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A Letter from Windsor.
By a letter from Windsor dated the 10th. Instant, we have been favoured with an account of a most disgraceful transaction which has lately taken place there, and we feel it a duty owing to Society to give it public notoriety, as well for the purpose of exposing the parties themselves to the contempt and disgrace which they have so highly incurred, as also to put the ignorant and abandonned on their guard against the commission of a crime which every sense of manhood should revolt from with detestation.
A PERSON (for A MAN I cannot call him) of the name of RALPH MALKIM, led his lawful wife into our streets on the 28th. ultimo, with a rope round her neck, and publicly exposed her for sale, and shameful to be told, another fellow, equally contemptible, called, THOMAS QUIRE, actually purchased and paid for her on the spot, sixteen pounds in money, and some yards of cloth.
I am sorry to add that the woman herself was so devoid of feelings which are so justly deemed the most valuable in her sex, agreed to the base traffic, and went off with the purchaser, significantly hinting, that she had no doubt that her new possessor would make her a better husband than the wretch she thus parted from.
The business was conducted in so public a manner and so far outraged all laws human and divine, that a Bench of Magistrates, consisting of Mr. Cox, the Rev. Mr. Cartwright, and Mr. Mileham, had it publicly investigated on Saturday last, and all the odius circumstances having been clearly proved, and even admitted by the base wretches themselves; the Bench sentenced the NO-MAN to receive 50 lashes, and put to hard labour in irons in gaol-gang at Sydney for the space of three calendar months; and the WOMAN to be transported to the Coal River for an indefinite time.
The public indignation at so gross a violation of decency was most unequivocally expressed by the acclamations with which the sentence was received by a numerous concourse of people assembled to know the event of so extraordinary and unprecedented a business in their feelings were worthy of MEN, and judging from them, I trust with confidence that the recurrence of such a crime will not take place here AT LEAST FOR THE PRESENT GENERATION.
SYDNEY, September 1811