Legal Conditions in Island of Negros. torneys as a class, who seem to have been a close corporation in the enjoyment of ex clusive privileges. Under the existing law, a disputed attorney's bill is by the court re ferred to two lawyers for determination. Such a disputed claim was recently referred by the Special Court to two members of the local bar, one of the referees being an American lawyer lately arrived in the Island, the other a native practitioner. The attorney from the United States reported that in his opinion the fees charged were excessive, recommending as the proper recovery an amount considerably less than asked. The native lawyer, one of the best and most re liable men in the Island, recommended the payment of the amount in full. While not directly approached himself, a friend of the American lawyer was given to understand that a hundred dollars was at his disposal in case he changed his finding; the friend, knowing the man, let it be understood that such offer would prove useless. While the matter was pending, one of the prominent attorneys of the bar remarked that there was an understanding among the attorneys that when the question of disputed attorney fees was submitted to two of their number ac cording to law for determination, the amount charged would either be increased or re main unchanged. A hard looking defendant was before the court on the charge of rape. The evidence against him was very strong, the testimony of the victim, her mother, and a young man, all concurring and showing that the accused entered the room where the girl and her mother were sleeping, that he took her by the hair and dragged her from the room and down the stairs, and forced her to go with him into the sugar field, where he obliged her to yield to him by force, threatening her with a dagger. When the mother interfered he threatened her with the same weapon, and prevented interference by a young man who was sleeping in the house, in the same manner: at least, the testimony of the latter was that when he attempted to interfere, the
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accused threatened him with a dagger. This evidence was contradicted only by the accused in a rather weak denial of employing force. The case made by the evidence was about as strong as could be made, and es tablished a most diabolical case of rape. At the termination of the evidence the attorney asked the somewhat startling question of the mother, "Do you forgive him?" As any question is likely to be propounded to a wit ness, and an objection on the part of oppos ing counsel is almost unknown, the Court supposed it merely an erratic interrogation put by counsel for the defense, with the de sign of mollifying the court and mitigating the penalty. The sequel proved, however, that the question was by no means a trifling one, and the answer that forgiveness was granted was followed by a request for the release of the accused, in accordance with the provision of the existing code that where the offence is condoned by the subsequent pardon of the offended party, the accused is to be discharged, and in case he has been tried and sentenced, the unexpired portion of the penalty is to be remitted whenever such pardon is granted, the criminal action being, under the Spanish law, considered a personal one which drops whenever con doned by the pardon of the individual inter ested, or the marriage of the parties. One of the most common crimes during the past two years is "Robbery in Bands," as expressed in the Spanish. The Island has been infested by roving bands of petty thieves or robbers, who were in the habit of attacking houses, tying up the occupants, or terrorizing them, and taking away what ever they could find. Generally these raids were bloodless and unaccompanied with any great degree of force, and the property stolen of small value, being a little rice and some article of clothing, and if the robbers came across any hoarded silver dollars of course they would be appropriated. There is an clement of the pathetic in these petty robberies, for the people have been, and still are, wretchedly poor. In one
