Page:A General Biography of Bengal Celebrities Vol 1.djvu/57

 48, LIFE OF ME. WOOMESH CHUNDER BONNERJEE. the people of the country, who protest, but no body listens to their protest ("Shame.") A man was tried in one of the Dis- tricts in Bengal for murder. The trial took place, not before a Jury, but before what are called Assessors — two Assessors, and a Judge. The Judge, concurring with the two Assessors, found the man NOT GUILTY OF MURDER, but found him guilty of manslaughter, and sentenced him to hard labor for five years. He appealed against his convic- tion—he had the light of appeal, the trial having been held with the aid of Assessors and not with the aid of a jury. The case came before the High Court of Calcutta. He was a poor man and could not be properly represented. The Judges upset the conviction as regards manslaughter, found this man guilty of murder, sentenced him to be hanged, and notwithstanding petitions for mercy from nearly the whole country that man was hanged. (Great sensation, and loud cries of "shame.") He bad in the meantime undergone nearly two months of that imprison- ment, so that he was kept in rigorous imprisonment for two months, and at the end of that he was hanged. ( " Shame. " ) Now this created such a shock in the minds of the people that it is impossible to describe the sensation in the country at the time. Everybody wept aloud almost, but there is nobody to take any notice of that. Our District Officers thought that the prestige of the High Court would be lost if the Government interfered and allowed that man to live. The High Court bad the power and could have sentenced him to transportation for life ; but no— the man was sentenced to be hanged, and hanged he was accordingly. (''Shame, shame/') There are many instances where a man has been fined; after Sir James Fitzjames Stephen's law he has appealed, and the result has been that the Judges, instead of affirming the fine, have sent him to hard la- bor for many months. ( t| Shame. ,, ) Now I saw the scenes creat- ed in this country when it was reported, and truly reported, that