MURDER OF LEON BERON

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7449, 25 May 1911, Page 2

MURDER OF LEON BERON

STINIE MORRISON’S REPRIEVE. EEOM OUU SPECIAL 'COMIESPONIJENT. LONDON, April 13. The reprieve of Stinie Morrison, who was sentenced to death for murdering .Leon. Boron on Claphanv Common on New Year’s day, is oiie of those illogical compromises which will satisfy nobody. • Morrison, after a long and patient trial before Air Justice Darling and a jury which gave evidence of a high intellectual average, was found guilty, and sentenced to death. ■ lie .appealed to the Court of Criminal Appeal, and theii’ eminent judges decided that the verdict -and sentence -of the court below ought to slain). Morrison’s indifatigablc counsel, Mr Abiugor, then tried to get his client’s case reviewed by tho House of Lords, but he failed in (he necessary preliminary of being able to, satisfy tho Attorney-General that there wore good grounds for taking . the case to the Lords. So the, fiat went forth that he was to ho hanged on Tuesday, April 18th. Then yesterday came the news that the. Horae Secretary, Mr Winston . Churchill, has decided to commute the dedth sentence to one pf penal servitude-for life. , ■ Wo are told that Mr Abinger. was able to prove to tho Horae Secretary that at the end of November Aloyrison,; in-st-ad of being hard Up'as the police alleged, aind appeared to prove conclusively, was .in possession oi .a considerable sum of money. One of the strongest points which influenced those wiio believed, in Morrison’s’ guilt was the fact that neither af the'Old Bailey nor at (be hearing before the Court of Criminal Appeal, did Air Abinger make'any real attempt to prove his client’s, reiterated statement that he had, nlehty of money at the period, indicated. Had he been’ablo to do so the backbone of the jiolice case against Morrison would have been, broken, for they pooh-poohed the .suggestion that revenge ' instigated the murder, ox Heron, rand held forth robbery as tiie sole motive. If as is stated, Mr Abinger did bring facts to the : Home Secretary’s notice which proved to Air Churchill’s satis.faction that Morrison had, plenty of money at the time the police declared 'that he was practically without means, the public ought to be placed in possession of these facts at once. It is, however, very doubtful whether Air ■Chu-ichiil acted upon any such information. The fact of the matter is that the whole trial of Stinie Morrison, was surrounded by a cloud of very dubious evidence: Two of tlio witnesses against him undoubtedly committed perjury, either in tho police court proceedings or at the Old Bailey, and the testimony of several other witnesses was not at all satisfactory. So. although tho jury found blip guilty, and the Court of Appeal refused to disturb the sentence of Mr Justice Darling, there remained in many people’s minds, a lingering doubt as to whether the proof of Morrison’s guilt was conclusive. It is certain that some 70,000 people signed the petition for ’ his reprieve. Some of the signatures were nndouß’edly people who object in toto to capital punishment, but the majority were probably influenced by doubts as to, Morrison’s guilt. The Home Secretary, in all probability followed tho usual precedent of con.su’ting the judges concerned will; Morrison’s trial ere advising the King to exercise the Royal prerogative, and it is highly probable their lordships were really responsible for his action, and (hat the reprieve granted is only a preliminary to his release. The position is simply this: Here is a man who must be cither guilty of murder or not guilty. The murder ivas a peculiarly brutal one with. no extenuating circumstances to justify any clemency being shown to tho guilty man. If then, Morrison is guilty he should hang; if he is not xjuilty, or if there is any possible doub.t of bis guilt be should he given the benefit thereof, and he accorded his freedom.