The weekly Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1872-1887, 1875-04-17
Scurrilous Postal Cards.

The following is the account, from the
New York Tribune, of the first conviction
Tor sending scurriluus postal cardsthrouph
the mails. AS sush, it is Of general in
tcrcst. 1t is a pity that the same Ia = did
not apply to tho scuding of scurrilous
letters as well.
''Aloics Chamberlain, an old, wealthy
and previously respectable citizen. w.s
arraISned for sentence, in the criminal
branch of the United States Circuit Court
before Judge Benedict, on conviction OF
an indictment containing fourteen count; :,
charging him with rs many Violations
Of the United States postal laws, 10 send
inS scurrilons postal cards tn Aaron Van
VnIkcnburgh, WHO owed him small
amount of money, but lad been freed
from his debts by the bankruptcv net.
The testimony showed that these cards
contained such epitllcts Us Dear thief
Dear Scnundrcl,' Dear swindlcr, etc.
and denounced and threatened Van Val
kenbmrgh for not paying his debts This
was the first conviction for this offcnsc IL:
This district.
"Whcn Chamberlain rose to receive sen.
tence every eye was upon him. He WINS
at tall md commanding figure, worry r.-
spectacle i'll appearance, and looked moro
like professional man than u convict ar
rnigncd fur sentence. His counsel, Mr.
Warning, pathetically addressed the couit
III mitigation Of sentence. Ills client was
nearly seventy years OF gc,=Jf feeble
healtl, and had long been in tho hnndstf
Il physician OH account OF his sufTc.inp5
from acute dyspepsia, symptoms If
Brlghts disease OF the kidneys, and tho
exhibition of curious phrases of mono
mania, resulting from disOrdercd nerves.
He requires mir and exercise, and confinc-
ment in prison would doubtless prove f,-
tal to him, This statement was supparted
by physicians certificate.
Judge Benedict, in passing sentence,
said: You have been convicted Of many
offences against the laws Of your country,
all intelligent and impartial jury having
found you guilty OF fourteen distinct
crimes. No one ut the trial could enter
tain the least doubt of your guilt. Tho
scurrilous cpitllcts, used by you wero
written to force the payment of money
to which you were not legally entitled.
You are linble to sentence which would
exhaust the remainder of your life 1t
is necessary for the community to undef-
stand that those who use the postOlIicc
for purposes of extortion by means of
scurrilOus postal cards must bc punished.
In the hope that you will hereafter obey
the Inv, and in consideration Of the cir
cumstances in which you arc placed, I
will not subject you to the iguominy of
imprisonment, but shall impose II tlne
sufficient to admonish you how unprofit-
able your course has been. I will limit
the sentence to the first count, md sus.
pend sentence on the other thirteen. This
Will bc very light sentence, considering
Tic persistent manner in which you hRv9
repeated your otlcnscs, and the fact that
your position and intelligence nre Of
such character as to have given you full
knowledge of the gravity of your viola-
iions OF the law, thus rendering them less
excusablc. fine you $4,000 ON the frst
count Of the indictment, suspending scIi-
tcncc on the others, and you will stand
committed until the fine is paid
"Chnmbcrluin, who had watched tho
judge with almost brcathlcss attention
while sentence was being passed, ap-
Pcarcd greatly relieved when the ordeal
"f standing in his humiliating position
was no longer necessary, and quickly ar-
ranged with his counsel to pay his fac to
United States Marshal Fiskc, who soon
aticrwnrd received it, and Chamberlain
left the courtroom free but much sad
der, wiser and poorer man than lie was
before he criminal proceedings were COM
menced against him. His legal expenses
and fine amounted to about $IO, 900, whilc
his claim against Van Vakcnbuigh is
said tn amount to only about ono. tenth
of that sum-"