The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-11-18
JOYCE'S SENTENCE.
Three Years and Half in the Peniten.
tiary and Fine of $4,000.
Prisoners Speech to the Court.
Terror Among the Ring at ST. Louis.
cincinnati Commercial.1

| ana tnere Is excitement In indicted circles
The first blow of justice has fallen here TIL
only occurrence of special note has been tn
postponement of the trials of Mcguire, ex
Collector Fiizroy, and Mckee, proprietor o
the Globe Democrat until December l5 but a
Jefferson City. Joyce, the active agent of tn.
Ring, has been sentenced.
1t Was ordered that he should be brought
to St. Louis, that his testimony might be
made useful, and Judge Krekel, of the Yves
| tern District, had fully decided to send him
Joyce promptly demanded to be sentenced on
| the minor conviction are ady secured and
this morning the motion for new trial and
receive sentence was taken up and sustained,
and sentence passed for one year and a hall
on three counts, which were for the sane
otfense, considered by the Court as one count,
and two years on the fourth count, making
three years and half in all, and to fine Of
two thousand dollars.
The Judge, in passing sentence, remarked
that he had no doubt whatever of the defen-
dants guilt. If be had, the sentence would
not be passed even at the defendants request.
The evidence of his guilt was before the
Court ia the letter book, in his own hand
writing.
Joyce listened to the argument defantly,
and responded in the subj oined astonishing
speech:
" Before this honorable Court passes SEN
tence, beg leave to state that my conviction
Was secured by perjured testimony of self
convicted thieves-Feeneman. the recti6er,
Barngessar, the gauger, and Rendleman, the
storekeepsr.
1.-The pencil of Gustave Dore could not do
justice to these three wandering Israelites,
who seemed ever on the lookout to steal small
things, when big ones were conveniently at
hand. Feeneman and Fagin are iden ical
characters, and should be immortalized in
living iniamy. l dismiss these pillars of fraud
and perjury, consigning them to the dsvour-
ing fury of rotten conscience. was iadicted
for failure to report certain alleged knowledge
and information OF certain fraudulent tran
sactions OF petrified perjurers. The jury
found me guilty On the counts, but is
matter of fact the conclusion was as false as
the evidence l agree that it had the appear
ance to the jury of failure OF duty. We know,
however, that things are not always what they
seem.
81 simply declare, upon my honor as
man, and my allegiance as an American citi-
zen here, in the presence of this honorable
court, to the whole world, and facing my
God, that l am absolutely innocent of the
charges trumped up against me by pretended
friends and viper enemies. 1t has not been
shown IN evidence, or even in;imated by any
body, that I ever received a single cent in any
fraud on the revenue. Then where is the
motive that induced me to wit. nold the in for
nation. 1 did make report in writing to
supervisor Mcdonald and Commissioner
Douglass. The report, it is alleged, was not
II full Neither was the information in my
possession full or complete, as the facts were
,ut of my district. The District ATTORNEY of |
he United States, in his concluding speech, |
my copy-book, showing the trans
initial letter to Supervisor Mcdonald, as
omething fraudulent
"My lawyer or myself had no opportunity
o explain the letter in evidence, which could |
AVE been done to the utmost satisfaction OF
verJ body conc earned. Your Honor, from the
BEGINNING of the case to the end, extended
ne the kindest consideration and f4irest
ulings. For this l thank you, in the name
f the people, and in the name of Justice. l
tand here to-day strong and bold in con-
cious innocence, and my heart is actuated by
hat noble impulse that nerved Winkelried,
7hen he opened breach for the liberty of
lis country, or by that lofty courage that in
PRED Sir Walter Raleigh at the block. Like
ialsigh, may have pulled SIN Ike through
be window at the execution of some official
lssex, but [ never yet trampled upon the
oyal robes OF the Virgin Queen.
'eFor myself, I have no fear Of any pun
'hnent on earth; yet in behalf of my past
God character, this being the first suspicion
f guilt that ever darkened my life, and in
Consideration of the support 1 owe my wife
nd children, I ask that magnanimity at this
ar of justice that would be reasonably
laimed by yourself under like circumstances. ,
few short years will sepulcher the living of
,-day with the dead of yesterday, and the
al rnh nf to- will hrto |
4 to the bar OF Omnipotence, where the
ldge, jury, lawyer and client will meet upon /
lie level of eternity and part upon the
luare of final judgment Then all hearts n
lan be laid bare and truth will rise in
,lendid triumph. The blood of innocence
ows free and unrutf I'd through the life !!
,annels of this frame, and the artificial lus- !,
rs that surround the victims of crime find l
} lodgment in my heart.
'tWhen l look back to the field of battle, :
here fought and bled for my ry in 1
e hour of terrible trial, l wonder whether
ltriotism was but name, the gratitude of r
stions a mockery and shame, to lure the
ave to destruction. My simply sin is that 4
omission, and for it l suffer the deepest
utilization, while the glorious services and =
collections of the past are buried in the
ave of forgetfulness. Is this Just E? This
sh of mighty flood and sped on towards o
Q gulf of punishment-the good and the h
d sufocated The stream is full of DRIFT
,od and dead timber, while many young
ks and tall sycamores on the banks are fl
osened from their firm foundation. and f.
shed into the river of destruction. Bat the !,
IN falls lightly in the mountain, the sun
ines warmly on the plains, and the floods
en- now are settling into its former bed, where -
e crystal water shall again reflect the green q,
iage of the oak and sycamora. and the -
mile breeze and birds of spring shall make h
cry music in the cathedral aisles OF gen. Il
,us nation. The prison walls that hemmed :,
Galleo Columbus, Tasso and Napoleon a
/ not measure the minds of the men. 1t is n
se their bodies suffered some torture, but ;,
, proud spirit that rose in their hearts =,
ped the bounds of clay and scared away al
% the illimitable regions of science, poetry n
d war, making them monarehs of the hour r,
masters of eternity. Humble as 1 am in .,
, walks of life, my soul is inspired by their a,
lstrious example, and it shall be my future 81
deavor to show the world that although l %
" suffer for time the penalty of periured "