Missouri Ruling May Free Convicts
A decision has been handed down in the State Supreme Court of Missouri, which is expected to open the prison doors for scores if not hundreds of convicts. This ruling is to the effect that an information issued by the circuit attorney must be sworn to by prosecuting witnesses in the case, and that circuit attorneys or prosecuting attorneys could only swear to information from personal knowledge of the facts. The decision brings into question the legality of hundreds of arrests and convictions recently made on information in St. Louis. The fight of the franchise boodlers to escape punishment has brought about this ruling of the court, which is greatly in their favor. If the present charges against these men will not hold, it is felt that the statute of limitations would make it impossible to bring new indictments against them.