Norwich bulletin., 1913-01-23

Adams. They did not agree in their description of him. A third person, a the house. and -her description of him did not tally with that of the other two witnesses.
 The next circumstance to be drawn quired by the police that a man Oscar Slater, was attempting to sell pawn ticket for a diamond brooch. Be fore he could be arrested he had left for Ltverpoo! and New York and was detained there upon landing
 The three witnesses alluded to above journeyed to the United States for the purpose of identification, and Slater, of his own free will, returned to Glasgow to face his trial It lasted four days, MT. Ure prosecuting, and the verdict of the jury was in favor of the man s guilt.
 But this verdict was by no means unanimous, nine jurymen being for Guilty" five for Not proven" and one for Not guilty Under English law he would have new trial.
 Sir A. Conan Doyle examines the case for the prosecution. The bottom ory because it was conclusively proved that the piece of jewelry in question belonged to Skaters mistress and had been pawned for some time
 America had not been in the nature of flight from justice, but in connec- tion with some business transaction, as was proved in New York. Again, the man could account for his actions on the night of the murder. if exception be made of half an hour. during which time he was supposed to be walking home.
 The process of Identification, as set forth at length in .The Case of Oscar Slater" fully justifies the official state ment that 1t was "at best somewhat slender The three witnesses who went to America were not sure of their man. One, the servant, was suspi- cious;" Adams stated that Slater was mot unIike'' the individual who had passed him. and the girl admitted that he was ''son1ewhat like him" which she afterward amended to very like him" In their original declaration all had agreed that he was clean shaVen; Slater was wearing moustaehe at the time of the crime.
 Beyond these three witnesses no one had seen the man who left the scene of the tragedy on December 21. There were IF witnesses who had seen "a man lettering in the street during the week before the crime had been com mitted." Their depositions varied. Be sides two of the most precise Wit nesses saw the stranger in question upon the Sunday night before the mur- der and upon that night Slater had an unshaken alibi.
 "Eyidence of this kind might be of some value if supplementary to some strong ascertained fact, but to attempt to build upon such an identification alone is to construct the whole case upon shifting sand"
 Nevertheless it was on such evidence, not even circumstantial, that Slater was sentenced. What if there has been a miscarriage of justice? It is with this possibility staring him in the face that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle penned the graphic history of the Gi1christ murder, and that, by way of conclu- sion, he hopes that some sudden flash may be sent which will throw light upon as brutal and callous a crime as has ever been recorded. Meanwhile it Is on the conscience of the authorities, and in the last resort on that Of the community, that this verdict, obtained under the circumstances which l have indicated, shall now be reconsidered. In other words, Sir Conan Doyle s contention is that Oscar Slater should be pardoned and set at ltberty-Chica- go Record Herald.