Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-04-04
JERSEY JUSTICE
IS FAMED FROM
COAST To COAST.
State Establishes a Reputa-
ton for Lightning-Iike
Court Procedure in Pun
iShing LaWbreakerS.

lTenIOn, April D. - lHlel tSLluE
light has been thrown on the OPP
Grafton and speed of Jersey JUS
tice" as a result of recent convic-
tons for murder and other crimes.
While misdemeanors and felontes
have increased in New Jersey, as
elsewhere in the country in the
past year or so, state records
show that there have been few
, disagreements of juries and prison
sentences have been extended to
maximum limits in order to dis
courage violators of the law.
One feature of New Jersey law
that few, If any, of the other
states have, and which is said to
have been a prime factor in Civ
ing the state it's traditional repu-
tation for lightning court pro-
cedhre is a provision that n jury
in a first degree murder trial may
designate life imprisonment in
stead of the death penalty for the
convicted person. This has re-
suited in many quick convictions
for life imprisonment where other
wise there might have been jury
disagreements.
Convicted IN quick llnc.
Cases like that of the Union
county bandits, Charles and John
Krebs and Martin Shannon, who
were sentenced to serve from Sc
to rs years each and who We're
tried, convicted and were begin
ming to serve their sentences with
in 4S hours of their capture, are
occurring almost daily in New
Jersey, the present so-called
"crime wave" apparently furnish
ing an excellent test for the eff
cheney of its courts.
Jersey justice" famer from
Maine to Florida. from the At
lantic to the Pacific and even
overseas, not only because of its
speed, its accuracy and its relent-
lessness but also because of its
fairness and efficiency, was not
established overnight 1t is scarce
" a tangible thing. 1t may be
best described as ga state OF
mind" the people demanding that
their law officers be efficient above
everything else. Thus prosecutors,
grand juries, judges, petit juries
and all other branches of the ad-
ministration of justice, which lead
the criminal to prison and the
murderer to the death CHAIR, are
Just so many wheels and gears
and belts in almost perfeotly-work-
ing machine" whose motive
power is the people.
Tradition has had much to doI
with making Jersey Justice Be-
ginning with the early days of the
settlement of the state when many
crimes were punishable by death,
the Calvinsts brought into East
Jersey distinctive views of religious
and civil matters which probably
were the roots of Jersey justice"
Through the anti-revolutionary
period, when organized efforts
were put forth to suppress piracy
in the Delaware and New York
bays, down to the present time,
the speed with which penalties
have been melted out to the evil
doer has been exemplified and
emphasized here more. perhaps,
than in any other section of the
United states.
+ Lynchings Are Rare.
New Jerseys differs in no great
respect from other states as TO the
general legal procedure for the
punishment of crime. Lynchings
and crimes against accused per-
sons, however, are rare. Officers
of the law, from the highest judges
down, are we'll paid and every eff
fort is made to keep politics out
of the courts. At present there areI
more than three-score life pris-
oners in the state prison here and
eight out of every ten convicts are
in for long terms.
While Jersey justice" is swift,
the innocent are safeguarded
through system of appeals. re.
prieves and stays the latter some
times operating to save convicted
persons from the death chair The
case of Frank p. James and Ray
mond w. Schuck, convicted of
killing David S. Paul, Camden
bank messenger, is an illustration.
After their arrest the trials of the
murderers were expedited and the
same day they were sentenced
they We're in the deathhouse here
as candidates" for the chair, Their