Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 23.pdf/33

 Some Reﬂections on the Crippen Trial tion of the English procedure, both among lawyers and laymen.

The fact that Crippen was an Ameri can subject, that after the disappearance

of his wife he fled with a paramour dressed in boy's clothes to Canada,

that his presence on the ship in which he took passage was disclosed to the police by wireless telegraphy, that he was arrested at the ﬁrst port at which the ship landed in Canada and that he was returned to England from Quebec without extradition being re

quired, caused a wide interest in the case among many people on both sides of the Atlantic who do not generally follow the sordid details of murder trials.

The mystery surrounding the crime was heightened by the fact that certain

portions of a human body, alleged to be that of the victim, were found in the

cellar of Crippen's residence, but in such a state as to make it difficult to prove that the remains were those of a human being, and. if that point could be estab lished, if they were the remains of a male or a female. Evidence of these facts

and of the identity of the disjecta membra with the missing Mrs. Crippen was based almost entirely upon the testi mony of medical experts. Those called

for the Crown insisted that a portion of

13

which, at the close of the trial, were

proved

to

have been

purchased by

Dr. Crippen himself at a certain shop in London. ' It will naturally be seen that evidence of this character, as well as other facts of the case which it was necessary for the prosecution to prove, might have been the occasion for heated discussions upon the relevancy and admissibility of evidence. It certainly would have been so in an American court and the proceedings would in all probability have been continued for some weeks. The trial in London was begun on Tuesday, October 19, and ﬁnished on Saturday,

October 23. It is worthy of note that throughout the trial there were no technical objections on either side to questions propounded by counsel, or to the evidence generally. There was

no argument upon evidence and no request to the judge to take a note of objections. Whatever questions were raised were discussed and disposed of without wrangling and without practi

cally anything in the way of a dispute. The most notable feature of the case, however, was the promptness with which the appeal from the verdict and sentence was disposed of. It has been

the remains revealed a scar which was

stated that the trial was concluded on Saturday, October 23. The appeal

the result of an operation which Mrs. Crippen was known to have submitted

was argued and disposed of on Saturday, October 30, that is to say exactly one

to. The experts for the defense con tended that the portion of the remains

week after the conviction. It was heard by a court consisting of Mr.

produced in court was not that of the part of the body which had been sub

Justice Darling, Mr.

mitted to the operation and that the marks were not necessarily those of a

surgical operation. If the case had rested solely upon this evidence it is doubtful if a conviction would have resulted. Unfortunately, however, for the accused, there was found with the remains a portion of a pair of pyjamas,

Justice Channell

and Mr. Justice Pickford, all judges of eminent ability and long experience. There were four grounds for appeal. The court decided to hear each of these grounds argued separately and to give its decision at the close of the arguments on each of them. The grounds were as follows :— 1. That a juryman who became ill