By Paul F. Caranci
Paul F. Caranci is the author of 12 books including The Hanging and Redemption of John Gordon.
The Dec. 27 commentary by Daniel F. Harrington, Mystery Still Shrouds Murder of Amasa Sprague, poses a question that is left unanswered: Is it possible that Irish immigrant John Gordon was both the victim of a discriminatory legal process and the perpetrator of a heinous crime? In the case of John Gordon, it is not remotely possible.
The trial in 1844 of John Gordon, while extraordinarily prejudicial in its conduct, was entirely circumstantial in its evidentiary application, and time has proven that even those circumstances do not amount to guilt under our justice system. Here’s why: