begins with the flogging. Long sentences should not ho begun with assaults on the person of the convict.
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