The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-01-02
BRITISH INJUSTICE
GOES UNPUBLISHED
Judge Who Sent Innocent Man
Up for Long Term Still
~. Holds Place.

London, Jan. "A sreport has just
been issued by the commission ap-
pointed to find out who was responsible
for the woeful and disgraceful miscar-
riage Of justice in the Beck case. It
is an appalling revelation of official
costly machinery Of the home office,
supposed to be especially devised that
the innocent may not suffer for the
guilty, is in as bad a state Of muddle
and inefficiency as that Of the war
office. 50.
There is no suggestion, however, that
anybody ought to lose his job. The
intention Of giving the sack to any Of
the officials whose laundering incom-
petence twice led to the conviction Of
an innocent man and to his imprison-
ment on the first occasion for a long
term. e..
Railroaded to Jail.
It will be remembered that Adolf
Beck was first tried and convicted in
1896 before Sir Forrest Fulton for
frauds practiced on credulous women
and sentenced to seven years penal
servitude. 1t was assumed by the po-
lice and the judge that he was a Grim
sentenced for similar offense in 1877.
Beck could have easily proved that he
was not Smith, since in 1877 he was
in South America But Sir Forrest
Fulton would not permit his counsel
to introduce such proof.
"He was convicted,' states the Of
fetal report, con evidence from which
everything that told, or might be
thought to tell in his favor, was ex-
cluded. His case was never tried.'
When Sir Forrest Fulton, after deny
ing Beck every opportunity to prove his
innocence, sentenced him to seven
years penal servitude, he held the of
fee of common sergeant, for which he
was paid $4,000 year. When Beck,
after serving his sentence, was again
arrested early this year for crimes com
mitted by the same John Smith, Sir
Forrest Fulton had been promoted and
was filing a $4,000 a year office as
city recorder. On the application of
Beck s counsel he made an order post
poning the trial that the prisoner might
bring some witnesses from Sweden. The
next day, at the request of the prose
cution, he rescinded that order.
"The result was,'' states the report
"that Beck was not in position to
raise or prove his defense" Twice, it is
thus shown, Sir Forrest Fulton was re-
sponsible for the miscarriage of Justice
He still holds his $4,000 year office
and there is no indication that he will
be asked to resign it.
Experts Warped Evidence.
tt H. Gurrin, a handwriting expert
employed by the treasury, declared let
tiers written by Beck and Smith to be il
the same hand. An examination of fac
SMILES Of Smith and Beck's handwrit
ing shows there is hardly any re
| semblance between them. Gurrin con
tinues to be employed by the treasur,
as handwriting expert.
Beck bore only general resemblance
to Smith. A comparison Of the recor'
of Smith s Identification marks in tn
possession of the police with Beck
features would have shown that he wa
not Smith. But the public prosecutor
whose zeal procured the conviction O
an innocent man, appears never to hav
consulted this record. He gets BIZ
more than the censure implied in tn
commission IS report.
Blunder Repeated.
After Beck had been three years i
Jail he did succeed in satisfying tn
/ home office that he was not Smith
/ But it led to no revision of his case
| His petitions were read and pigeon
holed as before.
i Ine fact is, says tne report, lila
if there had been any one in the HON
office in the chain of subordination u
to the permanent under secretary, who's
legal training had enabled him to cor
/ vey in a minute the real nature of tn
miscarriage, the attention of that off
i cial must have been called to the cas-
in such a fashion as to compel interver
ton. -
When Beck was arrested .secon
time as Smith and second time trie
and convicted. the home office neve
communicated to the police the sfat
4 that he had proved he was not Smith.
4 For these gross blunders no one