Adam, even with his studies, continued to follow provincial, national, and world news. St. John’s had two daily newspapers, The Evening Telegram and The Daily News and Adam read both every day except Sunday, when no paper was published. He also followed the news on CBC radio as well as on VOCM, a local private station that had been broadcasting in the capital city since 1931. At the moment, the big news was about a murder in central Newfoundland, the first such crime in the province in eight years. Joseph Norris, just seventeen years old, in a jealous rage, shot and killed his girlfriend, thinking that she was cheating on him with a mutual friend. There was little crime in Newfoundland at the time, and for many people a man’s word was as good as having a contract on paper. The Newfoundland Constabulary who policed the city of St. John’s did not carry guns, nor had any of the constables who had kept law and order in the more rural areas of the country before it had become a province of Canada. Since joining Canada, the rural areas were now the responsibility of the RCMP. Newfoundland still had capital punishment for murder and following the British system, death was by hanging. This had not changed with confederation since Canada followed the same arrangement. It was the first murder in Newfoundland since 1942, when Herbert Spratt of St. John’s, had killed his fiancee, Josephine O’Brien. Spratt was hanged and would have the dubious distinction of being the last person to be executed in Newfoundland.

In the weeks that followed, everyone held their breath as they followed the proceedings of the trial. Adam was still in class when word came that the twelve member jury had found Norris guilty of first degree murder. When three days later, the judge in the case sentenced the young man to be hanged, there was an uproar among the people of the province due to the fact that the youngster was only seventeen years old. This was especially true of those who knew the families best and soon a petition was circulated asking that the man be spared the death penalty because of his youth. It was decided that the petition would be sent to no less a personage than King George VI, who as king of Britain was also king of Canada. Although the monarch had no real power, there remained, especially in Newfoundland, a loyalty to the crown that was second to none. Adam himself had signed the petition, feeling as he did that capital punishment itself was wrong. Sending the petition had been a gamble and some thought that the sovereign would not want to interfere in something that was clearly the decision of the justice system. In less than six weeks however, a reply was received from Buckingham Palace. King George VI, noting the number of names on the petition, and the age of the young man in question, asked that the sentence be reduced. The request was acted upon almost immediately and Norris, instead of getting the death penalty, was sent to prison for ten years. For Adam, who had been debating the pros and cons of a constitutional monarchy, it was indeed an interesting case. He felt certain however, that regardless of the manner in which it had been accomplished, justice in this case had been done.