The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-05-21
Tracy
Law and Death
Stokes Claim to Fame
Another TangIe
What Law Is
BY Nj. Il. Tracy


i'm Nevadas '1ethal chamber" today.
You would never have heard of him
If he hadn't run foul of the law by
killing a young girl who refused TO
marry him.
You would never have heard OF
the 'Iethal chamber" but for the
laws effort to infict the death
penalty with as little pain and
violence as possible.
1t makes no great difference, OF
course, whether one is put out OF
the way by gulllotine, rope, elec'
tricity, or gas, since the most pain
full part of the proceeding consists
in dreading the approach of the
fatal moment.
+ i. Il
w. L. D. Stokes, who died Wedncs'
day and who will be buried Satur-
day, won fame largely because of
the many law suits in which he was
involved. Ills first wife divorced
him. after which he made a huge
cash settlement with her to get GUS
tody of their son.
He tried for five years to divorce
his second wife, but without sue
cess, after which he was tried for
conspiracy to defame her character.
Between trials he was mixed up in
all kinds of controversy.
He sued his lawyers and they sued
him.
He named the son by his first wife
as one of the ten correspondents in
the suit for divorce against his Sec
ond wife.
1t was law that made him famous,
though from an unusual angle.
i. i.
Raffaelle Morello, just released
from a New Jersey prison because
the law made a tragic mistake, is
now waiting to see if the law is 60
ing to make another mistake and
deport as an alien convict.
A little more than eight years ago
Morello was found beside his dead
bride Of four months with a bullet
through his ear.
1t was taken for granted that he
had shot her and then tried to shoot
himself. Brought to tria! for MUIR
der. he tried to tell in the peculiar
Italian dialect, which he spoke, how
she had committed suicide because
he was going into the army, and
she thought she could not live with
out him, and how he had tried to
commit suicide when he saw that
she was dead
The interpreter, unable to under
stand correctly, translated his story
as straight confession Of murder
and he was sentenced for life.
He learned English in prison and
finally made himself understood. The
Interpreter was hunted up and forced
to admit that his translation might
have been wrong.
The authorities became convinced
that a great injustice had been done
Morello and released him.
Now he is waiting to see whether
he will be deported because Of a
law which provides deportation for
alien cOnvicts, notwithstanding the
fact that he was wrongly convicted.
+ j. T.
Five noble Senators will soon go
forth to probe the use Of kale by
those who aspire to become, or re-
main their brethren.
Commendable mission, no doubt,
but with more politics than ideal
ism in it.
Most Of those aspiring to become,
al ar
and Jim Reed certainly put one over
on the grand old party when he
forced 1t to authorize a probe that
is bound to work hardships on its
own candidates.
Back Of it all, however, is the law
the direct primary law, the law
limiting campaign expenditures, the
law against bribery, vote buying,
etc.
It was dissatisfaction with a law
that nominated Ware in Penn
sylvania and inspired Governor
Smith to sign bill providing for an
unofficial referendum on the Vol.
stead act in New York. 1t is alleged
violation of a law that puts former
Attorney General Daugherty Under
indictment.
1t is through a provision Of a law
that Roberts and Pomerene still
hope to break the Teapot Dome oil
lease.
You can hardly mention a thing
o. public importance but it is
tangled up with law somewhere.
Il T. E.
Law is religion, business,
philosophy, moral convictions. pref
udices and a lot Of other attractions
boiled down to make a code of con-
duct.
If we took more time in the boil
ing, we would have far less trouble
with the product.