OCR Text |
Show 4 . ' - " ' ' . - ' WHAT 'VHAT VHAT IS EVIDENCE ? Every once in m a while something 50methmg occurs to upset our ourideas ourIdeas ourI'deas ourIdeas ideas ' concerning the kind of evidence that is worthy of cledence credence cicdence.Such cicdenceSuch . Such Suchan an oecunence occuuence occurrence is seen in m the case of Conda Dabney , once con con- conY convicted convicted - Y victed cted in Kentucky and given life hfe ' imprisonment 1mprisonment 'imprisonment for the murder of ofa ofa ofa a young YOttng , woman yoman . . At the hiatanother salanother ti tiial hiat sal another woman swore that she was an eye-witnes eye witnes eye-witness witness eye-witnessto eye witnessto eyewitnessto - , > to th thecrime the clime crime , , : and md a considel consideiable considerable able array of circumstantial evidence evidencewas evidencewas evidencewas was presented to corroborate cOrloborate hen hel her : testimon testimony testimonr r . At the time of ofDabney's ofDabney's ofDabney's ofDabneys Dabney's Dabneys ' conviction , piactically Placticaly practically } everyone felt that the verdict verdictwas verdictwas verdictwas was 1 lust ust . Yet " ' , , a few weeksllater 'vveeksi1ater vveeksi1ater ' weeks tater , the woman who was supposed to have havebeen havebeen havebeen been rnuideied mmdeled muideied showed sho\'ed sho 'ed ed \ , ' up/alive up alive unralive upalive / , and well . Dabney was leleased released leleasedbut , hOut but think of what he and his family suffered through the diabolical diabolical diaboli- diaboli diaboliai - - cal -ai ai - attempt aLLcinuL to tu swear a\vcai a vcai \ his iiiE > hfe life nic away uway . Suppose ouppuae he ne had naa been oeen een e\.ecuted e.ecuted e .ecuted ecuted executed e.ecutedfor executedfor execuieufor \ . for the alleged crime ? \ Many l\lany l lany cases are of l r iccord cord cord m in whIchIt which it was proved later thatinnocent that thatinnocent thatinnocent innocent persons have actu actually actually 11y been seen been put to death through per- per - iured lured per-iured per iured periured perlured testimony . In some instances in which the condemned men bave have menhave menbave confessed murder the supposed victims have tuined tUlned turned up alive . evidence Air All this illustrates how unreliable the most convincing evi- evi evience evi - - dence ence may be , andwhIle and while it Is s doubtless true that for every inno mno- mno rnno- rnno mnot'ent rnnodent innocent - ' cent t'ent tent dent Jlerson person punished a dozen guilty ones escape . , it shows that a agreat agreat agreat great humanlife lesponsibihty lesponsibIllty iesponsibihty icsts iets le $ ts upon a jury fury . , pal paiticularly particularly ticularly when a human life is is at stake . |