Evening star., 1922-11-03
Justification Plea in Murder Cases
Flouts Law.

There are evidences that the coun-
try is getting somewhat tired Of the
appeal of the unwritten law Edi-
tors rather frankly admit that they
witness with growing alarm" the
increasing disposition to allow muir
derers and murderesses to go free
simply because they urge, in extenu-
alton of their crime, the fatal
triangle" suggestion first brought
forth in prehistoric days. The added
complication, the presence of women
on the jury. apparently has not help
ed This Is best indicated. according
to the editorial opinion of the ma
ton, through the verdict in the re-
cent trial of the Bergen murder.
where the admitted slayer and those
indicted with him as accomplices,
were acquitted by not alone a
mixed jury" but by what well was
characterized as "hfty fifty" jury,
on which men and women me o,,v were
lin the opinion of most editors. was
the turning loose of Peggy Beal In
Kansas City, although her defense
was entirely sex plea, in which
''sheik love- whatever that It's Is: was was
the main argument in her favor, ana
she not alone admitted the murder
but emphasized a plea Of justihca-
ton. Quite naturally. the editors
say, the usual farce OF insanity was
raised" but in her own story tne
that she was justified in all she did.
Suggesting that such defense
may be all right. the Springheld
Leader rather quietly asks whether,
"since Peggy had the right to XIII
Anderson. is 1t strange that others
ri Ch nvnamlto
breakers" while the Jersey Journal,
after recalling that Judge Parker,
who presided in the New Jersey trial
when George Cline, the admitted
slayer. and Alice Thornton ana Cnarles
acquitted Of the murder Of and the
assisting in the staying Of John
Bergen, motion picture actor. INSIST
ing, In effect, on conviction, de
clared there was nothing presented
defense or justifable homicide"
points out that "the unwritten law
gets fresh support at the hands OF a
jury of which q woman was foreman
and on which there sat an equal
number Of men and women, some
thing entirely new in New Jersey
ca,n.al cases: This seems to prove.
the Brooklyn Eagle believes. that
"the addition of women to juries Will
make little difference while the
vi eInphlS COmmerctdi-HPpsoi iSe
PEELED, in thinking of the result at
Kansas City, to demand: why not
establish some sort of a pension, or
at least, some sort Of medal. for
woman who takes lives!
In this latter connectlon the no
hoken Hudson Observer holds that,
while, "of course. the verdict In the
BERGEN case does not prove that
woman Jurors will be any more
swayed by the unw.itten law than
have male jurors in the past, IL Goes
show that the appeal can be made
as successfully to women as it has
been made to men," To add to the
uncertainty of murder penalties. the
South Bend Tribune points out that
in California q mafrha been l,s1 ans1iv-
ed by sST0nsFs %Its asd tHr it suggests
that "caiifornia juries have had an
unaccountable disinclination for con-
victing any person, especially q
pretty woman, Of murder. Inese
verdicts also make for general nout
ing Of the law by citizens, .ns !s, Len zen
as an individual and man as an or
eanization are going to determine
when the written law shall be ig-
nored, is there not grave danger tnat
the republic may head itseir Ior ins
with such rapidity?" In the New
Jersey case the Pittsburgh Leader
observes that when q man is invited
to q friends home, and is killed there,
that Is murder, unless all the facts
prove beyond question that the VIC
tim Of death wounds was the aggree-
sor in the affray which cut short his
life"
Then, again, the Danville Register
holds that, "even II husbands prove
lotharios or are grossly Indifferent to
their vows this does not JUSTIFY
woman in committing an even worse
and more despicable crime." while the
BinKhamton Sun points out that the
fool idea that. slap on the wrist or
a warning shake Of the forefngsr Is
enough to do to a murderer seems to
have been taken seriously. Coddling
criminals moves them to keep on
Committing crimes. The statistics
proye It, The manner in which crimi.
nal law Is enforced in the United
states proves one thing at least; they
do things better In Great Britain than
we do here" This position has the
Endorsement Of the Springfield (Mo.)
Leader, which recalls that amy sort
of defense or no defense at all will
get by In the American courts nova
days. Ono murderess pleads: I am
my sisters keeper, and goes free in
forty-fve minutes. A minister and q
h@{p ~Sa -thA Ia 0f