Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-12-11
The Case ofOscar
Slater
BY SIR arthur Conan Doyle
ShsrIock Holmes in Real Life
TnDAY's INSTALLMENT.

TODAY lNSIALLMhINA-
FINALLY. Mr.. Mcclure exposed very clear
.rs many discrepancies as to ident-
80, and warned the jury solemnly
The dangers which have been so
oroved to Turk in this class of evil
! ence
1 u,,gs+her it was broad, comprehen-
i a., reply, though where so many points
involved. it is natural that some
NAV have been overlooked. One does
4 -. for example, find the counsel as in
i mt az one might expect upon such
,,+s as the failure Of the crown to
l,ovr how Slater could have known any
ting at all about the existence of Miss
s,rs,rist and her jewels; how he got into
I. a., EAT and what became of the brooch
I-.,icr according to their theory, he had
carried off,
h. is ungracious to suggest any addi-
ons to so earnest "a defense, and no
,,,rht one who is dependent upon printed
matter may miss points which were
,+,,gIlv made. but not placed upon rec
ord
only one point must Mr.. McClure's
i,denent be questioned, and that is on
|tbe most difficult one which a criminal
counsel has ever to decide. He did not
,laoe his man in the box This should
or,, nroperly be taken as sign Of
weakness. have no means Of saying
,,.bat consideration led Mr.. Mcclure to
E-his determination. 1t certainly told
AGAINST his client.
In the mastery memorial for reprieve
,ravn ND by SlateFs solicitor, the late
Nh, Spiers. it is stated with the full inner
knowledge which that solicitor had, that
Slater was all along anxious to give evil
dance on his own behalf. HE was ad-
,isad nv his counsel not to do so, but
NOT from any knowledge of guilt. He
lad undergone the strain of a, four days
trial He speaks rather broken English,
|aIthougb quite intelligible-with for
e,gn accent, and he had been in custody
since January
II must be admitted that these reasons
are very unconvincing. It is much more
probable that the counsel decided that the
uurelv negative evidence which his client
could give upon the crime would be dear
lv paid for by the long recital OF sordid
amours and Rlackguard experiences which
would be drawn from him on cross-ex-
animation and have the most damning
effect upon the minds of a respectable
Edinburgh jury.
And vet, perhaps, counsel did not suffi-
GENTLY consider the prejudice which Is
excited-and rightly excited-against the
prisoner who shuns the box. Some of
this prejydice might have been removed
If it had been made more clear that Sla-
ter had volunteered to come over and
stand his trial Of his own free will, with
out waiting for the verdict of the extra
dition proceedings. ~
There remains the summing up of Lord
Guthrie His lordship threw out the sur
mise that the assassin may well have
gone to the f.. any intention of
murder This is a.r possible, but
in the highest degreu able. He
commented with great seveli,y on Sla-
1ors general character
In his summing up of the case, he re-
capituIated the familiar facts in an i'm
partial fashion, concluding with the
words, Il suppose that you all think that
the prisoner possibly is the murderer.
You may very likely all think that he
probably is the murderer. That, how
ever Will not entitle you to convict him.
The crown has undertaken to prove that
Re Is the murderer. That is the ques-
lon You have to consider II you think
here is no reasonable doubt about it.
You viii convict him; if you think there
is, You will acquit him
In an hour and ten minutes the jury
mad made UP their mind BY a majority
they found the prisoner guilty. Out of
Hleen nine, as was afterward shown
were for guilty, five for non proven and
one for not guilty.
by English law, new trial would have
peen needed, ending possibly as in the
H"[uiler case, in the complete acquittal
H. me prisoner. BY Scotch law, the ma
'rity verdict held good.
a know nothing about the affair, abso-
HIleIF nothing" cried the prisoner, in a
e"%y OF despair. 81 never heard the
"ue' know nothing about the affair
uo not know how I could be connected
1t" me affair I came from America
M. my own account | can say no more"
neAlehce Of death was then passed
lHe verdict was, it is said, a complete
WI p''Se 10 most of those in the court,
leI fanny Is surprising when exam
IT, after the event.
no not see how any reasonable man
carefully weigh the evidence and not
".' lnat when the unfortunate prisoner
~ ed, 81 know nothing about it," he was
NReral truth. 0''~'''','' Wv
ESf '3'eI me monstrous coincidence
~ involved in his guilt. the coinc-
ave ,'at the police, owing to their mis-
|as over the brooch, by pure chance
OUT IN pursuit of the right man.
Fl. continued In NeNt lem.