Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1851-06-05
UNITED STATES CIRCUIT
COURT

At the recent session of the United States CIR
cult Court held at this place, the Hon SAMUEL
PRENTIss presiding, the following gentlemen
were admitted as Attorneys ~. r. Stafford and
Warren Currer, Esqrs. of Windsor VIM. W.
Peck and bradford Rixiord, Esqrs.. Of Burlng-
ton, Chas. Leland Esq, of st. Johnsbury, and
WIN. c. Wilson, Esq. Of Bakersfield.
Among other cases disposed Of at This term,
was that of The United vs.. States JacoJ Siinger-
iand- being one Of four indictments found by the
Grand Jury, for forging and altering papers for
procuring pensions, and transmitting the same 20
the pension office, and procuring pensions there
on fraudulenty The prosecution was conduct
ed by A Underwood, ESQ. District Attorney, for
the Z. $, and the defence by Jabez Sargent
Esq, for the Respondent The Indictment was
prcdicated on the declaration of Widow :. Pol
lard, for pension aledged to be false and for
ged by Slingerand.
The evidence showed that Slingerland came
TO Royalton some two years since from New
York and pursued the business of procuring pen
sion for widows that his operations were undo r
the act Of July 90, 1913, which gives pensions to
widows Of soldiers, married prior to January
1SOO. some ten or twelve different sets of pa
pers were produced by the Government, brought
from the Pension Office at Washington, consist
ing OF the declarations of sundry widows, and
allidavts to support them, all in the hand writing
OF Sngerland, by which the marriages appeared
to have occurred prior to the year $500; but it
was proved by records and witnesses. that these
marriages occurred in fact, subsequently, some
as late as l525. In some of the aflidavits it APP
pcarcd that the dates had been evidently altered
from true to false dates, and which were proved
to have been altered after sworn to by the depo-
nents and returned to Shngerland. 1t was shown
too, many instances, that when originally writ
ten by Siugerland, blank spaces were left for the
funfarfnl dofas al fipr 20, ntst
nents and returned 20 Slmgerand false dates
were interpoated, and the papers sent on to
Washington and pensions granted. What a.
mount had been obtained on these fraudulent pa
pers, did not fully appear, though some 1000
was proved. The papers produced were well
executed as to pcnmanship, and the Manufacture
Of them seems to have been Systematically con-
Quoted, and were well calculated to deceive and
pass as genuine and true, as they did at the De-
parinent
The respondent in his defence admitted the
papers to be his handwriting, except these false
dates. These he claimed were not his handwr-
ting, but produced no proof to the contrary, while
two or three government witnesses testified to
their belief that theAwere IN Shngerland's own
hand and the respondent himself admitted the
resemblance to be exact.
An attempt was made to prove that the res
pondent suffered under mental alterations at times
and asked the jury to excuse him on that ground
but the proof TO the contrary was so strong,
that the jury, after lucid and clear charge by
the Court, in about ten minutes after retirement
returned into Court with a verdict of Guilty"
The prisoner when brought up 10 receive his
sentence, produced several aiiidayits of persons
IN New York. showing that he sustained fair
reputation in New York, that he belonged 10 the
Reformed Dutch Church there, and had respec-
table connections These ailidayits also showed
that Shngerland's health, while there, was deli
cate, that he had an affection of the lungs, and
occasionally seemed dcunged and insane.
After nquirng of the prisoner his age, and
learning from hun that he was ffty-eight, the
Judge proceeded 10 say -Uindsor Journal
Your clse has been fully investigated and af-
ter patient hearing the jury have found you
guilty Of the offence charged ogains, you in the
indictment With the verdict the Court is en-
urey s1tsiled upon every ground embraced IN
your defence
In reference to one of the grounds of defence,
it Is proper to say, that while no person Is to be
held responsible for an act committed by hun at
a time when he was incapable of knowing the
nature and qnllity of the act he was committing,
or that he was doing wong, we should be care
tul that such plea is not made available to
evade justice. Il must appear, that a the time
of committing the act, the party was abonng
under such defect Of reason, from disease Of
the mind. as not to know the difference between
night and wrong acts, or that he was violating
law The law presumes every man to be sane,
and 10 possess a sufficient degree of reason TO
be responsible for his crimes. until the contrary
be proved. he evidence fell far short of show
ing that you were disqualified from Judging be-
tween what was wrong and what was right
There did not appear 10 have been, at any time,
any general disease or arrangement of mind -
Tho
partial and temporary, or occasional, produced by
disease OF the lungs. affecting the mind to
some extent at times But there was no evidence
To show that at the time Of committing the par
ucular offence charged upon you, there was any
unsoundness Of mind whatever On the contra
~, It appeared that at that time, and for months
before and after, you transacted business with
regularity, system, and accuracy. Several re-
spectacle Witnesses testified that they saw YOU,
conyersed with you, and did business with YOU,
from time TO time, and discovered no indication
OF derangment or any thing unusual or irregu-
lar.
In your agency in procuring pensions you
committed series of criminal acts, all of the
same nature and character, repeated from time
10 time through the space of several months
Various declarations for pensions, aud aililAvits
IN support of them, were shown To have been
falsely made by you. Tho papers in all the va
rlohs cases were drawn up IN way which indl-
Gates intelligence skill and method You ap-
pear to have had a full and accurate knowledge
of the laws relating to pensions; Of the rules of
the Pension Office; of the facts necessary TO be
establishes of the modes of proving them and
OF the forms of the different papers You trans
mltted the papers TO Washington and caused
them TO be presented at the proper Office YOU
received the penslon-certificates YOU wrote the
powers OF attorney for obtaining the semi-annu-
al instruments as they became due; and in all
things you exhibited as correct knowledge and
understanding of the business as any pension
agent may be supposed to possess In rejecting
this branch Of your defence, the Jury exercised
the same sound judgment they did IN disallowine
the other branches.
In the administration of criminal Justice. the
Court has no dispensing or pardonng power
that Is vested IN the Executive We can.neyer.
theless, hear and consider evidence IN mitigation
OF the punishment. so far as any discretion as to
the degree Of punishment is given us by the
law We have heard and considered all that has
been shown or said by your counsel, and have
given ell the weight TO II we can consistently
with the nature of the offence and the circun-
stances attending II. II appears that YOU have
been guilty, as we have already stated. not of a
single criminal act only, but of a series of Grim
lna acts, perpetrated from time TO time, and per
sisted IN for many months. You have NOT only
obtained large amount of money from the gov
eminent nv false and fraudulanf nanar. h,,, -.