Salt Lake Telegram | 1930-07-28 | Page 4 | Clashing Alienists

9 t Clashing Alienists MENTION j FENTION has already been made of that 1 VI murder trial in Ohio where six very eminent psychiatrists blew themselves to opposing op op- posing opinions concerning the sanity or otherwise otherwise otherwise oth oth- of a young wife-murderer wife who wason was wason wason on trial As it happened the jury either decided to believe the alienists for the state and to disbelieve the alienists for the defense or it put the whole testimony expert racket out of its Hs mind and went ahead to use its common commonsense commonsense commonsense sense at all events the prisoner has been convicted of first degree murder and has been sentenced to th the electric chair However the taste of this thing lingers It It is such a typical e e- e example ample of the f fumbling incompetent way in which our courts strive to do justice in murder trials that it is worth extended examination The case was as right Jn in n the accepted pattern The Tie murderers murderer's lawyers called three ss all of them very eminent and reputable reputable reputable table men They agreed that the young man was woefully incompetent mentally he was they said half way between a moron and an outright imbecile Then the time states state's attorneys called three other psychiatrists all of them quite as eminent emi emi- nent and reputable as the three the defense had c called They agreed that the young man was quite normal mentally fully able of weighing the consequences of his acts and distinguishing between right and wrong rong Now Now we haven't the faintest notion whether this particular killer was in fact a lunatic or a normal nornal human being But it iL does strike us liS that this method of getting at atthe atthe atthe the truth is about as poorly devised as any any- thin thing one could imagine Why hy in the name of ordinary logic wouldn't it be better betterto to hold the sanit sanity hearin hearing hearing hear hear- in ing in advance of the trial with qualified alienists hired not to testify for one side or ur Ithe the other but lint simply to render the truth as I t. t 1 I I fh they r y saw it If they hey reported the prisoner insane he could be locked up if they found him sane he could be e. put on od trial a and l the case could be decided on its merits The present sy system ten Iea leads s' s son on only y to to o con con- on- on oni i fusion It offers fers the hardened int intelligent lI gent killer a chance to escape the punishment he hed d deserves and it also m makes kes it possible for the state to etc electrocute some poor nitwit wl who o ought to be e in a hospital The Thc one thing it itI does not is offer a chan chance for dealing out I ex exact ct justi justice e. e There is is a g good od deal dea of f t talk lk nowadays n wad ys about aboul respecting tl tlc the e courts How is js it it i. pos pass sible to respect a system that undertakes to get at the truth in a roundabout inefficient manner like this