The Washington herald., 1910-10-24
The Crippen Trial.

The thing that seems 10 astonish the
American public is the expeditions man
ner in which the case OF Or. Crippen. a
cause celebre. was disposed of in the
British criminal court. It is scarcely two
months ago that the facts OF the murder
in London became known. There fol-
lowed in rapid sequence the flight of the
accused and his paramour, his chase,
aided by wireless. his arrest. his return
TO the scene Of the crime. the impaneling
OF the jury. which took about two hours,
his trial, which lasted less than a week.
and his conviction and his sentence TO
be hanged.
II IS OF mighty little use 10 comment
on case so fun Of horrors as this one
unless. as a people, We are willing TO take
advantage Of the lesson it teaches US.
The one reason We wonder at the speedy
outcome Of this case is because it is
so vastly different from what the pro-
cedure would have been on this side.
Here we should have had an interminable
series Of delays It would have taken
weeks TO secure jury; there would
have been dozens OF experts-the ques-
ton OF that grewsome scar on the
remains that were found would have
lasted our lawyers several weeks-and
If any one Of our criminal court judges
had dared to be as outspoken 10 the jury
as was Chief Justice Lord Alverstone in
the Crippen case the whole case would
have been appealed on those grounds
alone.
Only the other day. when the Interna-
tionsl Prison Congress was in session IN
this city it was stated that only seven
out of every hundred murderers were
hanged in this country. Ninty-three out
of a hundred who are caught and brought
10 trial escape on some technicality. It
is juggling with the law; using Il as a
weapon to play with. as If its statutes
and rules were counters IN game. that
brings our law into that disrespect which
is accountable not only for many crimes,
but also for our many lynchings for
written law" for the sickly sentimental
tiles that mark much OF our practice; for
the well-established belief among a great
majority Of our people that rich men.
men with the ability to hire able coun-
sci. are. 10 all intents and purposes,
above the law, beyond its reach.
In England, so fixed is the respect for
law. so firm and just its administration,
that it IS a truth and not a platitude
that "all men are equal before the law"
Oscar Wilde. prominent literary genius
and pet OF society. is as ruthlessly tried
and condemned 10 picking oakum as any
cheap housebreaker or pickpocket Mrs.
Maybrick. a woman of wealth and with
hosts OF friends and able TO command at
least semi-ofticial pleas from this side Of
the Atlantic. is tried, condemned, and
made TO serve twenty years in prison.
England has about one-tenth as many
laws as We have on this side of the At
lantic, but what laws she has she en-
forces. The one concession English law
maui 10 NiIo liNNN44Etg Oh the 1Elpleu case
was to assign the Lord Chief Justice
10 the case-its best Judge And he
proved himself a judge. not merely a
president Of a legal debating society.
Much that was most Illuminating in the
facts OF the case the judge brought out
after the counsel had finished. and when
the trial was over he presented both sides
Of the case TO the jury so that there
could be no mistake.
II we in America are to have a greater
respect for the law. If we are to be a
moro law-abiding people il will be be-
cause those in authority see that the
teehnicalities are swept away so that no
more shall the trial Of a brutal murderer
be allowed TO cost the state hundreds OF
thousands OF dollars; that we shall cease
10 iuggle with terms, and get to facts,
sternly, without sentimentality-servi
out justice with an even hand.