Current Topics [excerpt]
T of
C at Buffalo for the murder of the late
President MK has been
entirely without incident, and the inevitable verdict of guilty
has been returned with as little delay as could be expected. The
prisoner, who has refused to assist his lawyers in any way in preparing
a defence, was willing to plead “guilty.” But this plea, which upon
a capital charge would be accepted by the court with extreme reluctance
in this country, is, it seems, legally inadmissible under such circumstances
in America. The plea of “not guilty” was accordingly entered, and
the functions of the lawyers for the defence were reduced, as they
admitted, to seeing that the proceedings of the prosecution were
regular. The only possible defence would have been one of insanity,
but no actual evidence to this effect was forthcoming, and, as the
judge explained to the jury, the legal presumption is in favour
of sanity. The only satisfaction about the miserable business is
that the police have taken suitable precautions for the safety of
the prisoner, and that retribution will be dealt out to him according
to law, and not at the hands of an infuriated mob.
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