The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-11-14
WAS he SACRIFICED
FOR MISS LENEvE?
Crippen Said to Have Been
Victim of Serious
Legal Bungling
BIG ENGLISH LAWYERS
AMAZED AT CASE
Attorney With Little Re-
putation Engaged Tor Den
list While Abe Counsel
Lefends Typlst.

LONDON, Nov. it. A. sietim Of
legal bungiing.'' or. worse stih. "a
legal sacrifice is the epitaph that
might properly be placed on the tomb
OF Dr. IL. IL. Grippen when he IL
hanged on November % for the muir
der OF his vile. Belle Eimore. In the
opinion of the big majority Of Eng
fish lawyers.
Nearly every enc who followed
the famous murder ease is convinced
to-day that somewhere along the line
Of the defense III eat scandal ~
concealed.
People eyrryshe are asking.
Wac Cripnen sacrificed that Ethel
Clare I.eneye might go free
When Crippen was brought hack
to England from Canada. eminent
English lawyers who VIII bet on
anything. were willing to wager To
i that rs would be acquitted Grip
pen Was found guilty In less than half
All hour. Ii Is hard To find parai-
lel for such a startling reversal aud
there was no development during the
trial. according 10 legal experts that
adequately explains IL.
Peculiar Conduct.
Here are SOME OF the Important
facts that are heing emphasized to
support the charge of the peculiar
eenduet| IF Grippents defense.
Solicitor Arthur Newton. who pre-
pared trippen's case. Was we'll sup
piled with funds. believed to have
leen contributed hy a leading news
paper. and WAS we'll allie TO employ
the best harrisser Ia England To con-
duct the actual trial OF the case In
stead IT doing Sa. Newton went out
SID 4
fabin. of Liverpool Fabtn liz "a pro-
sineiai lawyer with reputation made
wholly in the handtIag Of commercial
cases4 He was handicapped by tho
methods af procedure at old Bailey
IA greatly as small town lawyer
IN America would have been hade
h& suddenly been thrown into an i'm
rortans case in New York City.
solicitor Newton sent Barrisfer To-
hin into court with case but half
prepared and tn. latter had but half
mastered even the siovenly case pre-
scented tn him when the trial opened
When the trial OF Miss Leneye
trippen's tspist, was callsd in1mc-
diateiy following the conviction of
G'rippen. Newton. still in charge, en-
pioyed r, Il. Smith. enc of the abless
practitioners at the English bar
Smith got Miss Lene.e of with
seaLeely an effort.
What the public wants to 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 I.eneve. charged
With the less serious affense Of being
an accessory after the fact
Admitted His Guilt.
Newton prepared Miss Leneye's ease
for Smith Just az he had crippen's
for Tobin And the very first thing
that Smith did--~on the strength al
the case Newton furnished hisn---was
Ia refer tn Crippen. III the piainest
terms, AS n murderer beyond the
shadow of question
Making ali dne allowances for the
fact that Newton probably thought
he had done all he could for crippen
and might as we'll admit that he
was murderer, Ii by ~ doing he
eouid benefit Miss Leneve, British
lawyers say he acted peculiarly DIR.
Grippenfs appeal was still pending
and it was not certain but his own
solicitor might h. prejndicing his
case.
When the court OF criminal appeal
sat to decide ON date for hearing
Grippen.s appeal, Earrister Huntles
@NhNAAa%s Ni3ppSu Junior counsel.
asked for all tho time the bench
could allow him TO prepare his case
because his senior, Tohin, had un-
expectedls Withdrawn from the case.
The court was startled by this in
formation.
For harrister to withdraw from
murder case" said Justice Darling
who was presiding. after his client
has been convicted and has an apneal
still pending. IL most unusual 1 don't
understand it,
Ana tho very next day the London
Afternoon Times announced that To-
bin was not only going to argue the
Erippen appeal. but that he had never
withdrawn from the ease nj All
What all this tangle meant Mo one
has yet been able to learn, but II r.
considered significant In connection
with the other peculiar features or
the case
One thing In clear. there Was trou-
Bile of some sort among Crippen,s
defenders, and that II proved most
damaging To the unfortunate little
doctors interests.