Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-12-18
JUSTICE GOES ASTRAY.
Many Innocent Men Convicted of
Crime by False Evidence.
A SCORE OF NOTABLE CASES.

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Recalls Numerous Instances Where the
Innocent Have Suffered For the Crimes
Of Others.
Isevidence Of any kind very trustworthy
Circumstantial evidence often leads JUS
tice astray, but every now and then case
comes up which impairs our faith in even
direct testimony. Perjury is not uncom-
mon in the courts and prejudice Is no
stranger to the bench and jury box. A re-
cent instance Of this sort of most sensa-
tional and dramatic character was the case
OF Walter L. S. Langerman, o New York
law student.
Here was a man charged with felonious
assault by one Barbara Aub, q book agent
There were several strong witnesses for
the defense, but the complainant told q
straightforward, circumstantial story, Lam
germans reputation was bad and the
judge and jury sympathized with the girl.
The prisoner was convicted. A few days
later, when he was brought into court for
sentence, the judge announced in dra-
matte fashion that the convicted man was
innocent, and that the complainant, Bar
bara Aub had confessed to perjury. On
the heels of this dramatic denouement of
o sensational trial came the statement of
Brooklyn judge that perjury had become
30 common in his court that he would use
Hebrew Bible for witnesses thereafter,
every other scheme to keep the Browns
Vile Jews from swearing falsely against
each other having failed
Every little while brief paragraphs in
the newspapers announce the pardoning Of
some unfortunate from state prison, it hav-
ing been discovered that he was entirely
innocent Of the crime for which he was
convicted. Here are few sample cases:
In May, 1886, John Crow mysteriously
disappeared from q little Michigan town.
1t was supposed that he had been murder
ed, and suspicion fell upon John Van
Nimman, II brother-in-law of tho missing
man. Circumstantial evidence governed
the prosecution of Van Nimmap, and he
was convicted and sentenced to life i'm
prisonment. He served ten years in the
Jackson prison. Crow was not dead at
all. In his wanderings about tho world
he one day happened to reed in an old
paper the story of his murder by poor John
Van Nimman. Thereupon, in April, 1894,
he set about to get Van Nimman out of
prison. The unfortunate man has pre-
scnted claim to the state for his ten
years services.
A young New York butcher named
David Wolf was sentenced in 1887 to serve
six years in Sing Sing prison for forgery.
William Gross, who was in reality guilty
of tho crime, confessed after a few years
and wassent to the Elmira reformatory
Governor Flower pardoned Wolf for the
crime he had never committed, and SO got
him out of prison.
In 1892 IN assistant district attorney in
New York city said that he knew two men
who had served seven years in Sing Sing
on sentences of Is and 20 years respectively
who were innocent. One of the men for
whom the prisoners were "erroneously
identified confessed tho crime on his
dcathbed. The attorney wanted to know
how to get the innocent men out of prison.
The law made all provisions to get men
into Jail, but none TO get them out. The
governor came to the rescue of the con-
victs.
Annie Waters was charged by Clement
Schwartz of Linden, n. j., with having
stolen 5000 of his money on Feb 3, 1893.
Mrs. Waters protested that she had never
laid eyes on Schwartz, and that, instead
Of being in Linden at the time of the bur-
giary, she was in Bound Brook. Her
protestations Of innocence availed her
nothing, for she was convicted and sem
fenced to several years imprisonment.
Afterward it was found that her story was
true, and she was released
In the summer of 1892 Jury at Wal
dron. Ark, found Abner Ray guilty of the
murder of John Potts. The condemned
man rose to his feet to protest his limo
ccnce. His limbs trcmbled, his face flush
ed, and he fell forward dead of heart dis
ease. \ moment later John Potts entered
the courtroom
In 1872 John Maley of Harrisviile, W.
Va, was sentenced TO life Imprisonment
for numbering his wife with arsenic.
Twenty years afterward it was accidental
~ discovered that the poison was given to
Mrs. Maiey by her servant through mis-
take for medicine, and that frightened at
the result she permitted Maley to be con-
vlcfed upon circumstantial evidence.
Edward II. Post of Nordoff, n. j., was
sentenced Oct. 10, 1898, to Is years in
state prison for an outrageous assault on
Mamie Murphy in the outskirts of Pater.
son. After IA months confinement he
was freed, it being proved to the satisfac-
ton OF the court that he was not in or
| about Paterson at the time of the assault.
OF course Mr.. Post was glad to get out of
jail, but there was no recompense for the
sufIerings he endured and the time he lost.
A few years ago John Funella was re-
leased from Auburn On. " prison by
virtue of q Communication of his life SEN
tence. He was convicted in Utica in 1886