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- By JOE NEVENS ca. Dally. Trojan Special Events Editor There ptobably is no more violent example of the “virtues of study” than Cary] Chessman, who has delayed a date with death in the San Quentin gas chamber for ten years by expediently “cracking the books.” Breaking all precedents, widespread nutoriety duc to the; incongruous industry of a nian condemned to-death. These ef- {urts included three best-selling autobiographical. books. one novel (soun to be pubrished) | plus an extensive self-instruction j of the law. Prison Lawyer This study of the law by; Chessman, though. confined in Death Row and. actually being :neduled for the gas chamber on six separate occasions, “pro: { duced an unusual* Jegal back- ground. Chessman wrote legai! briefs, reviewed cases from an ever-increasing law library ia bis cell and actually conducted | his own defense from his cell and in the courtroom. Crimes committed by Chess- ‘nan, and to which he has con- fessed and the eventual judg- tnent. of the man.is not the province of this report. His judgment and ultimate fate will; se decided in -the court down: ; town, following the presentation ; of arguments by the prosceution | 24 defense. The‘Chessman cgse has further ironic twists in shat i4 people connected with the -.se have since died. including | tue judge, Charles W. Fricke, “ho first sentenced Chessman <o death. Diet of Crime Crime has many faces. It is : growing and major probiemi in’ an apparently. progressive sivilization. In the southern Cal- fornia area alone, érime is al- vost a staple diet in the daily newspaper accotints. .. Los Angeles Police Chief Wil- ‘iam Parker, just a few weeks Fro, stated that the Jocal crime rate is alarmingly on the in- crease and pointed to the fabled San Fernando Valley 4Tva—as-8 potbex-or-criminal_ activi. | the Chessman" case gamed 3 socal Criifes———» Recently one of the biggest Jocal car dealers and several of} his salesmen were convicted of | defrauding and cheating many of their customers. A suburban high, school princtpal’s teen-age son committed myrder, appar- ently unexplained, a short time time ago. Fout of the first string of a local junior college basketball team, are making little ones out of big, ones for acts of vandalism. Last | year an SC grid potential was} jailed on robbery charges. And also fast year, two UCLA foot- naliers were arrested for steal- ing property from, a, Westwood || the route from a series of crim-) (:0. and ye apartment. Schaol Crimes Crime has many faces ane many facets. It operates on the high school level and the col- lege jevel, covering subjects of vandalism, theft, violence, at- tack, narcotics. and a profound disvespect for law: and reason. in Brookivn regently. a jun- for high school principal. who probably dedicated his life to education ‘and the proper cuiti- vation of youth, committed sui- cide. The suicide was attributed to pressures brought about by acts of rape committed in his junior high school by vouths, whe~in—taglity cofrsnitted the : FEAT ANY —— murder of this princlpar-orwas this the act that reflected tne -apathy of a reclining socicty? Various Strata Also” Crime has many faces. Vary- ing degrees of criminal acts have been committed by mem- bers of the various social, and monied strata. The high-brow, the low-brow and medium-brow | have all had their day before the bench and behind the bars. Where then is the issue of ; crime? Where. and when can it be stopped or prevented? What ‘is the cost of crime? How then does the rising crime rate af-' fect the citizen, if noi in his: -pocketbeok. then as a potential + vietiny of a violent criminal act? Incougruous Exarnple Perhaps excmplifying crime in tinal acts to impriscnment, to ifrelease, to crime again and now \- ‘lis facing the ultimate. The back-; densified by noting his infelicc- tual ability, yet previously his : j ability was exer cised in criminal }- acts. Considering this entire pic- | ture, the Daily Trojan decided to secure an interview with Chessman., the necessary consent from all parties and cooperation from! the court and the -county jail. the inferview was set up. Preliminary Research Just before finals of last se-. we took the tape re-" Angeles’ mester, corder to the. Los County Superior Court Building. Preliminary back ground re- search was obtained by conver- {sations with lawyers, reporters, ‘t police, close friends of Chess-. man and his private investigat- ors. Chessman is brought to court each morning at 9:30 am. in bandeuffs under armed guard of } two sheriff's deputies. Once in ;court, the hendcuffs are re- j moved. Dressed in a: plain suit. Chessman conducts his awn de- fense and. pleads his case to the mytiained in his defense O'S e+4ag. Wirin and Paul Posner, il Los Angeles s attorney —— Upon being granted: Tolson —————— Boardman —————- Belmont ———— feun ——————- Trotter ————-— Clayton —————-- Tele. Poom ——— Holloman ——— Gandy —————-- ww ecial Intecctese On Wednesday, Jan. 15, 1° siding Judge Walter R Evar arranged to have Chessma ‘brought over from the Los Ar ‘goles County Jail dt a am, fc this special interview. Jude Evans assicned ihe jury rou: adjoining the courtroom, whee Chessman was pleading his casc for the half hour interview=Th: , court was currteous in grantin t + jus the simiar facilities for ay. other interview on Tnhurstla morning. , Present in the jury raom dur- all its incongruities is Car YH nan. two at ha were Chess Chessman. This man has gone I 3 Of Ms srivara inves i tigators, the two starts dep ur two Daily Troja: editors. ¥ J. The following ave tho salient arts of the questions ate ginswers of ti ¢ im of the tape-recard hessman imierview with spake being the the only limitations. e i Wash. Post and —__ Times Heraia . Wash. News. Wash. Star — Tribune - N, Y. Journal-___ American N. Y. Mirror —--—_ N. Y. Daily News __ N. Y. Times Daily Worker ——___-» The Worker —-__ New Leader - a foot t