Odger's English Common Law

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Chapter V.
ACTS ENDANGERING HUMAN LIFE.
The common law made very scanty provision for the
repression of acts which, merely endangered human life. If
no fatal consequences followed and the act in question did
not amount to either robbery or rape, the only remedy was an
indictment for battery or assault—misdemeanours, which as
a rule were very lightly punished. But many statutes have
now been passed to remedy this omission.
1. Attempt to Murder.
Every attempt to commit a crime is a misdemeanour at
common law; but an attempt to murder has been made
felony by statute, whether any bodily injury be effected or
not. 1
It is punishable with penal servitude for life and
therefore, be tried at Quarter Sessions.
The statute gives as examples several kinds of acts which,
if done with intent to murder, amount to an attempt to
murder, such as administering poison, wounding or causing
grievous bodily harm, blowing up buildings, setting ships on
fire, or casting them adrift. Further, by section 14 it is a
felony punishable with penal servitude for life to unlawfully
and maliciously attempt to administer or attempt to cause to
be administered to any person any poison or other noxious
thing with intent to commit murder. Shooting at a person or
attempting to shoot "by drawing a trigger or in any other
manner," or attempting to drown, suffocate or strangle any
person with intent to commit murder, is punished with equal
severity.
In the case of wounding with intent to murder, the
B.C.L.
1 24 & 25 Vict. c. 100, ss. 11—15.
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