OCR Text |
Show THE INSANE DODGE. '. Any one at all conversant with the annals an-nals of crime knows how frequently criminals crim-inals escape punishment by pleading insanity in-sanity as a defense. - The plea is generally a dodge to evade the consequences conse-quences of crime. Last Monday Gov-, ernor Hoadly, of Ohio, in his message to the Legislature referred to the question of insanity as a defense in criminal cases, and said: "I repeat the recommendation of my inaugural inau-gural and annual messages, that the defense of insanity be no longer permitted to operate oper-ate by way of absolute acquittal, bnt that it be piv-fiented only by special plea, the finding find-ing of the truth of which to be followed by imprisonment for a term proportioned to the gravity of the offense. If this be done, we shall have no more cases of simulated insanity, and no more citizens converting themselves into executioners for supposed offenses against their honor, without allowing allow-ing their victims a hearing or the opportunity oppor-tunity of defense. There is a world of wisdom and good sense in the recommendation, and if it could be made the law in every State and Territory the number of insane people peo-ple would diminish very rapidly and crime would grow less. |