Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1911-01-26
crime In ENGLAND,
crime With US.
Comparisons That Show We
Are Still UnCiViIizGd.


New York. January 25.-In A Com
parison of English and American Grim
inal Procedure" just published, Cas-
silly Cook, of the New York bar, dis
closes some interesting facts. The
author, through the courtesies OF
Whitelaw Reid, American Ambassador
at London, and Sir Charles w. Math-
ews, England's public prosecutor, wit
messed the trials of DR.. Crippen and
Ethel Leneve. In addition, Mr.. Cook
made a study of British criminal trials
generally.
The swift, impartial administration
of English justice to wrongdoers ought,
he says, teach our lawmakers, courts,
and the public generally some valuable
lessons.
"A great deterrent to the criminally
disposed in England says Mr.. Cook,
is the absolute certainty of prompt,
severe punishment No dilatory meth
DDS clog the merciless wheels of Eng
! lish justice. They grind not slowly, but
quickly, and exceedingly fine. Woe to
the felon who falls beneath them. To
rich and poor, high and low, alike the
British goddess of justice is sternly
blind. No fimsy, hairsplitting techni-
calities afford loopholes of escape for
the guilty, while every possible safe
guard enables the accused to establish
his innocence.
Murders Fewer There.
Felonies, especially homicides, are
comparatively few in England, accord
ing to Mr. Cook. But nineteen murders
were committed during the past year
in London, which citys population is
100000 more than that of New York
city. All the accused were promptly
tried, ten were speedily hanged, and
the remaining murderers, save two
acquitted, We're sentenced to various
penal terms.
One hundred and eighty-five murders
We're committed in New York city
alone during the past year. 1t is need
less to say, the writer states, that but
| few of these criminals as yet have even
been tried Our statistics show 1915
, homicides in the United States in 1910,
an increase of 867 over the preceding
year, In the past ten years in this
country only about one in fourteen Of
those indicted for tirst-degree murder,
punishable by death, have been execut-
ed. There has been rapid increase in
homicide in this country in the past fif-
teen years, while in England's statis-
tics show a steady decrease of muir
ders.
Considering the respective popuia-
lions of the United States and Great
Britain, the per capita ratio of murder
in the British domains is about Z per
cent, numerically, of American homi-
cides
His review of the Crippen trial dis
pels doubt as to its absolute fairness,
| and the merited conviction and death
penalty of the accused. Mr.. Cook states
that while under the statutory law of
some of our States as to the establish
ment of the corpus deficit" and direct
proof thereon the purely circumstan-
tial evidence alone adduced against
Crippen would probably have resulted
in his acquittal, such result would
have been a gross miscarriage of JUS
tice.
Settled Minds of Jurors.
The writer maintains that any scin-
tilla of doubt as to Crippen's guilt eX-
listing in the jurors minds was neces-
sarily removed by Crippen's demeanor
when testifying He pays tribute to
the patient, kindly character of Eng
lands learned Lord Chief Justice AL
verstOne, who presided at the trial and
endeayored in every possible way 20
assist the accused to satisfactorily ex-
plain the eliminating circumstances
against him.
The economy of time and money in
English criminal procedure is dwelt
upon by the writer. The trial, stripped
OF all dilatory pleas, its issues clearly
defined and strictly adhered to, pro-
ceeds with the orderly precision of a
well-staged drama.
No acrimonious scenes between
counsel, no hysterical appeals to the
jury, no long-winded harangues over
immaterial matters, befogging the
minds of court and jury, mar the Eng
iisb procedure or defeat the ends Of
justice. No cloud of high-priced eek
pert" witnesses is tolerated. No need
less cumulative evidence is permitted.
Brief, terse, direct are the statements
and arguments of counsel. The courts
summing up and charge is likewise
short and to the point.
The cost of administering English
criminal law is but an infnitestimal
part of the burden imposed upon our
American taxpayers.
TRIED SUICIDE BY