Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-10-25
ENGLISH COURTS ERRORS.
Gases of Mistaken Identity That Have
 Resulted in Great Hardships.

CaSeS or Mistaken Identity That Have
 Resulted in Great Hardships
 Every year sees number of inno- cent men wrongly convicted, and while in some cases proofs of the Judicial errors come to hand after the victims have served but few months impr1s> onment. ill many instances the mis~ takes are not found out until after those convicted have served their full sentence.
 The public rarely hears of these mis- takes of justice, and yet in 1897 thirty one men and women were released and granted free pardon after having been wrongly imprisoned for oyer four months. In none of these cases was the victim granted any compensation, nor does the law entitle them to any redress in any shape or form, while not so much asa written or unWritten apology is their lot.
 In cases of mistaken identity, simi- lar to that of Adolph Beck, there are very few precedents of compensatory bounty having been granted, while those OH record do not show dispen- sation of very large sums. However. some sixty years ago, most fragrant instance Of miscarriage of justice Oc cured. A well known solicitor named Barber was. after long trial. con victed of forgery and was sentenced to transportation for life.
 A considerable time elapsed before proofs turned up which infallibly prov ed that justice had erred. In this case it was felt that there was moral and intellectual claims for compensation for suffering which had been borne so long. so terribly and so undeseryedly on the shoulders of an innocent man. A long debate was held to determine the exact sum of money which could in some measure make up for the per sonal agony which the victim had un- dergone, and eventually the House of Commons ordered the wronged man d bounty of G5,0O0.
 Some three years ago man from New Zealand was brought to Cplches- ter. charged with having committed murder Eventually, however, the case against hinf was dismissed. and taking into account the fearful strain which the innocent man must have suffered, the treasury granted him e6OO.
 The largest sum which has ever been granted in almost exactly sirni- lar conditions to those under which Adolph Beck wrongfu1ly suffered i'm prisonment occurred exactly twenty eight years ago, when a man named Habron was convicted of murder at Manchester. Fortunately, proofs of his innocence turned up, but not until some time later. Never had justice committed a greater mistake. and al though it was felt that it would be inn possible adequately to compensate the victim of this extraordinary case of Ao1- 1 hn xv,0N o11IU r1nf-' ed the sum of G1,000.
 There are numerous cases Of mis- taken identity in which the wnongtul- ly convicted man has not received one penny Of compensation. In 1885 man named Stewart was charged with being an escaped convict. He nrlnly protested that his name was Stickler but the evidence was so strong against him that he was sent back to prison Two years elapsed before the police arrested a man who was exactly like Stewart and then it was discovered that this man was the erstwhile miss ing jailpird.
 Stickler. of course, was immedlatelo but could claim no redress, and his only consolation was that ne had not been compelled to serve the full sentence. 2
 The exact value of circumstantia1 evidence is a much discussed question. William Shaw, some years ago. was hanged on circumstantial evidence for the murder of. his daughter. About a year after his execution the tenant who rented Shaw's house discovered letter Swritten by the supposed mur, dered girl, ill which she stated that as the man she loved had tilted her, she had made Up her mind to commit sui eide. The authorities were, of course, unable. to expiate this terrible mis- take. but the dead mans body was handed over to relatives for reinter' ment. while flags were waved over the grave and prominent officials attended the funeral in token that Shaw's innor cence was recognized.