The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-08-15
Solicitor Arthur Newton Who De.
Tended the American Was Found
Guilty Of Professional
Misconduct.
NEWSPAPERS INVOLVED
They Furnished the Cash for the Case
in Order to Handle the
Sensational
Stories.

OF the United Press.
LONDON, Aug. 15.-A few months
ago, when an English court railroad
ed DR.. H. h. Crippen to the gallows,
there was an outburst of admiration
at British methods of handling Grim
inal cases. Not only were they COM
mended in England, but Americans
pointed out that the United States
would gain immensely by initiating
them more closely. The few individ-
uals who voiced the opinion that Eng
lish criminal courts are much more
Interested in convicting people who
have done something to be convicted
for, were speedily pooh-hooed into
silence.
Well, the Crippen case was handled
along typically English lines. The
trial was hustled through at top speed.
The prisoner was convicted and sent
enced. He appealed and lost his ap-
peal. He asked Tor PARDON and
pardon was refused. He was hanged.
Then the English Law Society set
out to do little Investigating. In
due course the investigators reported
that Solicitor Arthur Newton, Grip
pens legal advisor, was guilty Of pro-
fessional misconduct in connection
with his handling of the case. On the
strength of this report bench OF
judges consisting of Lord Chief JUS
tice Alverstone and Justices Darling
and Bankes suspended Newton from
practice for one year.
In signifying his concurrence in
fellow judges opinion of Newton s
conduct, Justice Darling volunteered a
few supplementary remarks. at
seems to me-" he said, that this case
discloses very grave state of things,
absolutely inconsistent with the pub.
lie advantage. Crippen was obviously
guilty and no one could have had any
doubt about it. But even the great
est criminal is entitled to have his
case considered from first to last with
the sole view of his own interests
and not with view to making bust
ness for other people. The whole OF
the circumstances which have come
out satisfy me that Crippen was not
from first to last defended as he
should have been. His case was con
Quoted very largely for the purpose
of making copy for the newspapers
which had contributed money for his
defense.
THAT a solicitor should lend him
self to this kind of practice is a very
grave offense. The evil of such con
duct must be patent to everybody
The whole circumstance of the case
were absolutely inconsistent witt
decent conduct on the part of those
who took part in the proceedings. One
of them happens to be a solicitor He
must be punished The others are
not within the Jurisdiction of thi!
court. but to my mind, they deserve
to be punished too. II the judgmen
on Newton errs at all, it errs on tht
side of leniency.'
| 1t is a pretty safe conclusion tina
Justice Darling, strongly as h'
spoke, did not say all he had in mind
| There were excellent reasons for re
preston on his part. AS an Englisl
/ Judge, it was natural Tor him to hest
tate to indulge in too severe crit
4 icism of English courts. Newton, toe
is more than suspected o
/ knowing things to the extreme dis
| credit of persons in such high pos
| tons at court as to have much in
fluence even upon the bench.
crowded too far, it was whispere'
! that he intended to make these thing
public. Finally, sitting on the sam
bench with Justice Darling was Lor
Chief Justice Alverstone, who presto
ed at the Crippen trial. AS chief jus
| tice. Lord Alverstone has much to d
with shaping the futures of the jus
tices who are subordinate to hin
Justice Darling among them. Thus
/ it would plainly have been dangerou
4 for Justice Darling to go into III
4 pleasant details concerning a trial i
which his superior took, perhaps ne2
to Crippen, the most consplcuou
part.
What Justice Darling undoubtedl
really meant was, substantially this
Certain London newspapers PAL
Newton for conducting Crippen's d.
tense. They put up money. not OF
of consideration for Crippen, but b.
cause they wanted kind of corne
in news of what was bound to prov
a most sensational case.
Neither an acquittal nor convi
ton would have furnished these pi
pers with any news which other p
! pers could not get quite as we'll 6
they, in open court. But confession
following conviction might easil
have been handed over exclusively
the papers which were paying fc
Newton's services. Did the amazin
inefficiency of the Crippen defense i
dictate that Newton had deliberate]