The PEOPLE v. Murphy

The defendant, Henry Murphy, was tried by a jury and convicted of the unlawful sale of narcotics under section 38 of the Uniform Narcotic Drug Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1957, chap. 38, par. 192.28 — 38,) and sentenced to a term of not less than 3 nor more than 10 years in the penitentiary. He prosecutes a writ of error to this court on the ground that he was denied due process and had incompetent counsel.

Victor Emanuel Hernandez, a Puerto Rican who spoke the English language with difficulty and an admitted narcotics addict, was in custody of the Chicago police on a petty larceny charge. Hernandez…