Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1905-03-31
(The end.)
WHEN WRONGFULLY ACCUSED.
Advice of Lawyer What to Do Under
the Circumstances.


the Circumstances.
The one pre-eminent thing for a per-
son falsely accused Of murder, bur-
glary, arson, theft or any other of the
grave offenses which constitute fel-
ony, writes a lawyer, is to preserve an
unbroken silence in the presence Of his
accusers, after he has said to them:
Gentlemen, l am not guilty. Now
send for my lawyer, as the law ex-
plicitly requires you to do"
p But that is the course generally
pursued by guilty man. Am l, an
innocent man, to assume similar
role?' some one may ask.
1t Is the only safe way to act it Is
the course the law itself prescribes. In
effect, the law says to the accused:
mo human being on the face of the
earth has any right whatsoever to
question you in relation to any crime
you may or may not have committed.
No officer of the law, whether he be
policeman or judge, has the slightest
scintilla of right to endeavor to make
you say something that will tend to
incrim1nate you, or to lead the crimi-
nal authorities to draw the inference
that you have so enmeshed yourself.
You have one indisputable right from
the time you are accused until the
charge against you is finally disposed
of-yOu need not answer a single ques-
ton put to you by anybody; you need
not make single statement one way
or another in relation to the offense
with which you are charged"
Yet it Is common practice for the po-
lice the moment they have made an
arrest in felony case, particularly If
it be murder, to put the suspect
through what has popularity come to be
known as "the third degree" The man
is dragged before half dozen or more
high officials, resplendent in the uni
form and badges allowed them by the
law; he Is seated in their midst, and
they tower threateningly over him as
he is mercilessly quizzed and subtle
and hypothetical questions are put to
him in an attempt to make him so COM
NIT himself that the inquisitors can
say: Aha, we have caught the mur-
derer. Behold in us great detectives,
to ferret out the criminal so soon after
the commission of the crime"
The police have even gone so far as
to suddenly confront the suspect with
the instrument with which the murder
was committed, or the victims bloody
clothing. and in not a few instances
with the mutilated corpse itself This
they have done in the hope that the
suspect, brought Unexpectedly before
something linked with the crime, will
give some evidence Of his guilt through
shock, at least enough for the purpose
of basing formal charges against him.
Indeed the police are not always care
full to inform suspect Of his legal
right not to answer any question that
may be put to him If lie does not care
to do so; and frequently, after he has
been so instructed in none too i'm
pressive manner, the poor man is lit
orally browbeaten into making replies
to his inquisitors questions.
When your lawyer comes in response
to your summons, proceed to tell him
everything. Do not make the mistake
of hiding anything from him. Lay
bare your life to him, even though you
expose your family skeletons thereby,
If he deems it necessary for his guild
ance. Answer all Of his questions
fully and without evasion, and give
him all the assistance you possibly
can.
A lawyer has to depend largely or al
most solely upon his client for the
scheme Of defense; and that client
who conceals this thing or that may be
sealing his own DOOM innocent though
he be.
L..