Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-05-12
Courtesy of Greenville Daily News.
ASSISTANT SOLICITOR.
Suggested Improvement in the States
Prosecuting Machinery.

A movement that has the endorse
ment Of many Of the judiciary, Of a
large number of those interested in
the melting out OF justice and Of the
bar, to some extent, says the Columbia
correspondent Of the News and Cour-
| ier Is that looking to the employment
| of assistant solicitors to aid in the Sc
curing of evidence in criminal cases.
In a measure, the entire detail work
be shifted and good results obtained,
1t Is thought. In recent years In this
state there have been many important
criminal cases where the solicitors
have been at a loss as to how to ham
die the work Of the court room and
at the same time gather evidence In
other cases.
In many instances detectives have
been employed. This method was fol-
lowed by Governor Ansel In number
of important cases of alleged murder.
A lawyer visiting here today ad-
vanced the following ideas along this
line:
There ought to be an assistant to
each of the circuit solicitors in this
state.
such a man would be of valuable
service to the solicitor in the prosecu-
tion of the various cases, and espe-
cially In murder cases, the assistant
being a young attorney, whom the So
! licitor could direct in his work, and no
doubt could be secured at small sal
ary. He could handle the misdemean-
or cases, which now have to be at
| tended to by the solicitor. Much VAL
liable time, which the solicitor has to
| take up with these small cases, could
then be given to the larger ones.
THE strongest reason why there
should be an assistant is, that very Of
ten the state in the trial Of felonies
is unable to produce the proper evil
dence, which, no doubt, they could OBJ
| tain If there was an assistant who
visited the scene and the community
! in which the crime had been commit
ted and obtain witnesses who are un-
willing to testify at the trial and very
often flee to keep from giving material
facts as to the crime. The attorneys
for the defense make 1t their business
from the time a case is placed in their
hands to get every one who knows
anything at all about the offense,
whether an eyewitness or not. Why
shouldn't the state get to work at once?
| Then, too, very often party VINO
would be of valuable assistance to the
solicitor in the prosecution of the case
is a witness for the other side, and is
kept from testifying at all. Very fire.
quently the testimony at the coroner's
inquest Is roughly taken, witnesses are
poorly examined and few at the best.
On this account the state loses valua-
BILE information as to the guilt of the
: party, and the testimony given on the
day of the trial Is at variance with
that taken by the coroner.
THE assistant solicitor could attend
the inquest and examine the witnesses
on behalf Of the state, and begin at
once to work up testimony for the
prosecution and very often procure
affidavits which would be of much
value and which afterwards are not
able to be obtained, the person hav-
ing sympathized with the defendant
or having been approached by his
counsel 1t is an easy matter for the
state to obtain many important facts
on the eve of a killing, as the senti-
ment is with the deceased, but after
wards it Is a difficult task, for the
public sympathy shifts to the man in
trouble.