“FREE PARDON”

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 716, 16 July 1929, Page 13

“FREE PARDON”

SHOULD OLD PHRASE BE ABOLISHED? LAW’S MISTAKES The “free pardon,” with compensation amounting to £IOO, which has | been granted to Mr. Ernest Lee, of Stoke-on-Trent, is regarded by many people as scant recompense for his wrongful conviction and imprisonment on a charge of false pretences. As George R. Sims said of the classic case of Adolph Beck, “It appears strange that a man should be pardoned for an offence he had never committed.” Beck was convicted for fraud on women, and was the victim of wrongful identification. A person named Smith, who was his “double” in appearance, confessed while he was at Portland that he was the man who had “gone about London defrauding women.” Beck’s, innocence was triumphantly proved—and he received a free pardon, as well as a sum of £5,000. Cattle Maiming Case Another prominent case in which a free pardon was granted was that of George Edalji—a solicitor, of the county of Worcester. He was the son of a respected vicar, and was accused of a series of cattle-maiming outrages. He served three out of a seven-years’ sentence, and then, through the investigations made by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, was proved to be absolutely guiltless. He did not get any money compensation, however. The most recent case was that which concerned Oscar Slater —who was sentenced to death for the wilful murder of a Miss Gilchrist at Glasgow. He was reprieved and actually served 19 years at Peterhead convict prison. He was eventually proved innocent, and was given the King’s free pardon and a sum of £6,000. Pardon After 10 Years Two men who were found guilty of armed burglary—Michael Brannigan and Peter Murphy—were given life sentences. The confession of another man in gaol—as well as outside testimony obtained through the vigilance of the police—showed that they were not near the place where the robbery occurred at the time alleged. Unfortunately, they had undergone ten years of prison before they were released, and they were given £6OO each and a free pardon. Another man —who not long ago was described by a well-known psy-cho-analyst as "having the brain of , a Cabinet Minister” —was released on ! ticket-of-leaye after serving a long | part of a life sentence in connection i with the shooting of a postman in Ivnightsbridge. lie was eventually granted a free pardon and was thus relieved of the duty of reporting monthly during the remainder of his days—as generally happens when a “lifer” is released. There is a movement to abolish the use of the phrase “free pardon,” where prisoners are proved innocent. The origin of it is obscure; but according to a professor of literature it lies in the Stuart maxim that the King, and therefore the law, can do no wrong.