FREE AND EASY

Southland Times, Issue 22008, 6 May 1933, Page 10

FREE AND EASY

AMERICAN COURTS SOUTHLAND VISITOR’S IMPRESSIONS CORRUPTION RIFE When New Zealanders see American trials depicted in the films they are prone to believe that a great deal of licence has been taken by the director of the picture in representing the happenings in court. But according fo an Invercargill resident who has returned from a trip to America these scenes very faithfully portray a trial in the United States. This visitor took the opportunity of attending the various courts in session, including the Superior Court. In all she found the same haphazard, noisy way of proceeding. It seemed almost impossible to reconcile the American system with that in vogue in British countries. There were telephones in the courtrooms and people carrying on noisy conversations. The judge did not seem to possess either power or dignity. Cases were adjourned and brought on in a most inconsequential way. The Southlander stated that she was under no delusion concerning the elasticity of the term Justice in the United States. It covered a multitude of bribery and corruption. When she was returning on the Mariposa she met an American woman who had served on the jury in a murder trial. “This woman’s story,” she said to the reporter, “will probably not be believed by those who read it in your paper. But I am convinced that every word is true. In this case a young woman was charged with the murder of a youth. Five times previously it had been before a jury and they had disagreed. When the case was presented the woman could not possibly see how the girl had committed the crime. She therefore opposed the verdict of guilty which all the others on the jury had agreed to. The deadlock went on until to her surprise a total stranger to her was ushered into the jury room, engaged her in conversation and offered hei’ an estate worth 40,000 dollars if she would change her verdict to one of guilty. She refused and the girl was acquitted. It was revealed some time later that the boy’s father was the murderer. The judge had had the temerity to tell this woman juror that for her refusal to be bribed she would never again be called to sit on the jury. She wasn't—for which she was thankful.” The reporter was informed that a large number of better class American people were so disgusted with the bribery and corruption in the administration of justice and in politics that they were using the films to show the curse of the evil. Just as eminent novelists had tried by their writing to educate the public to the need for reform, so were the public-spirited citizens of the United States exploiting to the full the sound screen for propaganda purposes.