Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-03-04
s,id that Young English Barrister
Now Undergoing Scntenceis
Innocent.
MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE.
Convicted on FIimsy Clrcnmstantial
Evidence by "Haysced" Jury
A Remarkable Case.
Special correspondence,

eneclal Correspondence,
oNDON, Feb. 2i.-While recollec-
lions Of the Beck scandal are still
fresh In the public mind, another
- case has come to light which pre-
septs strong grounds for the belief, ex-
rressed by so eminent a criminal au-
,borlty as Sir George Lewis that It
constitutes an equally woeful miscar-
Rage of British justice. Whether or no
a judicial lnyestigaton-should one
aver take pace--shows that George
EdalN is as innocent Of the crime for
which he is now serving a sentence of
seven years penal servitude as was
Adolph Beck, the manner of his trial
and the evidence on which he WAS con-
Ncted demonstrate c0ncluslvely the
need Of the establishment here of y
court Of criminal appeal similar 10
those which exist In America.
HARD 10 WAKE UP.
It was hoped by the best judicial au-
thorlties here that such a reform would
result from the exposures made In the
course Of the Beck investigation Of the
InadeQuacy of existing British legal
machinery to ensure the impartial adj
nlnistration Of justice I'm criminal
cases. Rut IT takes lot TO wake
up a British government and make it
move forward.
The main features OF the EdaljI case
were set forth In this correspondence at
the time Of the trial but to make clear
the grounds on which q revision OF the
sentence Is demanded a brief resume
OF some OF the facts IL necessary. ON
October 1903 George Edalii was con-
ylcted on the specific charge of brutal
~ mutilatlng farmers pony In the
village OF Great Wryley Staffordshre,
where he lived with his father, a coun-
try vicar. The crime was one Of a series
which had created CONSERVATION for
some months I'm the district, In several
Tespects-the dlabolical character of tho
acts, the absence Of any Ineligible mo-
i've and the long failure OF the police
to obtain any clue 70 the perpetrators
these outrages recalled the Whitechapel
murders Of a few years ago, the princi-
pal difference being that the Victims
were horses and cattle instead OF wo-
men,
Mr Edalil was young man Of eX-
emplary character who, after passing
with distinction through n law school
and carrying off some valuable prizes,
had entered upon the practise OF his
profession In Birmingham. Excepting
on the theory that he IL n monomaniac
he Is the last man IN the world who
would be suspected OF amusing himself
by going about the country at night
inhctIng a series OF brutal and revolt
ing outrages upon dumb animals
Equally opposed to probability was tho
hypothesis Of the prosecution that for
THIS purpose he had allied himself with
band Of ruhlans.
A "HAYSEED" JURY.
He was tried before a bench Of rura
magistrates and a jury OF what In
American Is dominated 'haysceds," The
evidence against him was entirely cir.
eumstantlal, No one saw tine act com.
mitted. The police first assumed that
we deed was done nc $3.50 at night
When a competent veterinary surgeon
who saw the animal alive at $3.50 next
morning, declared that the wound could
not nave been inflicted more than siN