New-York tribune., 1910-11-12
FRIVOLITY AND MURDER
A Protest Against One Aspect Of
the Crippen Trial
Middle Temple. in The London Saturday

Middle Temple" in The London saturday
Review.
Many Of -he daily papers in commenting
Oh the procedure il the Crippen case have,
with true British COu1pIaCencys compared
the prompt and effective aCnln1straLoD Or
british justice with what would have &C
CURED in q similar case IN other cOuntrles-
France and the United states especially
and nave thanked God LhaL We are nO- a.
others are l have glanced az most OF Iile
papers during the trial and Win one eA-
CepUiOn. have not seen II any WOfQ II
condemnation OF the manner II W-lch -
high court OF criminal justice, presloetA
over by the greatest judge on The bench.
engaged in The most solemn duty thaL can.
fall 10 any court, was Tor the time Prdc-
ticaIly converted by those respOnslDle 10r
the seating ARRANGEMENTS into q theatre LOrf
the qualification Of the morbid curiosity OF
society idlers and prurient women
Two sittings were held daily ana mum
oered tickets were issued for reserved
places at each. The majority OF the hotd-t
ers wers women VINO came IN matinee ar
ray. loud and pronounced hats anc dresSessl
carrying their opera glasses which Wer5
freely used. not only from the rear OF ne
court but from the front benches. rull III
the face OF the unhappy prisoner Actors
and writer's We're among the men, POSSIBLY
seeking ideas for future use IN their Own
professions. but with tnaL exception reWs
very few, ticket holders can have DeeIA
present for any legitimate object and even
that exception can scarcely be said 20 have
been q legitimate object n a court OF JUS
ttce. The tickets We're issued bT the Cl-y
Corporation through their responsible on
I
gentlemen was most active n the discharge
Of his duties as host In order -na- -1e
best view should be provided for some OF
the women. the Bar-L1e members OF
> which attended as IL was right they should
and as IL their uudOubLed right 20 DO
for professional purposes-were releEared
into an obscure corner Of the court Evsl
for this concession the suo-sher11 before
alluded - audtbly took credit 20 hlD1SeI r
saving that he mad sacTlHceQ MS own
friends. but that ne would nOI DO So asaln-
It may therefore be assumed that N rutlr9
cases the Bar viii be excluded ana ne
cOur- reserved for an audience el-ll-lE
b composed Of rhe same material as was rhs
majority IN the present instance
here were many d1scTecii-a2la instances
OF the omen qualification Of CurlOSiry--vot ON
en- coming 70 the dock side during th= IN
teTValS and peeriC- at the prisoner through
the glass screens as tAey r3S1t nave L'..@
az Gagged animal m Jne Looio-l'l-- -r-t--
deus-but only one need be meDtl1uet An
occupant o. seat on the ueDrN-dn elderly
gentleman 70 all outward appel on
actually kept his opera glasses level'e,. .U
th- prisoners face throughout l1s W00.e
OF the last awful minutes In which the SEN
tence OF death by hanging was being pc
nOUnCed in solemn tones by the Judge. ne
prisoners caliOus brutality has been tul-v
described N the press, NOT word mas 'eVn
said as 10 the cailOus brutality Of this spec
tator-
, nOunCed a mild condemnation o. the aspects
or Crippen's case. OF which I have e1deaV-
Ored to give very slight iEclratloI- VIE
/
have been thought i- would have had some.
effect on the CITY Fathers and their Satel-'
lttes and that the Lensve I-ia- WoU.c hJC.
be made a means OF entertainment OF their
women Not so. Again did overdresset
women. both uatrOus and girls. occupy ne
front benches; again was the prisoner SUD
teCted 70 the continued rakiuE fire ot t1air
opera glasses. an ordeal which the IRON
nerves Of CripDen perhaps enabled hin 20
bear unmOved but " hich must have been
absolute torture % the Door, crushed and
broken gtrl-she was little more-wh0 was
now the prisoner
We ara entitled 20 compliment ourselves
or the raptdity and efficiency with which
Justice IS administered In our courts
venture 20 say that neither II the states
nor on the Continent would any court IN
6 great criminal trial have presented such
q scene az did the highest criminal court
IN our own land during these two trials
II there Is a risk OF its repetition the Home
SeCretarv. who was present for a short
time might well consider n Il is not bis
duty. IN the interests Of the SauCr1ty of
Justice. 70 deprive by legislation the cor
pOration of an authority which 10 has wan
t0riv abused