Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1866-03-28
LOCAL NEWS,

GrN. L. O. BAKER SksrrNurn H. .o,-,
ing, Mr.. stanton, OF the counsel OF Gen 4 a..
Baker, stated IN tue Criminal Court thai RSs,r
was present 10 receive sentence in the case of
the false imprisonment of Mrs Cobb he h,y-
ing been con victed IN January; and he re-
marked that If Mrs. Cobb had any t.tIe To the
moRey-the sum of two hundred dollars. of
which IL was slleged he robbed her-shp had
her remedy At law, but they did not concede
that she had any title.
Judge Fisher, in passing sentence, addressed
Baker follows:
You were indicted by the Grand Inquest for
the county Of Washington in November last
upon charge of false imprisonment. The IN
diciment found against YOU contained two
counts. The first a count tor the false ImprIs-
onment OF Mrs Lucy. J.. Cobb and OBTAINING
her under arrest for some i've hours, and until
she had paid you the sum OF s30D for her en-
largement, and the second count for the simple
false imprisonment. To this indictment won
pleaded not guilty, and put yourself upon a
lury OF your country, Tho upon a fair and i'm
partial trial, decided by their verdict that Won
were guilty as charged in the second count of
the indictment and not guilty charged IN
the first count. The efiee: of this con yiction
Is substantially, as L understand il, that Won
were techically guilty OF that offense which
is termed false imprisonment denuded of
the circumstances Of aggravauon with
which the first count in the indictment
sought TO invest it. ltappeared IN the evidence
TO my Satis faction certainly. and doubt Uot 10
the satisfaction OF the jury who convicted you,
that the act with which you were charged, and
OF which you were convicted, was the result
Of an honest, though it may have been an M
advised endeaNor, the discharge of your
duty as a Government detective, 10 discover
by whom and by what means certain fraudu-
lent and corrupt practces were carried on
against the Government of the United States in
obtaining pardons from the Executive. Whether
you were successful in that endeavor / know
not, nor is II necessary for the purpose of this
case that l should. Nor do l desire in any way
whatever 10 intimate any, the slightest suspi-
clon that The party arrested was one Of those
who were engaged in the bad business
of obtaining pardons by fraudulent or
immoral means, or by any indrection
whatever: but after fully and maturely,
and | hope impartally, considering ali the
circumstances OF your case, l have come to
the conclusion that though you may have been
guilty technically of the offense of false i'm
prlsonment there is not apparent in il any cir
cumstance OF moral turpitude, or OF malice or
OF such lll-treatmsnt of the party complaining
rs would warrant me in visiting upon YOU a
heavy punishment. The case presents itself
TO me IN the aspect of one where officer OF
The Government, IN q jealous effort TO dis
charge his duty, Lhay have been lead by his
zeal 10 90 a hairs breadth too far and done an
act which, though II cannot be justified IN law
yet which in a moral point OF view has mu en-
TO Mitigate the punishment The sentence OF
the Court. therefore, rs that YOU pay to the
United States i fine Of one dollar and the costs
of prosecution.
Gen. Baker Immediately complied with the
sentence, paying the fine aud the costs. the lat-
ter. IL is understood, amounting 10 about thir-
Jy-siX dollars.