Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 February 1912 — SERVE FOR OTHERS [ARTICLE]

SERVE FOR OTHERS

Persons in England Paid to Go to Jail for Guilty Ones. Proxies for Debtors Who Defy \the . Courts and for Criminals Chargeci With Burglary—Substitutes Easily Found. London.—“lf every one had his deserts then a great many would be ’doing time,’" is a very common saying. One might add that a large number of people deliberately undergo imprisonment in the place of the really guilty. “Deliberately?” you exclaim. Yes. Proxies for criminals are not so hard to find in England as you might suppose, says Answers. A few years ago a magistrate was amazed when a prosecutor went into the witness box and swore positively that the prisoner was not the man who bad assaulted him. On the other hand, the prisoner asserted that he was the guilty party, and gave a detailed and circumstantial account of the whole affair. Time, place and every other particular fitted in with the prosecutor’s story. The only difference was ab%ut the man. The magistrate, however, Inflicted a fine of 20 shillings and costs, whatever he may have thought about the puzzle. As a matter of fact, the accused aggressor had paid a proxy to plead "guilty,” priming him in all the little necessary facts. One of the most out-of-the-way occupations in England is finding proxies; Out-of-the-way because, naturally, if such a method of living became known, the police would be making unwanted inquiries. Many a man who has been released on ball is approached by one of these proxy agents, who offers to find a substitute as like him as two peas. The unfortunate man jumps at the chance, for he knows full well that if he steps away from his situation he may lose it, as well as losing what reputation he has got In nine cases out of ten the deception is never discovered, though very often the police suspect that they are being hoodwinked. It is not very difficult to discover people who will go to prison for you, for a consideration. Especially is this the case in “committal orders," where

people refuse to pay their just debts. A case in point happened quite recently. A debtor had defied the law, and the officials went to his house and took him away—at least, they thought they were taking him away. In reality, however, the man they arrested was a substitute, who had been waiting tor them to come and take him. The actual contemptuous debtor —a commercial traveler, by the way—was doing his usual business in the provinces. A case of substitution more risky than usual came to light a few years ago. A Hebrew was charged with criminal libel. The accused man was let out on bail, after a short hearing. When the case came up for trial another Hebrew appeared in the defend-

ant’s place. Not only was he very similar In face and build, but he was wearing the actual clothes of the real defendant .This substitute was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment, neither the prosecutor nor any of the court officials suspecting anything. For the six months* retirement he received the nice little sum of £2OO.