Saturday, September 13, 2025

Off with their heads!

 "A court of law listens solemnly to the testimony, and renders a decision not on the facts but according to a complicated set of rules. The result d' ye see, is that a court often acquits a prisoner, realizing full well that he is guilty. Many a judge has said, in effect, to a culprit, 'I know, and the jury knows, that you committed the crime, but in view of the legally admissible evidence, I declare you innocent. Go and sin again.'"

Markham grunted. "I'd hardly endear myself to the people of this country if I answered the current strictures against me by recommending law courses for the police department."

"Permit me, then, to suggest the alternative of Shakespeare's butcher: "'Let's kill all the lawyers.'"

(from The "Canary" Murder Case, by S. S. Van Dine)

No comments: