Evening journal., 1896-11-19
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
THE FAMOUS CASTLE CASE

IHl FAMOUS CASTLE CASE
10 the Editor of tile Evening journal
sir with few exceptions the cdi-
iorials of the press OF this country have
sought TO defend Mrs Castle. who. after
pleading guilty, was recently convicted
OF ghopluting In England at the exc
pense OF the criminal judicature of
Great Britain. The writer's charge the
Judge jury and the whole paraphor-
MALTA OF an English court OF law with
nan boring feeling of animus alto
gethcr antagOnistIc i0 Mrs. Castle, boy
reason of the fact chat she is OF Ameri-
can nationality Permit me 90 state
that Mrs. Castles nationality had moth
Ing whatever To DO with the case, nei-
thor di0 that fact influence, in the least
manner Che judge and jury in arriving
&C "a decisiOn-a decision gauged by lhe
evidence at once just and equitable. 10
is rapidly becoming Che fashion for an
.nl.nitude of people TO seek Co condone
me peculiar idiOsynCrasios of the rich
or influential criminal. and to withhold
like measure of indulgence from the
delinquent who is poor and friendless.
TO the illogical or biased mind the
wealthy person who aDproprates the
property of another u.s. of course. a
person who helps himself or herself
without permission is, of course.
thief. So blind and foolish an argue
mont VIII not hold water. for the sim
pie reason that it docs not necessarily
follow because person les rich that
that person has no thievish pr0clivitios.
lt can be stated in ail fairness and
honesty that neither nationality. money
nor influence hait nOrp pervert thocouuc
Of Justice in England. n either the one
on iho other formed a factor iu the dis
pensing of justice iu an English court
of law, then Oscar Wilde would not to-
day De an inmate of one OF her majes-
ty 5 laiis. The tremendous pressure
brought TO bear in his behalf did not
succeed in saving this apostle of aes-
1heucism from q sentence of two years
lmprisonmcnt with hard labor Neither
did his money save the neck of the
English murderer, Cross who, just
prior TO bis execution, beQueathcd
something like 100000.
Had 10 been proved beyond the
shadow of doubt that Mrs. Castle was
a victim of kleptomania. then she
would have been acquitted by any Eng
lish jury. That fact not having been
,lcaly established then her conviction
naturally and Justly followed. One of
the Wealthiest peers Of England Rs a
confirmed llopl0maniac. There is no
room for doubling The nature of his
disease, for the methods employed hy
him i'm purioining are open and above
board. Tie win enter store and pick
lp, with delightful indiscriminat0n
anything of q portable nature. but. as
p servant is in constant attendance
every article stolen is returned 90 it's
nenuul owner. Ina the Castle case.
however, there was not The least scin-
hiia of evidence to prove that q single
article stolen was returned 10 its
2wn2r-unti subsequent lo Mrs. Cas-
Lles arrest. There was q method inMrs.
Castles madness which procludes the
PROBABILITY of her being q genuine.
bonn-tdo klept0maniac. Let us call
things hy their right names. Don't let
ua assume am air oi ccccntricity by say
Ins that a thici is merely a-rich. hand
some, influential lady. who has. unf0r-
unatcly, acquired The habit of finding
/ things before they are lost So eX-
cusatory and fne-fanelcd n definition
! Of the word may Doe cuphoniOus and I'd
may tiuilatc the oar-hut it is not the
! correct definition. after an. Mrs Cas-
! tle has been released from one of her
! maiesty's iails on medical grounds. and
| not because Justice erred in her case
! The plen OF ldeptomania. urged En- be-
lait of Mrs. Castle was not sufficiently
valid TO disam suspicion. and it ia
! questionable whether there Is not some
alemcnt in an such pleas that awakens
histnst as to their validity. The in-
sanity theory, as applied TO Mrs. Gas.
le, is scarcely % tcnable supnos'tion
Cor the cable dispatches ten MS that
| Mrs. Castle is prosirated with griei
"a tho menYiahle position in which sh,
| hnds herself placed Now, Che act 0l
n insane person is never followed by 4
! feeling Oi consciousness Or remnrse on
the part of the porporator lf. for in.
stance, @ person tingod with INSANITY
| should commit q theit and Doe detected
then the chances are that that person
would bo unconscious of having com.
mitted felony But if conscious. ther
he or She would most certainly exhibit
no sign of grief on remorse. No ON,
Will for moment, rcgret that the cx
ecutiyc Clcmcncy of the English hom,
secretary has been exercised in bchai
of Mis. Castle. Indeed many peOph
of am natl0nalitics viii echo the wisl
that care and sorrow viii shake ther
aat like wings and ly away from an,
presence of this hitherto highly ronu
table Frisco family At the same time
.t is manifestly absurd for any iudivid
nal, or clique of individuals TO imput
20 am English court of law the chargl
Of partality I'm the dispensing of JUS
dcc. simply because the law I'm Englan,
rs carried into effect. irrespective @
nationality instead of it being per
mitted TO be used as tool by the ricl
on influential yiolator
ERNEST ISIpT.
Philadelphia, November 10, 1896.
CUNNING FISH.