The Licensing Bench of Magistrates at Lincoln had a curious
case to decide yesterday week, and decided it in a curious way. A publican named Wheatley, living at Saxilby, was charged with having chained up his wife—with about a yard's length of chain —to the wall in his bedroom from one evening, throughout the night, and till four o'clock on the following afternoon, to keep her from drinking. The charge was admitted, and the advice of tho village doctor pleaded as justification. It was the only way she could be kept from drinking, it was said. The Court said Wheat- ley was not justified in what he had done, but refused to impose any penalty beyond the costs. Doubtless drinking is a fatal and destructive habit, and almost any purely moral compulsion a man could use to cure his wife of it, would be justifiable. But if slavery is to be tolerated in order to guard against intoxication, —and chaining a woman to the wall for the whole of a night and the greater'part of a day is a very cruel form of slavery,— it might be tolerated in order to guard against slander or lying, or any other vice. It was a monstrous thing not to inflict a sharp penalty on an act of tyranny so dangerous. Perhaps, however, the fault lay with the doctors, who have always been crying out that they ought to have the power to shut up drunkards at their own will and pleasure.
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