Morning journal and courier., 1885-12-02
AN AMERICAN MURDERER.
Taking an Easy Road to Months of
 Agreeable Distinction.


 Agreeable Distinction. The St. James Gazette, of London, has 8
 very clever hit at the American way of treat ing murderers, which must have been writ ten by some one quite familiar with the sub jeot. Here in America we are so accustomed l to the practices which the Gazette ridicules
 that we give them little thought, but upon
 the English mind they do not impress very high opinion of American justice.
 We will suppose, says the Gazette, that a
 man has deliberately cut his wife's or sweet
 hearts throat. At g p. m. the murderer is
 arrested. At 9:30 fourteen reporters, repre-
 senting fourteen metropolitan morning pa-
 pers, are interviewing him. Next morning
 fourteen distinct and separate interviews,
 probably 8 column long apiece, are given to an anxious public. One or two metropolitan dailies, trife more metropolitan. than their esteemed contemporaries, present their read
 CTS with cuts of the criminal and his victim, ''taken on the spot by our special artist. :" There will follow extended biography of the hero and 8 minute personal description, which will not omit such important items as
 'fthe murderer wore cheap blue flannel
 suit. He had removed his hat black der
 by, and his collar and necktie when the re-
 porter saw him. He wore No. 9 shoes laced
  CTS, representing twenty-three metropolitan evening papers, will be busy interviewing the prisoner. In day or two will follow the coroner's inquest. The accused Is bound over to the Police court. In the Police court trial is waived and the prisoner committed to await the action of the grand jury. In the course of time that body finds true bill.
 Now is the chance for scientific play. The defense is generally able to employ promi- nent attorneys, and Lawyer Blank, the great criminal counsel, is retained. After the in dictment is found it may be several months before the trial takes place. At last comes our day. The prisoner takes a seat by the side of his counsel. Reads the clerk: "And the said John Smith, against the peace and good will of the State of -, and contra ry to the laws and statutes therein provided, did wilfully and maliciously, and with felo- nious intent, shoot at the said Jane Smith with a certain 6rearm; to witt one pistol loaded with one leaden ball or bullet What say you, John Smith-are you guilty or not guilty?" Then up jumps MT. Blank. He moves to quash the indictment. The indict- ment says the pistol was loaded with bull He argues that it is physical impossibility to discharge a pistol without powder, and cites every authority to support his argu- ment. After a day has been wasted the | learned judge takes the case under advise l ment and will render a decision next week. ! I Indictment quashed.
 Another grand jury finds another indict- | ment. We now "get down to business. " | Our clients defense is insanity, although he | is perfectly sane man. Much time is devo- | ted to hypothetical questions to experts. | During the trial Lawyer Blank "notes an ex- ception' every few minutes. Trial finally I concluded. Verdict of guilty. Lawyer Blank moves for the customary three days in which to prepare the bill of exceptions, turns | to his client and tells him he will have new trial.
 Meanwhile the client has been leading an easy life. Young and pretty girls come to his cell, sing hymns and pray with him. Middle aged women send him fruit and flow ers. If he is even passably good looking his daily mail will bring him a dozen amorous epistles. Small delicacies in the way of good cigars, chewing tobacco, etc., will not be for gotten. Artists will sketch him, correspon- Tents will talk to him and clergymen will ook after his spiritual peeds A man must indeed be unreasonable to complain of such ] fat lay In regard to our murderers it is ,nly fair to say that we make no difference on account of color. The blackest and most 'epulsive looking negro will be wept over md feted If a man cuts his friend in small pieces and packs him away in trunk, he .an count on arousing the warmest sympa- hies of the public.
 MT. Blank goes into court with his bill. ! Ie tells the judge he has erred on points of aw. The judge thinks otherwise and MT. Blank takes his case to the court above. The justices then agree with MT. Blank and order
 new trial The same programme is gone trough at the second trial It is quite pos ible that the jury may bring in verdict of murder in the second or third degree, the penalty for which is few years imprison- nent. But even if the verdict is such that he death penalty should follow, Mir. Blank nay still have means of saving his client. ! Ie has political pull" petition is got ID ..nd signed by influential citizens-influ- ntial citizens are always ready to sign peti- ions-asking the Governor to exercise exec tive clemency. And so the prison doors fly pen and the American murderer may not march forth to bask in the sum hine of the Declaration of Independence nd the fourteenth amendment-a free and amous man.