Bisbee daily review., 1911-11-29
Autobiography Development of Criminal Pro-
 cedure
cedure

The Law. as a heavy tragedy is mpidiy going into the dieard. These heavy high-brows, Kent and Black stone are headed for No. 23 Bourne. next door tO the late lamented VII liam Shakesperc There is & dispo sltion to translate The Law" into tho American language 10 set before an American people The result is rae same as that which followed tho translation of "Chanticler." Ros- trand's symbolic drama into Engl. Sh for tho American stage. America saw only the rooster and the hen and called lt a bNrnyard comedy.
 The wool has been taken from the traditional old English wool sack" and brick has been inserted instead The old English fashion Of wear ng a. big white wig. still held to ID Eng fish courts. is not a Ia mode in these United States. On the other hand. IS evidenced in the recall of ;ha ju. dietary" there seems to bc 8 spo. sition 10 crop the iudce's hair close and tag him No 23
 About all that remains of tho old version of The Law" are the old L.it- in phrases. used only by vain. con- ceitcd lawyers and the word "to wit." The proloeue has been heightened a.id the law runs these dSSs to happy end ings, such as he was acquitted anI lived both happy and prosperous ever afterwards The HangInan, as a character in the play has been eliuui- 1t2ted and wherever a substitute IS needed. as is seldom the case. the EictrocutEoner Is the new-fangled character in the piece
 The Law today is an opera buTet or a comic opera or a musical comedy, the latter mere usually. The defend ant is no longer the william of the play or the prosecuted hero. he is the s.sr actor, the head-liuer Of the cast. The judge oftenumes is a part of Jha stage scenery and the lawyers are merely prompters.
 The latest fad that comes from the Temple O. Justice. the comedy thea. of the American nation, is the s1to- sbiography. In fact. it is the press agent stun, boosting the star defend ant. The star of all star press agents is the old gray-haired fu;her Of Rev. A. E. C. b E. F. c Richeson, or Initials to that effcct. Through Through the Wearst string Of news H:r ,Es he Is f-'-!up :te Ns'Id us inc ! saintliness ot his son, the alleged mur- derer Of trusting girl The bur den of the biogaphy is He did not 1 do it because having me for a father l be could not have done il" lrrefut- 1 able logic.
 Up in Denver another parody on ! The Law is being played 10 stand | ing room. Mrs. Patterson, the aileg ed murderess of a consumptiye bus, band. is sending out, through her d. 1 tCrneys, daily installments Of a story of her life 10 the hungry yelloE pres ses.
 One exception to this modern tend | ency occurred recently in Virginia | There The Law as a heavy piece 1 still retains a degree Of its Jld popu- larity. The curtain rang Gcwa on I the final scene eBrly Friday morning | --on hangman's day-when thc cur 1 tain of night, simultaneous. 2 relcas- | ing the curtain on young BcJJtle's life, l sg'uiIg back and revealed the william l of the play sitting in chair | In old Virginia the dudieuced sighed and took home the moral Of the play In other parts of the country, the gal lery, the audience arn!Iarici and sh.ieked. |! Was ne'Olr=u.a m New York. In Virginia it was drama.
 The end to which this latest fad l may lead may only be guessed at In the old days it was not allowed to 1 the newspapers. or rather t5e news papers did not allow themselves, to comment on any matter in the course of judicial determinat on. Today it is the morbidly curious audience that makes the verdict.
 If followed to the logical conclu- sion. it may be that the disorderly d!sturher of the peace. the horse thief, the sheep killer may be gvine out the story of his life with all of the salacious details. The wife beat. CT, on trial in the courts. may give