Putnam patriot., 1929-05-02

"At all events, whether it has the power or not, it does not feel that the circumstances here require it. Here is a situation where everybody in this vicinity, in this county, must have realized. l think, when these notes came cut. that any prosecution Of MT. Rice was going to be attended with the utmost difficulty. Those notes may tell the truth and may not, but if we went to trial, the question would be raised as to whether or not these notes were admissible, and take it that most lawyers would say right off the reel that they were not, that some extraordinary circumstance or situation would have to develop to render them admissible; and yet l fancy that the common sense and justice of mankind would think that any conviction of Mir. Rice brought about by a jury in ignorance of the existence of those two notes, or or the suicide of Mrs. Jackson. would be an outcome which no one could recon cie with justice l do not doubt the propriety of that rule as general thing. that a confession made by somebody who has since died is not admissible.
 jackson was man who per- formed a real service in this com munity. He had his peculiarities; he was very vigorous in the prosecution of the duties of his office. All per- sons connected with the court in any way. shape or form, have been fully determined to do their duty in find ing the person who is guilty of his death and bringing him to punish mcnt. That has been the attitude here. and l do not believe that l transgress the bounds of propriety if I say that the states attroney's of fee has been materially assisted by help that it has received from Mir. Hickey in Hartford At all events, l think that as far as the states att torney Is concerned, certainly as far as I am concerned. that l feel my duty much clearer when l know that those who have had charge of the investigation cf this crime unite with me in the conviction that a prosecu- ton could not result otherwise than in an aequittal
 Motive and Presence
 "When you come to regard that a jury must find a person guilty be- yond a reasonable doubt and the lack of evidence. l understand, here 10 show what l would call a sufficient mctive Co start with; and in the second place. Go trace Mir. Rice to the neighhorhood of that house in the day this occurred. makes it pretty difficult to say that any jury could come in and declare him guilty be- youd a reasonable doubt.
 "i think that is about the best and about all that can be said about it, The states attorney has made his statement. and as far as the court is concerned, it of course has no opinion one way or another as to whether there is any guilt to be at tached Co Mir. Rice.
 The states attorney has it with ' in his power, if he finds hereafter evi- dence which he now lacks which would lead Co the conviction of Mir. Rice. to bring the matter up. He also has it within his power, of course. if evidence ever comes to light that connects anybody else with the crime, to present another person before the grand jury.
 It does not necessarily mean that this case is ended; at the same time, we all know that in the ordinary course of events. if case comes up like this and is brought to this sort of an end, that it is as a rule the end of it.
 Nc one knows what took place in that house between and o'clock that night, but whatever it was, whatever the crisis was, that brought