New-York tribune., 1918-06-09

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ten cartridges in it when he cut loose.
They would have been a tight fit, but
the pistol would have held them and
discharged them. Ten cartridges to
left-eight fired. Eight shots fired
from Hughey's gun and eight car
tridges found where they had fallen
from the ejector; it tailed.
When Pistol
! Experts Clash
The pistol which had been intrusted
to Paul Chapman might never have
been loaded to capacity. For sure it
hadn't been if his story is true-and
don't forget the police believe he tells
the whole truth. But supposing it had
been: 1t was nine-shooter too, and
only seven cartridges were left in it's
magazine. Two were missing then,
making with the seven gone from
Hughey's pistol a total of nine shots
fred. If nine shots were fired, how
had the ninth bullet managed to dis
appear without trace? What might
have happened, then, to the ninth
empty shell?
If Paul is truthful the answer to
the problem is simple enough; if he
be liar behold the complications!
AS has been said, District Attorney
Lewis had an expert at the trial to
testify that one of the bullets which
were fired and which took effect came
from Paul's pistol. AS has further
been said, experts Of the defence were
quite as positive it hadn't.
And as has been said beyond, it
didn't make much difference anyway.
The Law is the Law, and Pauls own
confession damned him. Accepted in
part, that is, it damned him. Accepted
in full, there was his panicky re-
pentance and his abandonment of the
crime to consider.
For four days the trial went on.
Then, after summing up by the state,
Judge Kapper charged the jury they
must either find Paul Chapman guilty
as charged of first degree mur-
der and subject to the death penalty
or they must acquit. The jury began
its deliberations imbued with the idea
that there could be no compromise.
In the petition which the jury now
ment) they refer to the strictness Of
Judge Kapper's charge. This charge,
incidentally, is one of the grounds on
which Mr.. Wood intends to base his
appeal He believes much more should
properly have been left to the discre-
tion of the jury.
The Trial and
Public Indignation
At the time, however, the verdict
was not unpopular. Indignation had
run high, for the killing of the Re-
gensburgs had been as senseless as
brutal. Other ways of escape had been
open to the burglar-or the burglars
than by murder. Public opinion was
against Paul. He was overgrown,
loutish. He sat through his trial ap-
parently unmoved. Mr. Wood, who
| was at his side through every minute
Of the ordeal, says Paul was frozen
with fright
But the reporters in the courtroom
didn't know that. They saw in the
boys glum demeanor stocism, indif-
ference. So they wrote of him.
Others who followed the trial
women, mostly-formed their own i'm.
pressions. They remembered Paul's age,
and upon his conviction set actively
to save him from the chair. TIL.
Brooklyn Woman's Club started the
fight. Organizations by the score and
individuals by the thousand took it up.
Petitions began to circulate; petitions
are circulating yet; all will find their
way to Albany.
These disinterested workers in Paul
Chapman's behalf have made it their
business to find out more about Paul
and the case against him than the
newspapers found space to tell.
0o'ASo A-oPPeh oo" Ao IeaSon why
Paul should not die, and he fixed the
first week of April last for his exc
cution. Paul is alive to-day only by
virtue of the appeal taken by his
lawyer, which automatically acts as q
stay.
But by the verdict of those who
have acquainted themselves with all
the circumstances-a good many Of
them circumstances of which the law
takes no consideration, weighty though
they may be--there is every reason H.
the world why Paul should live. For
one thing, certainly, killing Paul will
make bad business no better, they
assert In no way can his execution