Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1903-01-22
ALWAYS UNDER DARK CLOUD;
AFTER LIFE OF ACQUITTED MAN

ever, | began to doubt whether his
keeping out OF my way was not due to
an aversion on his part to come in con-
| tact with a man who was once accused
of crime. You see, am apt to be rather
sensitive on this point and shouldn't
be bit surprised if after this pleasant
conversation you should steer clear of
me every time you met me in the
street."
When the story was told to a we'll
known criminal lawyer, he said:
Your man exaggerates his own feel
ings and impressions, perhaps. He may
suffer from an overdose of what we An
glo-SaXons might ironically call tenn
permanent but in general way the eX-
periences he described to you are, to
some extent, true of great many peo-
pie who have been accused and acQuit-
ted of crime. Professional criminals
who happen to get off are not the peo-
pie am referring to, of course. am
speaking of respectable citizens. know
a man who was in trouble good many
years ago. He was acquitted by the jury
but his innocence was never proven alb
solutely. There was just reasonable
doubt In his favor, neither more nor
less. But / was his lawyer and | have
not the least doubt as to his absolute
innocence. There are a thousand and
one little things which may be of more
importance in reaching a conclusion
than the most striking piece of testi-
mony, but which do not fall under the
head of legal evidence Well |, as the
mans counsel, was familiar with all
these psychological trifles, and | was
and am firmly convinced of my clients
innocence. Yet he has never been able
TO get rid oil what your friend ascribes
as his shadow. Strangers would never
notice any difference. He has too much
tact and self-control and too little tenn
permanent for that. But his close
friends and his family know how heav-
lily that trial weighs on him.
He doesn't think Of 1t day and night.
1t gets hold of him occasionally, but
when 1t does he is miserable. Another
man who was once acquitted Of serl-
GUS crime, and who doesn't seem to be
able to get over 1t. This one Is the jol-
Hest fellow you ever saw, and when the
trial comes back to him he is even in
better spirits than ever, but 1t often
strikes me as If It was all affectation.
Still another client of mine Is awful
ly fond Of cracking jokes in connection
with the charge that once hung over
his head. He sometimes overdoes it,
and then | am inclined to set it down
20 sort Of hysterical self-conscious-
ness. If he really took It easy he would
never think of 1t, would he?
There Is person In busy little
town not very far from here who was
once tried for an atroclous murder. The
trial resulted In an acquittal, and the
person in question has since led life
of seclusion and piety AS to this par
ticular case 1T is certainly true that the
neighbors can scarcely meet that per-
son without thinking Of the crime
which was the subject Of the sensation
al trial, But all these are exceptional
cases. In the majority of instances
things are lived down so completely
|, that not a trace of them is left in the
, mind of the acquitted person. Such Is
human nature. suppose it's part Of the
instinct, or self-preservation. Indeed,
, where would we be If we allowed every
woe to worry us long after 1t has dis
| appeared?
so my experience with human beings
find most of them endowed with an
enormous capacity for adapting them
selves to the most unbearable condi-
tions and to make the best of them. A
man respected by the community gets
into trouble. Disgrace is brought upon
his otherwise unbesmirched name. The
papers are full Of H. After sensation
al trial he is robbed of his freedom,
shaved, clad in prison garb and put to
work alongside a professional thief.
When man finds himself In position
like this the outside world wonders
how long he will be able to stand II.
Well, In most cases he stands II very
long indeed He serves his term and
comes out ready for new lease OF ac-
tivity. II Is the instinct Of sef-preser-
walton which gives him strength to en-
dure the horrors Of his position. So
likewise It Is the instinct Of self-pres-
ervation which helps an acquitted de-
PENDANT to live down the shadow Of
the charge that once threatened to
crush him. The man you met Is one Of
the exceptional cases.-New York Com
mercial Advertiser.