Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-10
is Missteps of Justice-WhenL Law Plays Cat and Mouse

sions that legal justice can rise to
higher levels than its source, fallible
man, the fact remains that 1t is merely
human beings who administer justice in
our courts of law.
The court that tried John Graham
decided that by his plot to substi-
tute Hannah Collins for his daughter,
crime of murder. The mob had ret
been able to break its way into the
county Jail to lynch him. But some
thing OF its psychology seeped into
the minds that presided over Ora
hams trial.
He was found guilty of the murder
of his daughter, and he was sentenced
to die for it.
Graham met the verdict with a cry:
IT am Innocent"
But the court had already judged,
and started the machinery of execu-
ton.
John Graham was led to the scaffold.
With no more hope Of life he kept re-
peating as If he had to convince his
judges in another world:
II am innocentl"
T ONG before John Graham was
buried in the grave of an executed
criminal, Hannah Collins was returned
to her mother.
Now that he was dead, Graham's
farm yielded a little money when it was
sold by the county. At last his debts
were paid and there was even a little
left over. But a. the county knew of no
heirs the money was disposed Of for
public good.
Tragic as was the outcome, the dead
mans neighbors felt relieved. Their
violence of feeling and action had been
indicated by justice itself. Nothing
remained to be said except the things
carves on a tombstone.
Then n day n of John Graham's
neighbors went to live in Norfolk. She
was engrossed in marketing at a vege-
table stall when she heard her name
called.
How do you do, Mrs. Morton?"
1t was a young voice that hailed her,
and she turned to see.
She felt a prickly sensation to the
roots of her hair as If she were seeing
a ghost. Which was indeed her first
thought. When her presence Of mind
returned, with sheer relief she laughed
as she recognized the young girl.
why, Hannah Collins, what q fright
you gave mel I thought you were Susan
Grahaml What are you doing here?"
The girl looked ID or Is years old and
wore a servants clothing. She looked
puzzled.
"But my name isn't Hannah Collins!
And I am Susan Grahami"
Mrs. Morton turned away angrily. The
presumption of the young fraud, to keep
up the grisly joke! But the girl per-
sisted.
whats the matter? Don't you know
me? Don't you remember the time you
used to give me cookies whenever my
father beat me?"
Mrs. Morton turned on her and seized
her wrist.
eff I find you keeping up this lie"-
She looked at the girls wrist. There
was the scar on it whose absence from
the wrist of Hannah Collins had sent
John Graham to his death.
MY God, Susan! And you let your
father be hanged for the murder of
you'll How could you be so wicked, even
If he was cruel to you?"
"But-but, I haven't heard from
father or about him ever since I ran
away from him!"
So it was that John Graham paid
with his life for not teaching his child
to read. : For the newspapers Of the
his trial. Had a single line of it been
read by the girl to whom print was a
sealed book, his daughter might have
saved his life.
AS it is, tardy legal justice cleared
John Graham's name of murder. But
it could not quite clear itself Of the
same charge In his case.
THE END.
(Copyright, 1921