The Detroit times., 1910-11-15
CRIPPEN' SCOUNSEL
MADE BIC BLUNOER
English LAWYERS Point To Convicted
Slayer as Victim of Legal
Bgnghng

LONDON. Nov. "A victim of
legal bunslng, or worse still a
legal sacrifice" is the epitaph that
might properly be placed on the tomb
OF Or II II Crippen. when he is
hanged on Nov %. for the murder OF
his wife. Belle Elmore. in the opin
ion OF the big majority OF Enslish
LAWYERS
Nearly every one who followed the
famous murder case is convinced to
day that somewhere along the lin,
OF defense a great scandal is con.
Cealed
People everywhere are asking
Was Crirpen sacrificed that Ethel
Clare Leneye might 90 free When
, Crippen was brought back 10 England
from Canada eminent English Law
yers who will bet on anything. were
willing 70 wager 10 I that he would
/ be acquitted Crippeu Was found
guilty in less than half an hour. II is
hard TO find parallel for such I
startling reversal and there was no
development during the trial. accord
I, ing TO legal experts, that adequately
explains IL.
Here are some OF the important
facts that are now being emphasized
90 support the charge OF the Peculiar
conduct 81 Crippens defense
solicitor Arthur Newton who pre-
pared Crippens case, was well sup
piled with funds. believed TO have
been contributed by a leading news
paper, and was Well able TO hire the
best barrister in England, 10 conduct
the actual trial of the case Instead
OF doing so. Newton went outside OF
! London. and selected A A Tobin OF
Liverpool. TObin is a provincial law
| yer with a reputation made wholly
! in the handling OF criminal cases. Tie
was handicapped by the methods OF
procedure az Old Bailey as greatly
as a small town lawyer in America
would have been had he suddenly
| been thrown into an important case
in New York city.
Solicitor Newton sent Barrister
! Tobiu into court with case but half
prepared and the latter had but halt
/ mastered even the sloVeniy case pre-
scented 10 him when the trial opened
When the trial OF Miss Leneve,
Crippens typist was called. immedi
ately following the conviction OF Grip
/ pen, Newton. still IN charge. employ
ed + +. Smith, one OF the ablest prac-
/ titioners at the English bar Smith
/ eot Miss Leneye on with scarcely an
! effort.
What the public wants 70 know is
| why Newton engaged an untried bar
rister for Crippen, charged with muir
der. and the best counsel that could
be obtained for Miss Leneve. charged
with the less serious offence of being
an accessory after the fact.
/ Newton prepared Miss Lenc.a q
case for Smith Just as he had Grip
1 pens case for Tobin And the very
! first thing that Smith did-on the
strength of the case Newton furnish
ed him-was 70 refer 10 Crippen. In
! the plainest OF terms as A murderer
| beyond The shadow OF question
Making all due allowances for the
fact that Newton probably thought
he had done all he could for Crippen
and might as well admit that he was
a murderer il BY so doing he could
benefit Miss Leneye, British lawyers
say he acted peculiarly. Dr. Grip
l bti , afF'ht =" NT sun PtiAiuE anu ~
vas not certain but his own solicitor
/ might be prejudicing his case.
When the court Of criminal appeals
sat TO decide on a date for hearing
Crippen's appeal. Barrister Huntley
jenkins Crppens junior counsel
asked for all the time the bench
could allow him 10 prepare his case
because his senior. Tobin Had I'm
expectedly Withdrawn from the case
The court was startled by this iufor
nation
For a tarrister to withdraw from
murder case said Justice Darling
who was presiding after his client
had been convicted and has a petition
still standing, is peculiar | don't un
derstand it
/ And the very next day the London
afternoon Times announced that To
/ bin was not only going 70 argue the
/ Crippen appeal. but that he had never
I withdrawn from the case az all What
all this tangle meant no one has vel
been able 10 learn. but II is consid
cred significant in connection with
all the other peculiar features OF the
case.
But one thing Is clear. there was
trouble OF some sort among Crippen s
! defenders. and that II proved most
damaging 10 the unfortunate little
doctors interests.