The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1858-12-23
A Perjury Case.

A Perjury Case.
The Summit County Beacon gives the par.
tlculars Of . somewbst remarkable trial for
perjury, which has recently taken place in
their Court Of Common Pleas. In 1866
heavy FIRE took place in Akron, in which
among other property, the office of the BsG.
con was wholly burned up, and the total loss
Of property destroyed was estimated at $780,.
600. -
Nearly year elapsed before the discovery.
Of the incendiaries. Bowen & Barber occu.
pied a basement room in the block, for
grocery and meat store. They were insured
fOr- $1,000, though their -uctuut stock at the
tiras ofthe ere was probably less than S9oo.
From the disclosures Of another party, il was
uscer.ained that one Mu,ney, living some
distance from Akron, fred the building, and
had removed to Northern Indiana. Matney
was arrested Shd brought back, and confess-
ed the whole affair,-that he was employed
BY one Jones, on behalf of Bowen & Barber
10 fire the store, and was to receive S95 for
the Job. His circutnstantisl narrative was
confirmed BY many corfoborating cifcum.
stances. Bowen, Barber and Jones, were ar.
rested and jointly indicted for procuring or.
SON. Matney separately indicted, plead gull.
ty to the arson, but was reserved from cen.
tence, as witness against his confederates.
Jones, In interviews with the Prosecuting
Attorney, had confessed the whole, eekipp
to become witness for The State, but claim.
ing that he had backed out before tho perpe-
tration Of the act, and so was not technical.
ly guilty. The three were however put up.
on their trial. In the course of the trial, the
Prosecutor judged it necessary to have the
testimony OF Jones, and for that purpose and
upon Jones' assurance, n oiled the indic,men mt
as to him and brought lim upon the witness
stand. To his amuzement, Jones denied
'circumstantially the story he had before told
and asserted the very contrary. In spite of
this, however, Barber and Bowen were found
guilty, and Jones was at once arrested for
perjury committed in the case, and his trial
at the late term resulted In his conviction
also, in spite of efforts by perjury ON the part
OF confederates, the Beacon alleges, for his
acquittal. .-'.
Thus, four of the parties concerned in the
arson are now in the Penitentiury. The
Beacon has the following article in connec.
ton with the subject: VIII
TRAGEDIES IN ACTUAL LIrE.-The wreck
OF household-the bereavement of vouno
wife by the loss of her husband, in whose
life and success all her hopes were pornered
the orphanage Of children by the dispen.
sation OF Providence-these are always cal.
culated to awaken emotion and cali forth
sympathy. But where such wreck, bereave.
ment and orphanuge result not from disease
and death, but from Crime,-Where the head
OF young family inste ad of being carried to
his grave IN the honor and esteem of all his
neighbors, becomes felon aud is taken IN
that living grave, the prison, for a term of
years-in dlshonor and disgrace to live and
, labor with felons OF every grade, for mnnv
years OF his prime, e,-~there is somelbino moro
! lamentable than DEATH something more fra.
gic than the passions OF the drama, One
cannot reflect upon the havoc of domas,ic
tles' caused by such an eVent-upon the be.
queathfnent OF dishonored name to limo.
cen, children upon the sundcfing of ties Of
family, kindred, home, friends, society by
such result OF criminal act, without hoyino
all his emotional nature stirred to its depths
with compassionate sympathy for the suffer.
ing which justice inficts upon others besides
those who deserve or come within the er.
press purview Of its penalties. 1t is one of
the panfulest of tragedies, were it to ben.
pen every day in the week.
These remarks have direct reference IN
the case Of Sanford C. Bowen, Joseph Ror.
Der and Robert w. Jones--all now convict.
ed felons. They are all men of fam,lies.~-
all respectfully connected ;-all competent
to have beenrespectabe and influential mem.
bers OF society. Their Is no Question es ~
Their guilt or the justice of the sentence -
yet there Is, we think, q widespread senti.
ment OF sorrow and sympathy, in the case of
each. That sentiment eanno. be erroneous.
out 1t may be perverted. We found occo.
sion few weeks since to deprecate with
some emphasis, forts which were, and prob.
ably still are making 10 procure the pardon
OF one OF these unhappy men, and the appeal
TO this natural and honorable feeling of com.
passionate sympathy for those related 10
tnem, Tor that purpose. ,5r gf" .hlrana,f
These are fearful and striking EXAMPLES
otcrime; and fthe punishment which treads
at the heels of crime. There is every source
OF appeal in their behalf, as touching their
families and kindred. But on the other hand
who can look at the conception and perpe-
tratlon OF the original crime,--at the cool
recklessness with which it was projected and
carried out,--at the completely, directly and
indirectly, olive hardly dare guese how many
at the resorts made to screen them from
Justice at their trials,--who will consider alE
these things, as they are now known, and
say that there is any undue severity in the
execution OF the fultsentences Of the law as
pronounced Painful as the results are,
lney are too important as lessons of admoni-
lion and warning, to be set aside upon any
ground of sympathy. ''' 80
K1ae End OF "a DcSsperate WAN