AMERICAN IMPRESSIONS

Evening Star, Issue 20422, 1 March 1930, Page 15

AMERICAN IMPRESSIONS

TARDY, UNDIGNIFIED JUSTICE A SOLICITOR'S OBSERVATIONS {Special to the ‘Btae,'] AUCKLAND, February 28. “ Two-thirds of the courts itl America are ruled off with seats like a picture show. There is no dignity or; ceremony about the procedure. The judge and the jurors chew tobacco all the time. Spitoons are placed in front of all officials. It is hard for New Zcih landers to imagine courts conducted in, this way, for they are used to solemn dignity.” To Mr J. J- Terry, the Auckland, solicitor who accompanied John Grey,of Texas, the American courts were farcical compared with those of New; Zealand. Mr Terry arrived home tin* morning. He was one of the Aorangi’sf passengers who were quarantined a* Motuihi Island. “It is good to he back,” he said while he collected his luggage “The magnitude of everything in America is amazing to a New, Zealander, but this is the - place to Jive; climate, living conditions —they, can’t be beaten.” Sir Terry mentioned the trial of A< B. Crouch (or John Grey) as he isf known in New Zealand. Everything was arranged successfully, and everybody concerned was quite happy. The City National Bank of Temple, Texas,was quite satisfied with tho result of the trial, and after Crouch’s, acquittal gave him a letter of appreciation for the honourable way iu which ho had worked.

“ In principle and practice our courts are obviouslv superior to those in America,” said Mr Terry. “The Americans themselves admit that fact* The judges, district attorneys, and ait other court officials are elected by thei people by open franchise. No man. is arrested until the Grand Jury haa brought in a true bill against Inm.i The district attorney handles .all cases,' and on the merits of each one ho decides whether the case will go to thei Grand Jury. If a true bill is returned, then the man concerned is arrested. * Trials drag on and on, Mr Terry said, and on' the slightest technicality, prisoners have the right to appeal* Time after time new trials are ordered.. One man was tried for murder six times, and qh the sixth ol the case he was acquitted. During those six years he had been sentenced to terms of imprisonment ranging from ninety-nine vears down to seven years. “Judges speak out of their turn and say the most amazing things,” re- t marked Mr Terry. “ Juries have peculiar ways of arriving at their decisions. • While X was there a man was being tried; the jury retired; after a short time they came back saying that - they could not arrive at a decision, and suggested -a new trial. It turned out that one of the jurors knew the ac* cased. .During the deliberations the juror had said: “This man is a bit hard-boiled; he was in a -scrape some years ago. I think we had better hav<j a new trial, and so it was arranged. The Americans are amazed at tna • speed and methods of British justice, says Mr Terry. While he was m New, York one of the leading evening newspapers printed a leading article commending the expeditious manner ini which Hairy had been dealt with. The paper expressed great surprise that m four months the whole case had been, cleaned up, and Hatry had .been sentenced to fourteen years in. gaol. “In America,a case of that importance would have taken years to finish, Mr Terry said. . Solicitors’ fees are exceptionally high over in the States. Mr Terry mentioned that they get big money lor: court work, but they have to work mg hours. They start at 8 o’clock in the morning and finish at 5 at night, including Saturdays. There is no halfholiday for them. One lawyer told Mr Terry that he recently won a case against a railroad company, and was given judgment for £IO,OOO. He earned £5,000 in fees. , After his work on the Grey case Mr. Terry made a holiday of Ins four months’ trip in Dallas. Texas. He saw, an American football game between two universities. Ho thought the game was good, cleverly conceived, and the strategic and tactical moves wore remarkable. The game was not as fast as our Eugby, but nevertheless interesting. and it was certainly dangerous* Mr Terry was one of the 20,000 who crammed into the Madison Square Gardens to 'watch the light between the giant Italian Camera and “ Big Boy Peterson. The Italian giant fought witli lloz gloves, because he can’t get his hands into the regulation size. Jack Johnson, who now leads a band in a Broadway restaurant, was at the fight, and before it started be drawled through a loud speaker: “Be sure yon keep your left planted on that fellow’s jaw.” The fight lasted only 67sec. In three fights, Mr Terry said, Garner a had netted £B,OOO, and he had been in the ring only about five minutes. Because of the fights he had won on fouls Phil Scott, who to-day boxed Jack Sharkey at Miami, was known in America as “Feinting Phil.” Mr Terry said that Scott was introduced to the Madison Square audience. When lie appeared in the ring to greet the crowd he was hooted.