Courts, Criminals and the CamorraTrain, Arthur Cheney
History
Courts, Criminals and the Camorra
Train, Arthur Cheney
Camorra; Criminals -- United States; Justice, Administration of -- United States
But let us press the history of Jones and Robinson a step further.
The next event in the latter’s criminal history is his appearance
in court before a magistrate. Jones produces his evidence and calls
his witnesses. Robinson, through his learned counsel, cross-examines
them and then summons his own witnesses to prove his innocence.
The proceeding may take several days or perhaps weeks. Briefs are
submitted. The magistrate considers the testimony at great length and
finally decides that he believes Robinson guilty and must hold him
for the action of the grand jury. You might now, it would perhaps
seem, have some reason for suspecting that Robinson was not all that
he should be. But no! He is still presumed in the eyes of the law,
and theoretically in the eyes of his fellows, to be as innocent as
a babe unborn. And now the grand jury take up and sift the evidence
that has already been gone over by the police judge. They, too, call
witnesses and take additional testimony. They likewise are convinced
of Robinson’s guilt and straightway hand down an indictment accusing
him of the crime. A bench warrant issues. The defendant is run to
earth and ignominiously haled to court. But he is still presumed to be
innocent! Does not the law say so? And is not this a “government of
laws”? Finally, the district attorney, who is not looking for any more
work than is absolutely necessary, investigates the case and begins to
prepare it for trial. As the facts develop themselves Robinson’s guilt
becomes more and more clear. The unfortunate defendant is given any
opportunity he may desire to explain away the charge, but to no purpose.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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