The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1896-01-02
JUSTICE GOES ASTRAY.
Many Innocent lien Convicted OF
Crime by False Evidence.
A SCORE OF NOTABLE CASES.

A Recent Sensational Case In New York
Recalls Numerous Instances Where the
Innocent Have Suffered For the Grimes
Of Others.
Is evidence Of any kind very trustworthy
Circumstantial evidence often leads JUS
sico astray, but every now and then case
,omos up which impairs our faith in even
lireot testimony. Perjury l. 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 sonsa-
tional and dramatic character was the case
of Walter l.. ;. Langcrman, a New York
law student.
Here was q man charged with felonious
assault by ono Barbara Aub, book agent.
There were several strong witnesses for
the defense but the complainant told
straightforward, circumstantial story, Ian
germans reputation was bad, and the
judge and jury sympathizcd with tho 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 tho convicted man was
innocent, and that the complainant, Bar
bara Aub, had confessed TO perjury. On
the heels of this dramatic denouement Of
q sensational trial came the statement of
a Brooklyn judge that perjury had become
so 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, 1885, John Grow mysteriously
disappeared from n little Michigan town.
1t was supposed that he had been murder
cd, and suspicion fell upon John Van
Nimman, a brOther-in-law of tho missing
man. Circumstantial evidence governed
the prosecution of Van Nimman, 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 wandorings about tho world
he one day happened to read 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. Tho unfortunate man has pre-
sented 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 the crime confessed after a few years
and was sent to the Elmira reformatory.
Governor Flower pardoned Wolf for the
crime he had never committed, and so got
him out Of prison.
In 1892 an assistant district attorney in
New York city said that he knew two men
who had served seven years in Sing Sing
on sentences of 10 and 20 years respectively
who were innocent. One Of the men for
whom the prisoners were Enormously
identified" confessed the crime on his
deathbed. 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, 1898.
Mrs. Waters protested that she had never
laid eyes on Schwartz, and that instead
| of being in Linden at the time of the bur.
| glary, she was in Bound Brook. Her
| prOtestatiOns of innocence availed her
nothing, for she was convicted and SEN
fenced to several years imprisonment.
| Afterward it was found that her story was
true, and she was released.
In the summer of 1899 a jury at Wal
dron, Ark, found Abner Ray guilty Of the
murder of John Potts. Tho condemned
man rose to his feet to protest his limo,
cence. His limbs trcmblCd, his face flush,
cd, and he fell forward dead of heart dis
ease. A moment later John Potts entered
| the courtroom.
In 1872 John Maley of Harrisvillo, W.
| Va, was sentenced to life Imprisonment
for numbering his wife with arsenic
| Twenty years afterward it was accidental
! ly discovered that the poison was given tC
Mrs. Maley by her servant through mis-
take for medicine, and that frightened al
the result she permitted Maley to be con
vioted upon cirCumstantial evidence.
Edward II. Post of Nordoff, n. j., was
sentenced Oct. Is, 1898, to 10 years In
state prison for an outrageous assault Oh
Mamie Murphy in the outskirts of Pater
son. After ii months confinement ht
was freed, it being proved to the satisfao
tion of tho court that he was not in oi
about Paterson at the time Of the assault
! OF course Mr.. Post was glad TO get out oi
| jail, but there was no recompense for the
sufferings he endure and the time he lost
A few years ago John Funella was re
leased from Auburn IN. ~ prison by
virtue of Communication of his life sen
tence He was convicted in Utica in 1885,