THE MARTYRDOM OF ADOLF BECK.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2720, 27 January 1910, Page 7

THE MARTYRDOM OF ADOLF BECK.

STRANGE LIFE STORY OF A ' WRONGED MAN. DEATH IX A LONDON HOSPITAL. Mr. Adolf Beck, -whose life story forms one of the most poignant cases of mistaken identity in criminal annals, died in the Middlesex Hospital oh December 7. He was admitted to the hospital suffering from bronchitis and pleurisy. Ho was in his sixty-ninth year. ’Below Mr. G. R. Sims recounts the history of Mr. Beck’s wrongful convictions and untimato rehabilitation. ADOLF BECK. The martyrdom of Adolf Beck is at an end. The fair Norwegian with blue eyes, who was twice falsely accused and unhesitatingly identified by women as the dark German who had defrauded them of jewellery, and who served a, long term of penal servitude, has died of pneumonia following bronchitis and pleurisy. It- was in the autumn of tlie year 1885 that I first met Adolf Beck. I found him an exceedingly interesting man who had travelled a great deal, and who had been for a long time in Peru. In the year .1890 1 read with considerable astonishment that Mr. Adolf Beck, whom I had always looked upon as a man of fair means, had been convicted at the Old Bailey of having—while passing himself off as Lord AVilloughbv, wild had a house in Abbeyroad, St-. John’s Wood, and wanted a housekeeper—obtained jewellery from a number of women. My astonishment was increased when I read that Mr. Beck—who had frequently narrated to me his adventures in Peru, where lie was during the trouble in 1877 —was declared to be also one John Smith, who, in the year 1877. had, in London, defrauded a number of womon by posing os Lord Willoughby, with a house in Abbey-road, St. John’s Wood, who wanted a housekeeper. Soon after his -conviction Mr. Beck wrote to me protesting his innocence and asking me to do what I possibly could for him. JOHN SMITH. After studying the two trials —that of John Smith,’in 1877, and that of Adolf Beck, in 1896—there did not- stem te exist a shadow of doubt in my mind that Mr. Beck had been falsely accused antj unjustly convicted. I wrote an article in which I pointed out that John Smith was undoubtedly the author of the frauds for which Beck had been convicted. Beck himself sent petition after petition to the Homo Office, but- without success- —a result which was largely due to the fact that every one of those petitions was endorsed by the. governor of the prison with a statement to the effect that “the prisoner had, in the name of John Smith, been previously convicted.” The last of these petitions from Mr. Beck to the Homo Secretary was dated July 5,189 S, and the fatal endorsement appeared on that. Yet, on May 19, 1908. the governor of the prison had informed the Prison Commissioners that John Smith was undoubtedly a Jew, and that Adolf Beck was undoubtedly notone.. And, furthermore, the marks of, Adolf Beck had been retaken and compared with those of John Smith, and it had been found that Smith was dark and Beck was fair, and that Smith had brown eyes and Beck had blue. In spite of these facts being known every effort made by myself and Air. Beck’s solicitor failed to meet with the slightest official recognition, and Beck served the usual proportion of his sentence, being released on a ticket-of-leave in July, 1901. THE SECOND ARREST. Beck came- to see _me at once. And again I did- everything that was possible to get an official investigation. But- just at the time that- there appeared to be a prospect of his obtaining important evidence, Air. Beck was on April 13, 1904, again arrested and charged at Alarylebone Police Court, with fraudulently obtaining jew'ellery from a young woman by representing himself as Lord Willoughby, who had a house in Abbev-road, St. John’s Wood, and wanted a housekeeper. Here was tlie John Smitli of 1877 at work again. But all the witnesses were again positive in their identification of Beck, anti on June 27, 1904, Adolf Beck was found guilty. Beck protested his innocence, and at the end of tlie proceedings tlie judge deferred sentence, and Adolf Beck was taken back to prison. Adolf Beck, in the dock, raised his hands and cried passionately to Heaven for the justice which man denied kin« His prayer was answered. A few days before lie would have been called up for sentence to; another long term of penal servitude Chief-Inspector Kane, of the Detective Department of Scotland Yard, wont into Tottenham Courtroad Police Station, and asked casually if there were any prisoners. He' was informed that there was a man in enst-ody who had been charged with defrauding two women of jewellery by a trick. He went into the cell and looked at the prisoner. ' A TELL-TALE SCAR. AVlien a young constable the inspector had been present at the first trial of Adolf Beck, and tlie second arrest had interested him greatly. He had heard of the defence that these frauds were committed by John Smith, and lie remembered the- details and the story of a. seal-. He saw the sear upon tlie jaw of the prisoner, and exclaimed: “You are John Smith,” and at once went back to headquarters and reported his discovery, with the result that two days later Adolf Beck was a free man. There the matter might have rested as one of mistaken identity, but tlie Editor of “The Daily Mail,” before whom I had laid the facts, at once offered mo the hospitality of his columns, and I was able to give the whole of the astounding story to the public. Two King’s pardons were granted to Mr. Adolf Beck ion July, and in September of the same year an 'enquiry was ordered by the Home Secretary into the whole of the circumstances. It triumphantly vindicated Air. Adolf Beck’s character, and the efforts of “The Daily Mail,” vigorously supported by* the Press of the kingdom, obtained for the unfortunate victim of two judical errors- tlie sum of £SOOO. A large proportion of the expenses went in defraying the expenses which Air. Beck had incurred during his terrible fight with Fate, but for some time- lie was able to live in comfort and to rejoice in' the fact that liis sufferings had been largely instrumental in bring.' ing about the establishment in this country of the long-demanded Court of Criminal Appeal.