Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1907-07-03
MURDER MADE EASY

one Of the strongest editorials on
the subject is from the pen OF that |
strong man. Col. Henry Watterson,
and he writes under the caption.
Murder Made Easy" saying:
In this case. however. as In the
Thaw case. there was no sufficient
proof OF the destruction of anybody's
home. In the Thaw case the woman
told a fairy tale about being drugged
and outraged. and the prosecution
was forbidden to show that it was
not true. Following this ruling as
a precedent, the court in the Loving
case refused 20 allow Judge Lovings
daughter to be contradicted. The
theory is that the relation OF the
story made the accused insane. and
that he was insane when he did the
killing. 1t does not matter whether
the story was true or false. At the
same time. everybody knew well
enough that the real ground on
which the acquittal of Loving was
sought was not that he was Insane.
but that he had slain man who
deserved to die. Sow, whether Es-
ties deserved to die or not, even un-
der the unwritten law" depended
upon the truth OF the story which
Miss Loving says she told her father.
The prosecution professed to be able
to show that this story was fable,
Ia mere device TO shield man who
had committed causeless murder.
but all such evidence was excluded
on the ground that insanity was the
real plea, whereas ii is perfectly
we'll understood that it was put i'm
for me purpose of getting the girls
STORY before the jury. This story
may have been true. but there was
no opportunity to show that il was
false. Hence in discussing the law
.of the case we have right TO as
sumo that it was pure invention.
for the Judge said. in effect. that
he circumstance that il was an in
vention was wholly irrelevant. 1t
Us a very interesting inquiry what
effect the acceptance of such doc
trine will have on trials for muir
der. When a man kills another i'm
necessary self-defense he may be ex-
pected 10 plead that and prove il
as has always been done heretofore.
But when a man commits a murder
without any legal justification he
must look around for some other de-
Tense. The rulings i'm the Thaw and
the Loving cases supply all that he
needs. Most murdercrs have near
female relatives, such as have here
tofore been taught by criminal law
yers TO sit by the accused at the trial
and told TO weep at intervals i'm order
TO affect the feelings OF the intelIi-
gent jurymen. This has its effect in
many cases, but it does not always
occurred an acquital"
We have refrained from editorial
comment or criticism. on the theory
that the girl VINO went driving with
Ia young man and drank whiskey.
win have an everlasting trial in her
onscience: and il won't be a mis-.
trial. either We have withheld com
neut also. on the ground that the
RACED father is forever before the
BAR OF Judge who says Vengeance
Do Mine"
We vontur. the hope however.
thar the Loving case and the Thaw
case. viii not fuI place in our nat
ioua Jurisprudence. as worthy precc-
dents for future trials. Taking hu-
man ife is TOO serious thing. TO
permit 30 Goo goo unpuuisboa. Cunning
men and bad women can always find
SOME means for excusine their dead
D. deeds providing Tine court pra
Nr. haH Doe such as 20 encourage
.N.Hc- Zoo ueu of eallows
Samson fha rouecst man known
aI history fel into slavery mur-
te. and mridc because OF rho wncs
90 hai woman o. isa part OF the
fame of I.f. that bad women. de-
traded aomen vicious women. are
'a... masked wim pink complex