The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1891-01-29
Dollars and Humanity.

Dollars and Humanity.
In looking over long list of criminal
cases my attention was attracted by the eff.
forts of the prosecuting attorney in each
case. to convict the defendent. by all means,
whether guilty or innocent. L have read
the old law maxim which says that the ac-
cused should be considered innocent until
proven guilty. must say that it seems to
me as Though the moment he is arrested, he
is considered guilty, and often has to do
some very shrewd fighting to prove his in
nOcence if he is innocent. But if he has
the misfortune to be too poor to employ a
lawyer as able as the one who is appointed
by the state to prove him guilty, need ask
fair-minded people. has the individual thus
tried and convicted, had fair and impair
tial trial, with equal advantage of proving
his innocence that the state had of convict
ing him? It is only matter of dollars and
cents to our prosecuting attorneys, but it
means life wrecked and ofttimes home
destroyed to the individual who has not
sufficient means to employ good counsel.
do not speak altogether from what l
have read OF such cases; but l have learned
a little by personal experience. And there
are many like me in this and similar insttu.
tions who, if they had the same advantages
their richer brothers have, and always do
have. would not be deprived of liberty and
friends to-day. 1t looks as if it were a
crime to be poor. if we may judge from
some of the remarks his honor makes,
when reading to us the riot act on fast liv-
ing, and on not having accumulated the
wherewithal to employ counsel. He will
appoint gentleman who is just starting in
the rudiments of Blackstone to defend you,
and by so doing he is doing good turn to
young Blackstone" !" not to you. He then
demands that you appear for trial immedi-
ately. l have often watched one of those
poor shysters, or novices, as he rose up
from his chair to accept the ''bone" that
had been picked too clean to offer to a lawyer
capable of defending the individual. Mr..
Novice accepts the bone from his honor, and
that bone, nine times out Of ten. is sent to
some institution to mingle with other bones
that our impartial prosecuting attorney has
salted down for few dollars and cents
per bone.
And this is justice. to place you on one
side OF the scales with straw man to de-
fend you; and on the other side, an ex-
perienced attorney with all the power of
the state to convict you. And as an extra
inducemcnt the prosecuting attorney re
ceives prize-mOney for the defendants con-
victiOn, we can only SurmiSe for which he
most uses his talents-justice or fees. It mat
terS little to the shySter how the case goes as
he receives his fee no matter what the ver-
dict.
1 think that any man who earns his living
honestly in the sight of his fellows, that has
the misfortune to be arrested by some far
seeing detective or policeman on circum-
stantial evidence, should not have a man
appointed to defend him who does not know
enough about law to successfully prosecute
a chicken thief caught in the act. And 1
may also say of the prosecuting attorney
that instead of thinking of that almighty $25.
$50, or 500. as the case may be, it would
be more like justice for him to use that
mighty brain of his in getting at the truth
of the case. instead of rubbing noses with
Mr.. Detective or Mr.. Policeman trying to
build mountain out of a mOle-hill; and
must say that some of our ''extracts" from
foreign lands are very good hands at that
kind of building, especially, if you should
fail to recognize in them the great and only
LIE Cog. or American gentleman, ''be jab-
bers.''
We don't want the earth. as some may
think by our remarks-we only want lit.
tie justice such as the law is supposed to
give to those who fall beneath its strong
hand. Try and do as Charles Reade says,
PUT yourself in his place" and have no
doubt but what you will say that it does
look rather one-s sided struggle between a
poor man and the law.
If man be guilty. punish him according
to his offense, but if it is a case of II think
so." or. HE looks like the man." then re
member what the law says. And above all.
don't appoint a shyster as the defender of a
mans or woman's life or honor. for the best
he will or can do is to got plea of guilty
with promise of shorter term of fmpris-
Onment for his victim who will be bothered
in his own mind to discover which was the