The herald., 1896-06-03
The MAVERICK Case
fTn tho Edifnr of The HoraId


The MAVERICK Case
(To the Editor of The Herald.)
In your issue of April 10th. your cor
respondent, A. d. Lorimer, has taken up
the cudgels against our unfortunate
countrywoman, Mrs Florence Maybrick,
in truly English partisan spirit. He
discloses his nationality In the vituper-
ative abuse which he heaps upon this
unhappy woman, although am glad to
say all Englishmen do not take the same
view, or eVince the same spirit. Will
you kindly allow one who has spent
large share of the last three years In
work for the release of this most un-
Justly convicted woman, to make some
corrections.
Your correspondent tells us that he
sat through the whole of the tedious
trial, took stenographic notes Of all the
proceedings and came to the conclusion,
from the evidence, that Mrs. Maybrick
is the vilest of murderers that has eX-
listed since the time of Lucretia Borgia.
AS against what Mr.. Lorimer thinks, it
will be we'll to contrast the opinion of
Sir Charles Russell now lord chief JUS
tice of England, and also the opinions
of able jurists. physicians, and the pub
! lie press of this country. The London
| Times protested against the sentence.
and said it was. at best, but case OF
suspicion When the verdict of guilty
| the whole nation in protest against it.
The press almost unanimously declared
| that whether she We're guilty or not,
| it had not been proven. The entire bar
| of Liverpool sent an earnest protest to
| the home office against 1t. Judge Grant
ham. who was holding court in an ad-
| joining district. could not belieye the
report, and sent q messenger to verify
| it, DIR. Forbes Winslow circulated Pc
| ttion among the physicians of London
| praying that the sentence be not carried
| out Sir Charles Russell. of whom your
correspondent says, mo ADLER jurist
| lives" protested to the home office
against the conduct of the judge as fol-
| lows:
1.-The Judge passionately invited the
| jury to find verdict of guilty. made
suggestions that We're untenable. ana
| had never been advanced by the prose-
| cution. and went out of his way TO
| make misleading references"
This judge made every effort to eX-
| cite prejudice against the prisoner, call
| ing her horrible woman" before she
had been found guilty by the jury a
| fact that alone ought to have stopped
| the proceedings When he had finished
| his twelve hours harangue for the pros
| ecution from the bench. he had suffi-
cient acumen left amid the perceptible
decay of his faculties to doubt the pos
| sbility of verdict of guilty, for while
| to the clerk of the court: 1T is impossi
! BILE to find her guilty in face of the
medical evidence" But so powerful Is
the word Of a judge in England that
! this ignorant jury, led captive by FitZ-
| James Stephens unjudicial charge, after
an absence of thirty-six minutes. re-
turned with verdict of guilty. 1t was
| reported in the morning papers that
| when this verdict was rendered the sem
, sation in court was overwhelming; a
suppressed murmur of indignation
passed through the crowded room like
| the wind "sighing through the forest
| trees" and so great was the indignation
| that the judge was hooted and hissed
! by the crowds waiting outside. and the
police We're obliged to assist him to reach
| his carriage. Not only did Sir Charles
Russell believe in her innocence and
protest against the verdict but those
| convictions have strengthened and deep
ened during the seven long years of her
| imprisonment. and he has used his in
| f1uence in every way consistent with his
high position for her release. He has
! expressed his belief in.her innocence
/ ton. the well known writer: also in
| letter to Mrs. Maybrick herself, sent to
| Woking prison: and again, quite recent
| ly. has given expression to his sur
prise and pain at the recent decision of
! the home secretary in refusing release. .
opinions against Mr.. Lorimer's, who
says Il do not believe there was a
/ single person who heard the evidence
who did not believe it was just verdict =
| Again l quote from your correspondent:
| "At the post mortem it was conclusiyely
proved that Mr.. Maybrick died from the
/ administration of arsenic" The autop-
sy proved no such thing. After a care
! ful examination at the coroners inquest
1t was only claimed that twentieth
! part of fatal dose of arsenic was
found in the mans liver, and none at
all in the stomach, and Mr. Maybrick
was proved beyond all question to have
| been an arsenic cater himself for many
| years, and this is corrOborated by tes-
| timony since obtained, and the large
quantities Of arsenic that were found in
| the house as proven by new testimony
I since obtained. was bought by Mr.. May
brick for his own use, and not a grain
! of it was found in Mrs. Maybrick's pos
| session, nor in any secret or locked UP
place. The truth of this whole matter
lies in the fact that Mrs. Maybrick is
| the victim of a conspiracy born of envy,
! jealousy and hate. She is also charged
! with having had lover, and it was this
| supposed crime that inspired the judges S
! harangue, and which up to the present
time, has proved an insurmountable bar
rier in securing reconsideration of her
| case.
! victed on the evidence, and could not be
held against the superhuman efforts that
| have been made in her behalf. Even If
| this charge were true, it did not prove
a motive for murder, as is abundantly
shown by the fact that she had already
taken advice regarding a divorce be-
fore the tragic episode of her life had 4
| beginning. If she had a desire to be
I rid of her husband she had recourse to
the divorce court. and she knew perfect
| ly we'll she could avail herself of this t
| any time, and so did not need to murder
her husband while nursing and caring
for him. a crime for which, if she were
guilty. logically she should have been
hung. since according to Home Secre-
tary Matthews, there was doubt tha t
| Mr.. Maybrick had died at her hands,
the verdict should have been quashed
and Mrs. Maybrick released and tried
for attempt" for which alleged crime,
and without trial. she is now unjust
ly serving life sentence of penal servi-
| tude.
Thanking you in advance for inserting
this reply, yours respectfully,
DENSMORE