Lives of Distinguished North Carolinians, with Illustrations and Speeches
History
Lives of Distinguished North Carolinians, with Illustrations and Speeches
North Carolina -- Biography
also, the expression that the prisoner may have liberty "to walk
therein for the preservation of his health," which shows that the
courts had the power to allow the prisoners merely the "liberty of
walking," at particular hours, and require them still to have their
abode in the prison. Such, at first, was no doubt, the practice.
But in laying out the bounds the rules of the court in modern days
practically exempt persons committed in execution for debt from any
imprisonment within the jail, by allowing them to walk, not for
particular hours, but at all times of the day and night within the
rules. As they are not required to eat or sleep within the prison,
they are, in effect, allowed to live out of the walls, provided they
do not go out of the rules.
But with regard to persons committed under sentence for crimes, no
rules have ever been passed. At least, we have known of none; and
the applicant does not state that there is any such rule for Anson
Superior Court. We do not say that it might not be proper, in some
cases, to grant to minor offenders the liberty of exercise and fresh
air at reasonable times and for a moderate period. But that is,
necessarily, as each court may order in regard to its own prisoners;
for as the imprisonment itself and its duration are within the
discretion of the court, so must the degree of its vigor be, at
least, as to the power of mitigating it within the extent allowed by
the statute. The reason why no _regula generalis_ has been adopted
by the court, doubtless has been, that our courts are not in the
habit of sentencing convicts to imprisonment, unless in those cases
in which the courts think that, for the purposes of correction
and example, there should be actual imprisonment during the whole
period. But if there be any general rule upon the subject in any
court it would be under the control of that court, whether each
prisoner should or should not be allowed the indulgence, and the
sentence on this person is, "that he _shall_ be imprisoned _in_ the
public jail of Anson for twelve months." Of course, this prisoner
cannot demand an enlargement out of prison, as a matter of right.
As I should be under the necessity of remanding the prisoner, if
brought up on _habeas corpus_, I decline issuing the writ at all,
according to the suggestion of his counsel.
[Illustration: THOMAS BRAGG.]
THOMAS BRAGG.
BY PULASKI COWPER.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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