TREASON, HIGH, that crime which is directly committed against the supreme authority of the State, considered to be the greatest crime that can be com mitted. Formerly in England certain offenses against private superiors were ranked as petit or petty treason, and it was in opposition to such offenses that treason against the sovereign was called high treason; but by an act of George IV. high treason was made the only treason. The present law of treason in England comprehends the following de scriptions, namely: (1) Compassing or imagining the king's death. (2) Viola tion of the king's companion (meaning the queen), his eldest daughter, unmar ried, or the wife of the eldest son and heir. (3) Levying war against the king in his realm. (4) Adhering to his en emies in his realm, and giving them aid and comfort in the realm or elsewhere. (5) Counterfeiting the great or privy seal. (6) Slaying the chancellor, treas urer, etc. The third of the offenses de tailed in this statute is now treason fel ony and has a milder punishment than treason annexed to it. Clause 5 is now
repealed. The English law condemns the person convicted of treason to be drawn in a hurdle to the place of execution, there to be hanged, and then beheaded and quartered; and a conviction was fol lowed by forfeiture of land and goods and attainder of blood,• but this is now restricted to hanging, forfeiture and at tainder being abolished. The conceal ment of treason is called misprison of treason.
In the United States treason consists in levying war by a citizen against the country, or adhering to its enemies. In the session of Congress (1901-1902) sev eral measures were introduced making any attack on the life of the President, Vice-President, or certain other govern ment officials an act of treason, and pun ishable by death. The provision was also introduced that the offender should be tried by the Federal Courts, thus re moving such cares from the jurisdiction of State courts at the place of the oc currence.