A man named White was on Friday last tried before
Mr. Payne, Deputy Assistant-Judge for Middlesex, for stealing a roll of linsey. The police proved a previous conviction, and though White declared that he had been persecuted by the police, Mr. Payne sentenced him to ten years' penal servitude. The case elicited great sympathy and a strong leader in the Times. On Monday Mr. Payne recalled the prisoner, postponed sentence, and promised inquiry. It has been made, and Sir George Grey on Thursday stated the facts to the House of Commons. White had been originally sentenced for four years for a plate burglary and released on a ticket of leave, and subsequently sentenced to three months' imprisonment for lurking with intent. His story of per- secution was unfounded, the constables not even knowing that he had been a convict, and altogether he came under the heading of a " relapsed " prisoner. It is useless to give such men short sen- tences, and the great difficulty is to maintain the just proportion between punishment and crime. If sentences for theft are too heavy, even on convicts, the tendency will be to accompany theft with violence.
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