The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-01-03
sentence OF young Ketehum, the For

Sentence OF Young Ketehum, the For
ger, I'm New York, on Saturday last.
The Recorder addressed the prisoner
as follows 81 have given your case,
Edward b. Ketchum, most anxious and
careful conside ion; not Ebecanae r
ever doubted what the interests of soci-
by required or duty demanded of me,
but forithe reason that ] well know that
many gentlemen of high character and
excellent judgment entertained views
entirely at variance with my own. DC
cupying, as you did, an exalted position
among the business men OF this great
commercial city; commanding, as you
did, unlimited confidence and credit;
possessed, as you were, of great wealth
and influence, you became involyed In
speculatioIis as vast as they We're dam
gerous and ruinous; and then, TO save
the financial ruin of yourself and house,
which seemed imminent, you did what
no one OF inferior position or credlt
could Have done, raised Immense sums
Of money upon paper which you Forged
the genuineness of which no one doubt
ed, simply because you presented II. "
was the every day story, varying only
from other stories in the magnitude OF
the forgerics and the greatness OF your
fall, and you give IA shock TO credit ana
to confidence from which the cuisines
interests of the city did not readily re-
cover. Your friends and those who ask
for you the mercy of the Court say you
were Iaboring under q mania. But
every man whose personal sympathles
do1lot to some extent warp his judg-
ment, knows that II was no other mania
tlInn that which seizes on, every man
who commits crime in order 10 avert
a personal calamity which he cannot
endure TO meet. II, sitting here as
judge, should mitigate your
punishment for any OF the
reasons assigned, or because hearts
are aching and fliniing, or because OF
my own personal sympathies Win tnose
who mourn for you, should ieel that
every sentence / had passed upon a
first offender had been wrong, ana
that was indeed "rcspecter OF per
sons" II is my duty SO 10 administer
the law that all men may feel and know
that none are beyond either itS pr522tec-
ton orit u nay f Is G n 5o 81
were permitted to go free, you would 4
soon be able to redeem your reputatlon
and re-establish your position. But II
this court should yield to their appltca-
ton, IL would be an official declaration
that men OF influence and station could
offend against the lnws without the fear
of punishment. Public interests and
necessities demand that the penalties of
yiolnted law should be visited upon the
offender by way of example as well as
of punishment. II you had been put
upon trial upon ali the indictments
brought against you. the tenn of your
imprisonment would hnve extended
through tho greater part of your life:
The District Attorney has INDICATED
thetaw by .arrGignipg you upon one 70
which you have pleaded guilty, with
fuIl Knowledge OF tho consequences.
Upon that plea the extreme punish
ment is five years imprisonment. The
law, however, directs that the term OF
Imprisonment shall not expire during
tho winter months. In discharge, there
fore, Of my duty, must pronounce the
sentence OF the court, which is, that you
DO Imprisoned in the State Prison for
the period of four years and six months.
Young Ketchum then resumed his
sent, when u number of his friends
came up and shook hands with him be-
foro he was conveyed to the City Prison.