The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-08-12
The MAVERICK Verdict.

There can be no doubt that the trial of
Mrs. Maybrick created an unusual interest
In Liverpool and that the public followed the
evidence much more closely than is usually
zsssss~a 4~ufco III is tfup 10
doubt to the fact that the alleged culprit was
woman. In England, as we'll as in the
United States, woman under such clrcum-
stances arouses sympathy on the part of
men which man does not The sympathy
naturally attendant on all such cases seems
In this one to have been stimulated by feel
ing that the woman has not had fair
chance. The alleged unfairness is found in
the charge of the presiding justice who is
said to have leaned very strongly in favor of
conviction. As the Justices charge has not
been published in full on this side of the
water 1t is impossible to Judge how much
real foundation there is for the complaint
brought against it. But in such portions of
1t as have been telegraphed there is nothing
that can be construed as positive
expression of opinion, nor is
there anything which necessarily
implies that the Judge was believer in the
woman's guilt. He came the nearest to
something of the kind perhaps
when he impressed upon the jury
the importance of the letter in which Mrs.
Maybrick wrote that her husband was sick
unto death, though at the time the physicians
fully expected his recovery. That was one
OF the admitted facts in the case, however.
and though it might have been superfuous
to direct the jury's attention to it, it certain
ly could not be deemed improper We need
not, however, go to the charge to find cause
for this uprising against the judge 1t may
be there, but If it is not the uprising Is not
inexplicable. The fact is that Judge Stephen
Is one OF the best hated men in England. and
very slight improperly on his part would
be exaggerated to his prejudice. The isdpe
has been indiscreet enough to NEEDLE in pol
itics, with the result OF arrayins one of the
great parties against him. All the Home
rulers hate him, because he has administered
to their cause good many sledge hammer
blows. That there is good deal of per-
sonal prejudice In this onslaught on him
rs shown by that fact that the jury has almost
entirely escaped criticism though the fate of
the woman was really in their hands, and
they 1t was who consigned her to the gallows.
But while Judge Stephen is unpopular, he |
is admitted to be one of the ahiest Of the |
English judges and man of the highest
character. He Is the author Of several stan
oard law DOCKS, one OF them review OF the |
criminal law Of England, in which several |
hundred pages are devoted to the subject of |
murder by poisoning, with details of the
most prominent cases of the kind that have |
been tried in Great Britain. No Judge on the |
English bench was SO we'll fitted by education |
to try such case as Mrs. Maybriok's as |
Judge Stephen
As regards the sufiicency of the evidence |
In the case, 1t Is impossible to speak intelli-
gently, because only fragments Of the testi- /
mony have come to u.s. We imagine however,
that nobody has read what has been pub
lished without having a very strong
suspicion awakened within him that
The woman was guilty. No doubt her
confession of another crime had much to do
With the verdict against her, but 1t was prop
sr That 1t should, for II supplied strong
motive for wishing her husband dead, and
TENDED to rebut the presumption that would
ua'uiaiy attach to refined woman that she
was incapable OF such a diabolical crime as
murder Nevertheless, with this fact and
the pad impression 1t must have given them
OF the prisoner In mind the iprv ,yas oor-
9sansiy IN danger OF interpreting her acts
uniaYoiaoiy 70 her' even when their more
.a'uiai construction would have been inno-
cent and the effect Of all the other testImo-
ny was liable to be intensified, and too mncb
30, by this fact. So If the jury erred. we have
no doubt that their error was due to giving
700 great weight to this confession.