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Page 92

15th Week

1st Day

New Words

complicity

liquidation

accomplice

recant

culpable

ri kant′

Danny Escobedo Goes to Jail

In 1960, a young Chicagoan, Danny Escobedo, was given a 20-year jail sentence for first-degree murder. Danny had confessed to complicity in the killing of his brother-in-law after the police had refused to allow him to see his lawyer. Actually, Danny was tricked into blaming a friend for the liquidation of his sister's husband, thereby establishing himself as an accomplice. Despite the fact that Danny later recanted his confession, he was found culpable and jailed. Danny had been stereotyped* as a hoodlum and nobody raised an eyebrow over the hapless* felon's* troubles.

Sample Sentences

Use the new words in the following sentences.

1.Proceeding on the premise* that the broker was guilty of __________ in the swindle, the detective followed him surreptitiously.*

2.After the __________ of the gang leader, a mammoth* conflict arose among his ambitious lieutenants who aspired* to be boss.

3.Once the incontrovertible* evidence was offered, the servant was held __________ in the theft of the jewels.

4.When the clergyman refused to __________, his superiors were so nettled* that they relegated* him to an isolated parish in Alaska.

5.Although he was judged as a minor __________, the driver had actually played an integral* part in planning the crime.

Definitions

Match the new words with their meanings. Two of the words are very close in meaning.

6. complicity	____ a. deserving blame
7. liquidation	____ b. partnership in wrongdoing
8. accomplice	____ c. an associate in crime
9. recant	____ d. disposal of, killing
10. culpable	____ e. withdraw previous statements

Today's Idiom

woolgatheringabsentmindedness or daydreaming

When the young genius should have been doing his homework, he was frequently engaged in woolgathering. Answers are on Page 310

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Page 93

2nd Day
		New Words
abrogate	alleged	access	invalidate	preclude
		ak′ ses		pri klüd′

Escobedo's Lawyer Appeals

Barry Kroll, a Chicago lawyer, took an interest in Danny Escobedo's case. Kroll felt that his client's rights under the Constitution had been abrogated. Since the alleged accomplice,* Escobedo, had been denied access to an attorney, Kroll asked the courts to invalidate the conviction. He proposed that lawyers be entitled to sit in when the police question a suspect but the Illinois courts rejected that on the grounds that it would effectively preclude all questioning by legal authorities. If such a law were upheld, the police felt that it would play havoc* with all criminal investigations.

Sample Sentences

Use the new words in the following sentences.

1.The manager was distraught* when he realized that the slugger's sickness would __________ a World Series victory.

2.It is symptomatic* of some newspapers that an __________ criminal is regarded in print as guilty.

3.The wealthy uncle decided to __________ his inane* nephew's sinecure.*

4.The general was sure to __________ the court-martial's decision once he learned of the flagrant* bias* of the presiding officer.

5.Once the druggist had been duped* into opening the store, the addict gained __________ to the pep pills.

Definitions

Match the new words with their meanings.

6. abrogate	____ a. admittance
7. alleged	____ b. reported, supposed
8. access	____ c. to deprive of legal force, to nullify
9. invalidate	____ d. prevent
10. preclude	____ e. abolish

Today's Idiom

to whitewashto conceal defects, to give a falsely virtuous appearance to something

Although a committee was appointed to investigate the corruption, many citizens felt that their report would be a whitewash of the culprits.*

Answers are on Page 310

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Page 94

3rd Day
		New Words
persevere	landmark	extrinsic	declaim	fetter
	land′ märk′	ek strin′ sik

An Historic Supreme Court Ruling

Lawyer Kroll persevered in his defense of Danny Escobedo. The case was argued before the Supreme Court, and in 1964, in a landmark decision, the Court reversed Danny's conviction. Legal aid, said the judges, must be instantly available to a suspect. "A system of law enforcement that comes to depend on the confession," one Justice declared, "will, in the long run, be less reliable than a system that depends on extrinsic evidence independently secured through skillful investigation." A Justice who declaimed against the decision said, however, "I think the rule is ill-conceived and that it seriously fetters perfectly legitimate methods of criminal enforcement."

Sample Sentences

Use the new words in the following sentences.

1.Collectors avidly* sought the rare coin for its __________ value.

2.If we __________, we can overcome many of our inhibitions.*

3.The Battle of Midway was a __________ victory in the U.S. campaign for ultimate* victory over the Japanese in World War II.

4.I knew that my father would __________ against Mother's choice of ostentatious* fabrics.

5.The senator inveighed* against the policy because he felt it would __________ our Air Force.

Definitions

Match the new words with their meanings.

6. persevere	____ a. to hamper
7. landmark (adj.)	____ b. foreign, coming from outside
8. extrinsic	____ c. speak loudly
9. declaim	____ d. persist
10. fetter (v.)	____ e. historic, turning point of a period

Today's Idiom

to break the iceto make a start by overcoming initial difficulties

The auto salesman had a poor week, but he finally broke the ice by selling a fully equipped Cadillac. Answers are on Page 310

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