We are not quite sure that magistrates who "bear the
sword in vain 's are not as mischievous as magistrates who are unjust. Mr. W. N. Nankville, a respectable wine merchant, saw a young ruffian strike a girl, who was crying with the pain, and remonstrated with him, whereupon he knocked Mr. Nankville down, the blow knocking out one tooth, breaking the sockets of three others into splinters, and in fact disfiguring him for life. The man, more- over, attempted to kick him in the disgusting manner the roughs know so well that they have invented a new term for it. The ruffiau was arrested and taken before Alderman Sir J. Lawrence, who gave him seven days' imprisonment. If he had snatched Mr. Nankville'e watch, he would have had seven years. In other words, Mr. Nankville, for interfering to save a woman from brutal treat- ment, is disfigured from life, is in danger of still worse treatment, loses a day's time, and becomes a mark for all the ruffians of Lon- don, and is refused protection by the magistrate. And then we
wonder that when violent assaults take place the bystanders are reluctant to interfere.
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