The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-04-24
lizzie B)RDENS CASE
And That Of Asa Potter Compared by
a Boston Minister.
A STRONG PLEA FOR JUSTICE.
Rev. MIR. Hinman Depiores That tho
Ex-President of the Maverick Bank
should BE at Liberty while Miss Bor-
den Is Imprisoned without Trial.

Boston, April 24--Ar the Fourth Pres
byterian church last evening, Rev. Frank
Haven Hinman took for the subject OF his
prelude "A Plea For Lizzie Borden and
For JUSTICE He said:
1.-THE law presumes Q person innocent
until proven guilty. Look at this in the
light of two facts. Last evenings papers
report to us that an ex-president of a
defunct bank, after months of trial during
which time he has been at large, having
been proven guilty of criminal negligence,
has at last been sentenced.
"This man, who has had given into his
hands millions of dollars in trust in rela-
ton to these trusts, according to Judge
Pu tnam, has knowingly and willfully
violated the laws Of our land. l said
above criminal negligence, but this Is
more than that This man certified to
checks which had no security behind them,
knowingly and willfully, according to
the finding of the court He has received
sentence, which is that he pay fine Of
$1,000 and serve 10 days in Cambridge Jail.
It is not for mo to say whether this ex-
bank president is guilty or not of this
henious crime, but If it be true as found
that he il guilty Of the crime alleged and
the court so affirmed, then to layman it
seems that this sentence is farce and fur
nishes no protection whatsoever to the
public against similar criminalities
1T goes further than that. 1t furnishes
more ground for the oft repeated assertion
a a. l.
true relation of crime and penalty. Apetty
thief receives the great penalty; great
thief petty penalty Woe be TO society
when the suspicion becomes we'll founded
that justice is dead. All nature has ever
bankrupt justice.
About Lizzie Borden.
'This Is one fact. Here Is the other: Tn
the Jail at Taunton there is q young lady
named Lizzie Borden. She has been an
inmate of the Jail five months. She has
been in close confinement. She has been
refused bail Unlike the ex-bank presi-
dent, who was given his freedom after the
Jury brought in the verdict of guilty and
again after he had been sentenced by
Judge Putnam, all the freedom she has
known is the freedom of the stone pave
ment, about 25 feet of the corridor in front
of her CELL
'She has not been proven guilty of any
crime. Before the law she is as innocent
ns babe in the cradle But while in the
eyes Of the same law the ex-bank presi-
dent is guilty, rs innocent she has already
suffered incarceration for six months
longer than the time for which he has
been sentenced BY the process Of the law
Fact Has Distancsd Theory
. long way. Innocence has suffered four
times the penalty of the guilty, and still
before the guilty In the eyes of the law
there is more freedom, while before the in-
nocent there is more incarceration.
Where has justice gomez And this Is
Massachusetts, and the latter part of the
10th century, Where Is the trCubles At
whose feet lies the blame for this state of
affairsi Why has Lizzie Borden been inn
prisoned 30 long without the opportunity
of trials Ii, after the trial, she shall
have been proven innocent of the awful
crime alleged, can the commonwealth of
Massachusetts atone for what it has COM
PEELED her to suffer- Like the stain of
blood on the hand of Macbeth, no amount
Of washing will wipe away this blot.
want to put In q plea for an innocent per-
son tonight. do not affirm that Lizzie
Borden Is innocent. know nothing about
the truth Of the matter. though have an
opinion. / only argue this on the
ground which the law presumes in
Che case and therefore my plea ia
for justice In behalf of one, who, in the
eyes Of the law, is innocent / do not
plead for her release. / do not condemn
either the district attorney or the attorney
general Perhaps they have both done the
best they could in the case. One is away
for his health and the other cannot 90 on
with the case alone. But my whole plea is
For Speedy Trial,
There Is no reason why those charged
with crime should suffer endlessly in Jail
while waiting for too tardy trial There
Is no reason why such should suffer
the just desserts of the criminal, when
there Ia even a possibility of their inno-
oences II the trouble in this case Is the
absence of the attorney general, il he is
not sick unto death, his very manliness
should compel him to return and let this
trial go on. He should be willing to suf-
fer some for this young lady now eight
let the state take hold the matter, even
though there must be new laws made to
meet this case.
"This young lady is child of the com
monwealth and has right to its protec-
tion. She ought to find in it defender as
Just as Rome was to her citizens. Mas
sachusetts cannot afford to be unkind or
cruel Let this trial go on
IF Lizzie Borden be found guilty of the
fearful crime charged. let her then suffer
ho r,ar alf ~ of har ri n,,t lot a..
punishment precede the trial Justice de-
mands that this trial 60 on. Let it com
mence nowl