Los Angeles herald., 1907-04-13
ENGLISHMEN PUZZLED
BY AMERICAN LAW, AS
PRAcTlCED IN THAW CASE
By Associated Press.

LONDON, April 12.-Interest in the
trial of Harry Thaw for the murder of
Stanford White, which at first was in
tense here, Jagged during the latter
stages of the proceedings. However,
the Unexpectedly prolonged delibera-
tions of the jury and the novelty for
the British public of the circumstances
surrounding the final scenes raised Gu
riosity here to a fever point to learn
what the outcome of the strange case
would be. Within a few minutes of the
receipt of the cable dispatch ANNOUNCE
ing that the jury had been discharged
the streets OF London, despite the late
ness of the hour, echoed with the shouts
of the newsboys. The newspapers were
bought up eagerly and the people ev-
erywhere discussed with unusual volu-
bility the likelihood of fresh trial.
The chief criticisms heard turned
upon the comparative leniency of Amer
lean opinion toward homicides, and
what Englishmen call a lack of dignity
and method in the proceedings of the
courts. 1t has been the boast OF Eng
lishmen that hanging invariably fol-
lowed killing here, but Home Secretary
Gladstone's leniency toward Horace G.
Raynor, the young man who shot and
killed William Whitley last January,
mentalism which demanded it led to
the discussion as to whether the swift
and stern processes of British law will
not. in the future, more frequently bend
before public opinion.
English Lawyers Confused
English barristers at first took a keen
interest in the case, particularly to the
suggested plea of emotional insanity
and the "unwritteu law" but recently
had almost given up the attempt to
understand the procedure Of the court
In the first place, there was the length
of time between the arrest and the
trial.
In England in a similar case-for in
stance, that OF Raynor for the killing Of
Whitely-the trial would almost inva-
riably occur within a month or two of
the crime, and would be forgotten be-
fore man would be arraigned in
America. The greatest contrast, how
ever, motel by the English lawyers was
the selection OF jurors, a work which
occupies so much time in America and
so short a time here. The Englishman
could not conceive OF a competent jury
being secured when each talesman had
to undergo such an examination as did
the American Jurors.
In the court procedure, too, there
were many instances that aroused the
curiosity of English members of the
bar. One that particularly struck them
was the laying aside Of witness to
allow a document, which was to be ex-
amined to be proved, as was done to
Mrs. Thaw to allow the defense to
prove Thaw's will
Here judge would take the state
ment of a lawyer that he was able to
prove the document, and there would
be no further interruption of the wit
nesses' evidence. This and the fact
that a lawyer had to introduce much
otherwise unnecessary evidence for use
I'm case OF an appeal was blamed by
English lawyers for the dragging OF
the case, which they believed In Eng
land, where there was no criminal ap-
peal. would have been finished within a
week at the most.
j. Arthur Barrat also has spent many
half hours since the case opened ex-
planning TO his legal friends the mean
ing OF the moves OF the prosecution
and defense. He has found the chief
lcriticism leveled at the jury system and