Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1910-02-02


law which will prevent man who
has been declared an insane murder.
er from getting out of prison and con,
tinuing to be a menace to his
fellow men.
Thaw's lawyers and Thaw's expert
neurologists are numerically scored
In the report. The committee
charges that experts of this kind
are to be had "for cash, "and that
veer about and change their opinions
TO suit the exigencies of the case
and the needs of the person who
emrloys them. To clinch this rather
poor estimate of the experts. the
report says that one of the specialist,
who testified that Thaw was GER
tainly insane when he slew Stanford
White turned around short time
afterward and testified that Thaw
was now sane
Described as Debaucter.
Thaw is described in the report as
"a youthful debauchee of great
wealth. trained to believe that his
money gave him the right of fred
dom from all restraints. whether im
posed by law or the rules of decency;
inheriting an abnormality OF mind
likely to develop into homicidal acts;
leading a based and ignoble life.
without thought of the responsible.
ties which wealth imposes on its own
err"
This sort of man, the report go.
es on, commits foul and cowardly
murder in public resort. Were he
sane there could be no escape from
the penalty Of death. His only de-
tense Is insanity After long and
seemingly needless delay-and such
delay brings the administration OF
criminal law into disrepute-he is
brought to trial, and by reason of the
manner in which the trial is CON
Quoted it becomes disgraceful fare e.
A confused jury finds itself unable to
agree. A second trial conducted p,o.
perly and with dignity, results in
the verdict of acquittal on the ground
of insanity, and thereupon the pris.
oner is sent by the court, as re-
quired by the statute. to a state asy.
lum for the criminal insane.
From this place he plans to get
free by successive writs of habeas
corpus. which he proposes to apply
for as long as his purse will enable
him to pay jealous lawyers and un.
scrupulous experts"
Thaw's Family Criticised.
The members Of Tbaw's family who |
!: are trying to help him in his fight for
MS freedo9mH! do9H! are ACCUSED of not havini
proper appreciation of their duties
as citizens" Instead of abandoning
him to his fate" says the report
they aid and abet the plot, and
claim forsooth, that he is The OBJ
,ect Of persecution"
That be Will ultimately succeed
in getting out Of prison and regain
his entire freedom the makers of the
report are evidently convinced. but
they put the blame for this probable
result of the laws action on some
probable Judge of the Supreme Court |
whose head will no, ,a, be able to con
roll hs 4essgaJ and the only problem
n this mnrderer's quest for freedom
$ to discover who that particular
ndge is.
Ihe report says blankly that such
judge will be sure to be found at
asst although there may be may pro-
'eedings before that event. And
men, backed up with the proper affi.
lavits from experts, whose opinions
re to be bought for cash, the path t,
reedo:n will be cleared of all oil
tacles.
CHANCES in law Favored.
i
In conclusion the report says that
the time has come in our system of
enology to relegate to the obsolete
he assumption that an insane man
annot commit crime The logic OF
ne law makes sad slip when 1t
ermits the conclusion that the man
rho has dopa foul 1ooa ..,,,,.
cquitted as innocent if his mind is
OF working on what we call sane
mes. The point we make here is
nat however legally right it may
9 under existing legal concepts
wrong. soclologically wrong. to
nd man not guilty on the ground
INSANITY"