The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1914-04-27
xUROtRs AND PUBLIC OPINION
4o~ an Excess Of indignation May
Rur- Cause q Justice

Public feeling Win be relieved by
the news that counsel for the crown.
acting on the suggestion OF Justice
Afkn. yesterday withdrew the
charge made against John Starch
feld of numbering his son In a rail-
way train on January =. Il is doubt
ful whether on the evidence the aC-
cused ought ever 20 have been
brought 20 trial. The case 9ill serse
however. in many respects 10 point
its ogn moral Several murders 81
recent years have presented similar
difficulties 90 the police. and IL is not
surprising that thousands OF persons
with keen sense o. justice and &.
dislike of unsolyed mysteries should
form their own theories and indulge
their own speculations. II b.
wholesome sign o. n proper public
sentiment. so long as that sentiment
is kept within reasonable bounds
The danger Is Of hindering instead
OF assisting the course OF Justice In
dignaiion has been stirred. no doubt
by the cumulative effect OF a number
a. notable crimes FOR which no con-
victions have BEEN obtained.
IN many instances the press gives
substantial aid 10 the police. and
thus helps materially toward a just
conviction where. as in most train
murders. only circumsiantial evi-
deuce is available. Yel. valuable a.
THIS assistance may be. IL has its dan
gers. and one OF these dangers was
eXempllhed In the Starchield case.
When the horror OF a murder sinks
into the minds OF persons with ner-
vous temperament. they are apt hast
ily TO respond TO calls for Evidence
made through the newspapers. For
the moment their loathing OF the
crime and their instinct for the pro-
lection OF society oversway their rea
son. they volunteer 20 become wit
nesses OF occurrences which are dis
torted. il not wholly invented by
their Imagination.
When. about the middle of January
no clew had been found TO the muir
derer OF the boy Starchheld. theory
after theory was sent TO Scotland
yard by amateur detectives. and any
man WHO was seen with boy on the
evening OF January was in peril of
becoming the victim OF a hue-and-cry
When at last the case came for trial
| a. the central criminal court. the
| prosecution was constrained to rely
FOR Identification Of the prisoner on
three Witnesses. Two OF these adj
mitted that they had never seen the
prisoner before the day Of the crime
and one Of them confessed OF having
had no more than n passing glimpse
OF him on that day. The evidence
of all three was out Of harmony on
various points. Each spoke OF a
man who had been wearing a differ
ent kind OF hat. and each swore to
having seen him at places which
could not be reconciled with any
plausible set Of circumstances. There
will be general agreement with the
judges condemnation of the violat-
ION in the Siarohfeld case Of all the
principles on which such coroner's
inquest should be conducted The
sending of typewriter copies OF
their dispositions to the witnesses Tor
their signature in various parts OF
London. and the acceptance of alter.
ations made in those dispositions in
the Witnesses own homes, disclose a
form OF procedure which Justice At
kin was justified in describing as "a
mockery. Nothing less conducive
to the administration Of justice could
well be conceived. London Times.