Israel Schwartz Observation

[c.d.]

Hi Tom,

I have to imagine that Schwartz wasn't too happy about having a "Lipski" thrown his way or having to run off. A little tough on his manhood. I wonder if he might have unintentionally embellished his story so that the police would be a little more eager to pick up the BS man. Sort of a that'll teach the son of a bitch to mess with me.

Just a thought.

c.d.

[Tom_Wescott]

This thread is to continue a discussion that started on the thread entitled 'What's the Most Compelling Feature?'. Jon Guy posted a very interesting observation that I think should be discussed. My apologies to anyone who may have posted the same observation in the past and I either didn't notice it or wasn't receptive to it at the time. I'll be reposting some of our posts momentarily. While I'm aware of the possibility that Schwartz saw nothing and was lying (I kinda jumpstarted that some time ago), for the purposes of this discussion, we're taking the view that he was a legitimate witness who relayed what he saw to the best of his ability. On any discussion of Schwartz's evidence, it's important to keep in mind the following:

* He did not speak English and operated through an unknown interpreter.
* Abberline interviewed Schwartz but his report does not survive.
* Swanson provided only an abbreviated summary of Schwartz's statement, had no personal knowledge of Schwartz or his evidence, and never met the man.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott