The Newtown bee., 1880-03-10
Scant Jusiicc.

Within Q flow days man named John II. Shields, a carriage blacksmith h by trade and Upright intelligent man, {" has been released from the Connecticut State Prison at Wethcrsllcd after three years service. it having been proven that he is innocent of the crime imputed tO him
 The State is very magnanimous, doubt les, to rcleuse him when his innocence has been established, but how about the three years servltude which he has been through for nothing? Is the man to feel
 sufficiently grateful that he was not kept in for life, since the State must punish somebody for the crime which he did not commit? Is justice comprised simply in finding out who does commit crimes, and when they arc found, punishing the crim- inals, or has it another side also which should protect the innocent and make some sort of rcparation to the uniustly accused and the wrongly condemned? Is IL not one-sided sort of justice which simply releases q man from State Prison whore he has been unjustly confined, but makes no effort to make up to him in any way for the injury which he has suffered Is it justice at all? Probably the major ity of the people in Connecticut would bo most decidedly of the opinion that it was not, if applied to their individual selves. It may be urged that such cases are so rare as not to amount to anything but however rare they are they are none tho less unjust and inhuman when they do occur, and it is a matter of slight con- sequence to the individual sufferer whcth- CT ono or one hundred cases like his, occur In teE ycaro. Moreover the infrequence of their occurrence should be one areu- mcnt for doing something towards mak- ing return to the inI Iured person for the wrong done him. As the Stato would not be called upon to mako such repar- alton very often it could afford to be both just and generous in case where generosity would be but a poor return for injustice inflicted, and where strict jus ticc could never be done. It does seem that thcro is q defect in our criminal laws in this respect, and, when alluding to the operation of the law in such cases
 recently, we instanceI Rev. Mir. Hayden. thus far presumably innocent man, and hr. Riddle, of Norwich, legally acquitted Of the crime laid at his door. Those in- stances were but partial, however in their application, while that of the man Shields covers the ground entirely. The others had not been actually condemned. "iehV"o'' ro "iaVp~tl 'st ti.- ti.-.c tI.,.t if they had, their D. esent condition could not have been much worse, but here is & man who is not only condemned, but has suffered three years of unjust imprison- meAt The New Haven Courier in com menting on his case says he twill have no trouble to find employment. No one will be so heartless as to refuse him work because of his unjust imprison- ment, and hls friends will no doubt re- ceive him with opon arms" Of course thoy will if they are worthy of the name or men, but we submit that all that is at best but poor return for the injustice done and for the injuries which the man has suffered in the matter. The Legisla- ture should at least make him an appro- priation, which, ta king the capacity of the man into consideration and his prob able earnings over his living, would give hlm something to start in life with, even IT 1t was no adequate return for the nor nl wrong done him.-Standdrd.