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Show THE SHOCKLEY CASE. Many peoplo, had no doubt forgotten that the Bhockli ! i RSe B as on appeal In the Supreme I ourt; but that It had not entirely passed from notice was evident ev-ident from the occasional letters re- Ived by The Tribune asking what had become of It Shockley killed Amasa Gleason and Thomas Brighton on the night of January 6. 1904; he undertook to hold up a street cat In their charge, and they resisted, with the result stated stat-ed Shockley was tried In the April following, fol-lowing, and on the iih of that month wus convicted. The case was so absolutely abso-lutely clear against him, he was so far beyond any doubt the perpetrator of the highest crime known to the law, that it seems astonishing to find reversible re-versible errors In the case; and yet that tlre were suth is beyond question. ques-tion. In tills all the Justices agree, though they are divided as to what the grounds are The controlling opinion Is that fatal error was committed by the in. -i ujuh in allowing in- ij. - inJu nt s record and character to be Inquired Into, when his testimony In chief had given no opening for that sort of inquiry, in-quiry, that under the circumstances, these questions were Improper, and could have no bearing on the case at bar, but "could only have been used to degrade him before the Jury, and to re-move re-move any desire there may bae been on the part of any of the Jurors to recommend rec-ommend the prisoner to a life sentence Instead of death." Inasmuch as there was not the slightest slight-est need lo do this, as the court points out; as the c ase v;l;: absolutely and legally le-gally perfect against the accused without with-out taking any side excursions like Is Into forbidden path?, it is astonishing that there should have been any departure depart-ure from the well-trodden and certain path of practice, it is true that the Constitution, the laws, the decisions and legal practice In general are in an exasperatlngly confused state here, but thai very fact ought to make the trial courts all the more cautious, and to keep them all the more strictly within undoubtedly legal bounds. It Is probable that this case will be taken up before long again in the District Court, and tried so as to avoid material error. There Is one point settled, however, by this ease, which Is of high vnlu and Importance, and that is, the competence compe-tence of the judges of the city courts to act as committing magistrates. Tim Supreme Court Molds unanimously that BUCh Commitments are legal, which Is fortunate for the public, as a contrary .lew would have played havoo with the holdings at the Penitentiary. |