I suppose though if he had been handed over to the police, he would have ended up being hanged. And I wouldn't have wanted that to happen to him.
No, I wouldn't want that either. I don't agree with the death penalty for anyone (even Mortimer Tregennis, horrible as he was!) So it's lucky for me that I don't have to deal with the Victorian justice system :) Although, for whatever it's worth, this little blurb on capital punishments (http://vcp.e2bn.org/justice/page11359-types-of-punishment-hanging.html) notes that even during the 18th century judges were quietly commuting 60% of capital punishments into non-fatal, lesser sentences. I think Dr. Sterndale would have stood a decent chance of having his sentence commuted due to the kind of mitigating factors you mention.
But, he went off to Africa, and hopefully never took out his feelings through violence again. We can hope!
I would have preferred it, though, if he had stuck around to take care of Brenda's brothers. Their lives, shut up in an asylum without anyone to speak up for them or supply their wants, are too tragic to contemplate.
In fact, I have just now decided that Dr. Watson took it as a personal duty to look in on them and be on call for them, and both he and Holmes made anonymous yearly donations for their care and Watson saw to it that these efforts were never publicized. And the vicarage at Tregennick Wallace also pitched in the charitable efforts of the community on their behalf.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2015-11-27 05:13 pm (UTC)No, I wouldn't want that either. I don't agree with the death penalty for anyone (even Mortimer Tregennis, horrible as he was!) So it's lucky for me that I don't have to deal with the Victorian justice system :) Although, for whatever it's worth, this little blurb on capital punishments (http://vcp.e2bn.org/justice/page11359-types-of-punishment-hanging.html) notes that even during the 18th century judges were quietly commuting 60% of capital punishments into non-fatal, lesser sentences. I think Dr. Sterndale would have stood a decent chance of having his sentence commuted due to the kind of mitigating factors you mention.
But, he went off to Africa, and hopefully never took out his feelings through violence again. We can hope!
I would have preferred it, though, if he had stuck around to take care of Brenda's brothers. Their lives, shut up in an asylum without anyone to speak up for them or supply their wants, are too tragic to contemplate.
In fact, I have just now decided that Dr. Watson took it as a personal duty to look in on them and be on call for them, and both he and Holmes made anonymous yearly donations for their care and Watson saw to it that these efforts were never publicized. And the vicarage at Tregennick Wallace also pitched in the charitable efforts of the community on their behalf.
OK, headcanon accepted.