Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-01-27
The Garner-Petper Homicide.
n Plea OF Granddaughter.


This morning, in the Criminal Court, Judge
Cartier, the case OF George W. Garner, indicted
tor the murder of John Henry Frederick PEPPER
on the 18th day of July last, was taken up for
trial. IL will be recollected that Garner was
employed by the PEPPERS; that on the day IN
question a dispute occurred in the bakery of
the PEPPERS, on 18th street, between and ID
streets northwest, when the accused was
elected Nom the premises, and IL Is charged
that he drew a pistol and fired two or three
shots, one slightly wOunding the elder PEPPER,
and another striking the deceased IN the upper
back part OF the neck, which wound resulted
fatally. There was quite a number of friends
and acquaintance of the accused in the court
room, including his aged mother.
GUILTY OF MANsLAUGHTER."
On the opening of the court, General Henkle,
for the prisoner, stated that he had been sent
for, and that IL was proposed, with the acqui-
essence of the court, to enter plea OF guilty of
Mr.. Evans, for the prosecution, said the gov
eminent, had agreed to accept the plea.
THE AGED MOTHER OF THE PRISONER MAKES A
STATEMENT.
On the suggestion of General Henkle the
aged mother of the prisoner was called on and
stated that the prisoner was % years of age;
mat be had no trade, but had been placed in
the army when small boy, and had been
a messenger in the Post Office department for
four year.; that he drank only once or twice
year and being out of employment when the
bakers moved there he accepted a place as
driver of one Ofthe wagons; that on the eNeu-
ing before the shooting the brother of the he
ceased said If he (the accused) remained in their
employ he would have to drink. The next day
he vas under the influence of liquor, and it
seems that they ordered him ont. She at
tempted to get him into the house, but they
took him away from her.
Judge Cartter.-I have no doubt il was
A CRAZY DRUNKEN HOMICIDE.
Ihave heard something of the case from others
The prisoner at this point was brought in and
placed at the bar, and Judge Cartier explained
that the plea of manslaughter had been entered
by his counsel, to which the prisoner sssented.
The Court will hear any explanation you
STATEMENT OF THE PRISONER.
The prisoner paused for several minutes and
replied, 81 have nothing TO say, your honor.
(AnOther pause.) / had not drank anything
for eight months, for / belonged to the Sons Of
JOnadab, but was overcome and got 10 drink
ing, and did not know anything till 10 O'Clock
that night"
THE SENTENCE.
follows:
81 am goingito treat you upon the broad poll
Gy mat when you are sober you are an honest
man, and regardtul of the life and rights of
others. The unfortunate result OF the sacrifice
OF this life was victim to your insanity under
liquor, Not insanity in the technical sense of
the term, but crazy violence that maddening
indulgence had superinduced. | am going to
treat II IN that light and Inflict sentence upon
you more in reference to your own good than
any other consideration. Your own good and
the safety of the public are the sole considera-
tons of the sentence that shall intiict. l shall
give you sentence that will give you an OPP
pOrtunity, in the absence of any excitement of
the kind, to carry into the reflection of your life
system for its regulation, and that will enable
you to fix your industries in an employment
that will aid you in going through life here
after.
One of your troubles is that by accident you
have been raised to no permanent business; no
fixed industry. Your mother has told me that
with your years of capacity came on the war,
and you went into the army when YOU ought
10 have been in some good employment be-
coming familiar with the aptitudes and employ
ments OF an industrious and prosperous life. i
take that all into account, and shall incorporate
IL into my views of the sentence am going to
pass upon you, fer this sentence, repeat, has
more to do with your good and the public safety
than any other consideration. You are Young
man, with all the prospects of yet useful life
before you, and am not going to disable you
from reaching them.
believe this life was taken in wild semi
insanity, supertnduced by drink; and while in
tONlcatiOn Is no excuse, while it has been held
IN the history of crime to be an aggravstion of
the ohense, yet the law, under the delirium
produced by it, has had regard to that clrcum-
stance. And it is that view that has induced
the public prosecutor and the court in this
case to acquiesce in the course assumed by your
counsel to hold you only responsible for the
lesser otfense. You cannot bring this victim to
life again. You would do it, have no doubt,
II you could. His death will follow you as a
sha dow through your life if you killed him ma
lieiously. This will be your greatest suffering.
If 1t was accidental, fevered, delirious work OF
yours, why, you know it.
The sentence of the court will give you an
opportunity to divorce yourself entirely from
any of the influences that the habit of drinking
may have Imposed upon you, and give You a
further opportunity of disciplining your habits
to industry. am not going to impose the high
est penalty of the law. | do not think IL would
be Of any advantage to you or to the public. 1
do not want to take out OF your life the period
that the law might do, for / want TO try part
Of that in your development hereafter
our sentence will be to hard labor in the
Albany Ienitentiary for the term OF four years;
and upon your own conduct will depend the
wisdom or the folly of the sentence.
The prisoner was allowed a short interview
with his friends, and was then taken hack to
jail, on the way expressing lis thanks that the
suspense was over, and he had not received
longer sentence.
Tho SRYille Renefil-