The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1907-04-12
BRAIN STORMS.

BRAIN STORMS.
Just as we Americans were begin
ming to admire the calm manner in
which Justice was administered in
England according to the written law
and without regard to "unwritten law"
tears begin to well up in the eyes of
John Bull and human sympathy un-
does what Judge and jury had been
admired for doing.
William Whitley, a millionaire Eng
lishman, was murdered in cold blood
not long ago by a young man who
tried suicide and failed. Instead of
waiting a year, as has been done in
this country with Thaw, the man was
speedily brought to trial and within
two months sentenced to death. Get
ting jury required a morning, pre-
senting the case took up an afternoon
and the next day he was sentenced to
die.
The young man had committed muir
week. To say nothing of the enormous
expense, the three months have been
given over mostly to technical contro-
versies over whether Thaw thought he
was right when he shot White The
balance of the time has gone for tell
ing story whose purpose is to arouse
sympathy in the murder.
A couple of men down in Virginia
not long ago were acquitted on UNI
written law because the man they MUIR
dered had wronged their sister and,
after being required to marry her, had
deserted. Without regard to the wo-
mans share of the blame in the case,
the judge congratulated the jury for
thus freeing the two proven deliberate
were doing right and because the jury
was aroused into sympathy, the law
was disregarded and other men were
encouraged to go out and kill Over
at Ponca young man was set free
after being proven practically the muir
derer of girl Because sentiment
was aroused against the dead girl and
because the supposed murderer was a
nice young man." who had been
spurred by jealousy to a point where
he thought he had right to kill, he
der because he thought he was doing
right. He thought Whitley was his ia
Their and that, therefore, Whitley had
wronged the murderers mother. He
asked Whitley for aid because his wife
and children were starving. The mil
lionaire refused and referred the young
man to the charity boards. Then the
fellow committed the murder.
The general public took up the mans
cause after his death sentence. Peti-
lions succeeded in getting his sentence
reduced to life Imprisonment. And
now there are petitions going around
seeking his pardon
Perhaps England has read enough
of so.called ''unwritten law" in Amer
lea, to express sympathy in case like
this and override the courts and ju-
ries. OF what use, after all, are courts
and laws If they are thus to be swept
aside when portion of the pub
| lie takes notion? Are all murderers
to be cleared who believe they have a
motive for their crime? Or are just
those murderers to be cleared whose
motive is woven about a woman? Are
we coming to point where any man
who can show that he thought he did
no wrong when he committed the
crime, is to be set free?
was turned loose,
The assassins of Mckinley and Lin
coin thought they were doing right.
They suffered from exaggerated ego"
unquestionably believing it their duty
to Stay, But the public gave them
little chance because of their brain
storms.
The English court action might well
be taken as an example by this land in
which brainstorms are springing up
so commonly; and English petitioners
for pardon of the murderer, If they are
TO check future crime, might better
allow the law to take it's course.
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