Tragedies of Mistaken Identity

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 36, 15 March 1935, Page 14

Tragedies of Mistaken Identity

Two Men Hanged by a Woman’s Mistake-Innocence Proved Years Later -Quaint Aspects of Life in India-Courtesy and Cleanliness of German Public Servants.

MR. W. H. CARSON (4YA).

QNE of the earliest instances of innocent men being put to death as a result of mistaken identity occurred in the case of Clinch and Macisiy. Which took place as long ago as 1797. These two men were tried before Sir ITash Grose. a famous judge at that time, for the murder of a man namei Sidney Fryer. ITryer’s cousin, Ann Iryer, swore that at about o’clock on the evening of May 7, 1797, she and Sidney Fryer were walking along a lane toward Islington. Suddenly a man appeared in front of.them and when at a distance of about 12 feet from Miss Iryer he fired the fatal shot at her cousin. Immediately afterwards the man, who had a silk handkerchief tied over the lower part of his face, took from Miss Fryer what money she had und disappeared over a. stile. An aecomplice who until this-‘time had not taken an active part in the proceediugs relieved the unfortiinute woman of her cloak and also made good bis escape. According to Miss Fryer, the first man Was of average size, but,.as she put it. "inclined to be lusty." His associate in the crime was a tal) man, HEN the woman was taken to a public-house soon after the crime she was unable to give anything in the nature of a detailed description of the men. Futhermore, at the coroner’s inquiry, evidence was given to the effect that she had stated quite frankly that she could not describe the men. Nevertheless, when she was tAken to the police station, she positively identified Clinch and Mackly as being the men who had been. concerned in the murder of her cousin. Four other witnesses described two men whom they had seen in the neighbourhood about the time the murder was committed. These witnesses appeared to have been agreed on Only one thing; that the taller man of : the two had red or khaki hair. Not one of them was prepared to swear, however, that either Clinch or Mackly Was one of the men seen by them. The most that could be elicited from them was the evidence of one, a mere boy, to the effect that he believed Clinch to be the man he had seen on the lane. A POLICH officer named Blackiter swore that while Clinch was in custody, he had passed a remark that his being involved in this matter was going to be bad busines for him. Strangely enough. this evidence was udmitted without reservation in support of the contention that Clinch had admitted his guilt. Referring generally to the case on behalf of the prosecution, it may be noted that when the prisoners -were arrested they had very little money on them, and none of the stolen property was traced to ‘them, The deferice produce as a witness Rice; the keener of the nublic-house to which Miss Fryer was taken immediately after thecommission of the crime. Rice’:

swore that Miss Fryer had stated that she had no idea whatever as to the description of the people who had bcen guilty of the murder. The very most that could be sifted from her story was that there were three young men, that they had something over: their faces, and that they wore darkish coloured coats. After a retirement of only half an hour the jury found both prisoners guilty, and both were executed. That the eyidence upon which they were hanged was all too flimsy was established with tiagi¢ certainty within a few years. A criminal named Burton Wood, who was executed on Kemmington Common. and his confederate, a man named Timms. confessed upon the seaffold that they. and not the unfortunate Clinch and Mackly, had- been euilty of the murder of Sidney Fryer.

THE REV. FRANK AULT (3YA).

NE of the interesting features of Indian life is the fact that many customs are the reverse of those in the West. We think a fine day is a happy omen for a wedding day. In the sunscorched: East.a wet day is longed for as a happy augury for, the bridal pair. The motion of the hand which we use when ‘we say goodbye mean "comé here" ‘in India. In New Zealand .we: notice how happy brides look on theit. wedding day; in India it is the custom for the bride to look sad. and a bride who siniled at her’ wedding would bé regarded as a bold young lady. Many expressions used in Indian speech indicate a way of thinking which is the reverse’ of ours. For example, we say: The boy took his exam. yesterday. In Indian idiom it is the master who takes the exam; the boy gives the exam. We say, "I went down town and. met a man," an Indian would say, "J went down town and a man met me." Many of their idioms sound quaint to English ears. For instance, to say’ "I went for a walk" in India would be "I ate the air." "To be defeated" in the Indian vernacular is "To eat defeat." To swear an oath ix "to eat an oath." The word for "darling" is a curious one. A mother or a newly-married husband will cal] the object of his or her affections "piece of my liver." In the Indian wishes: to say. "I have lost courage," he says, "My heart has sat down." If he wishes to say, "I have a sore throat." he says, "My throat has sat down." HEN Indians meet they do not shake hands. A Hindu will join his hands together and bow-the fingertips of each hand touching one.another and the hands raised to meet the face-and will say "Ram, Ram." (Ram, or Rama. is one of the great hero gods of India-an incarnation of Vishnu.). When tio Mohammedans meet, each raises his hand to his brow and says. "Salaam." which "means

"peace." It is not unusual to meet Indians who speak a number of languages, Our Indian padri-sahib in Hyderabad used to talk,to me in Bnglish, to his wife in Gujrati, to his Christian congregation in Urdu; and te the non-Christians around" him in Sindhi, which was his mother’ tongue. We met another Indian padre in Delhi who had a marvellous capacity for interpreting. I remember his listening to u speech in Bnglish for. about 15 minutes. He made no notes. He then translated that speech into Hindustani, word for word, ‘

DR. HELEN SIMPSON (3YA)

T is not only. motor-cars, aeroplanes and similar things which move quickly in our modern world-in Burope, at any rate. Situations change ‘with startling rapidity, and much has Happened in and about Germany since my last, and singularly happy _ visit fifteen months ago. We crossed. the oorder at the German part of Strasbourg. The French railway officials left the train, and the Germans took charge. The customs oflicers waved my passport aside as soonias they saw that it was a British ‘one; they asked me to open one of my two suitcases, barely looked at the top layer, and troubled me no further, But they were intensely interested in the newspapers left in the compartment by earlier travellers, and examined them carefully to see if there was anything in them which might seem unfitted for the eyes of their fellow-countrymen. As the train moved out of the station. along came a smiling young woman with a duster. and tidied us up in the proper Gefman way. This is one of the striking things about Germanythe tidiness of the public places anid conveniences Nopbopy in a "bus or tram dreams of dropping a ticket on the floor. The usual practice seems to be to leave them on the window. ledgé, and the conductor then puts them in the proper receptacle. I-:noticed .the difference more, -perhaps, when I: went back to London and to the London ‘buses with their hundreds of tickets strewn on seats and floors. and to the underground trains. the floors of which are always covered with cigarette ends and empty packets. More easy-going and suggesting a greater. homeliness. perhaps, the English; but it is as much a habit. and as easy for the German to drop his used ticket in a box or to put it on the window ledge as it is for theEnglishman to drop his on the floor. And it is certainly pleasant to have the dust of travel removed from the railway carriage from time to time. The guard on this train was typical. too, of German enards, and indeed of German publie officers generally-so ready and glad to help Twas reassured, and felt that whatever else had changed, the ordinary, kindly German

people had not. They never forget, on train or tram, however crowded or however long your journey, where it is you want to go, and they come along; beforehand to see that you, too, know that you are approaching: your stop. They are the same-friendly and helpful, courteous and kind-in the hotels. stations, shops, offiges and banks.- I always hope that foreigners in our own countries are given as good a spin as we get nearly everywhere abroad, but particularly in Germany.

MISS PHYLLIS HOLLOW (3YA).

ONE of the best jumping-off places for a tramp in Northern Italy is the little town of Lugano, on the shores of the lake of the same name, and probably the most pleasant season for tramping is early autumn, which is, in Italy, September. At this time of the

year the skies are blue and cloudless, the lakes are still,.and what little breeze there is, is warm and friendly. You need only the lightest and thinnest of woollen clothes, and may dispense altogether with the encumbrance of overcoats and mackintoshes. The pension at which we stayed had large airy rooms overlooking the lake, and with a splendid view of rugged hills running ‘sheer down into the water. For three days we made brief excursions by boat or on foot, return‘ing in time for dinner, It may interest intending travellers that we paid eight Swiss francs (about T/- each) per day for our rooms, breakfast and an excellent dinner. There was running hot water in all our rooms-a great consideration when you remember that baths cost 1/- each in Switzerland, as in most other parts of the Continent-and tips were added as an extra ten per cent. on our bills. ,

NE afternoon we took a funny little funicular railway (like a lift ascending a slanting crack in the hillside) to the top of a hill called Monte Bre, and tramped back into the hills from there, picking deep pink carnations and exploring a deserted village which rose in terraces from a shallow dip among the bills. It grew dark, and no lights bobbed up, the friendless and stony silence of the place depressed us, so we went down by the funny little railway again and back to Lugano. Another day we made a leisurely lake excursion and had the curious experience of crossing and re-crossing the frontier between Switzerland and Italy, which actually runs through the middle of the lake. in many places, so that you visit a village in Switzerland first of all, and five minutes later one in Italy, where, you could not land without a passport.