Roasts The Officers

"An Address t.o the Supervisors and People of Washtenaw County, pertaining to questions arising in the Beckwith case containing evidence and medical testimony and a view of juetice as administered by our county ofïicials," is the titie of a pamphlet just circulated by Dr. Thomas Shaw, of Ypsilanti. The pamphlet is a queer combination of prosaic facts, editorial comment and pootic elïusion would make it hard to classify, and the whole thing summed up is simply a roast on sherifï, coronor, other expert teètimony, and the board of supervisors. The pamphlet contains thirty-four pages. By way of prefacc the doctor vvrites: "This opportunity, like some men's greatnoss, is thrust upon me through tho actions of supervisors, county. olïicials and adverse criticisms published in the county papers. When a person's rïghts are disregarded and his integrity assailed, he stili has remaining the right of self defense " He then tells how he was engaged to make apost-mortem examinktion on the body of Geo. D. Beckwith, found dead in the Iluron. The sheriff and the coroner, he says, ratified tho cali so as to make itofticial. He made anightdrive of twenty-flve miles, conducted tho exam ination, andspent inalleightdaysin investigating and giving testimony. When he presented a bilí for sixty dollars tho board of supervisors allovved I hini six. He scores the board for 1 pecting to got expert testimony at ratea for ordinary witnesses and speaks of the sheritl and coroner as acting like school boys because they did -not support bis bijl more strongly. Ho thon goos on, glves tho testimony taken at the inquest, gives quotations from nuinerous 'medical authorities to I prove that Beckwith must have been killed before he was put into the water. Dr. Clark, who disagreed witH him oom ís in for a gentío roast and the oflicials catch it for not seeing the true drift of the evidence. Following this comes the account of an injury on Beckwith's check, so made that it must have been struck by some such weapon as a sand bag when he lay face downward on the ground. The disagreement of doctors, or even the slightest hesltation In a tria!, he says, brands them as incompetent. They should have time to study, retire by themselves and come to an agreement just as a jury does and then their opinión will be of deeided value, Several of the officials roastediin this address were seen by the Register and say Dr. Shaw is justly angry because the boaid of supervisors allowed him but a slight fraction of what was really due. They think the board deserves roasting but that sheriff and coroner did all they could.