Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-05-24
GONE TO JAIL.
Deacon Mckee and EX.Collcctor Ma.
Euirc Become Inmates of the
81 Louis EgasriIe

ST. Louis, May l7.-At 4 o'clock |
this afternoon William Mckee and
Con Mcguire, convicted and scntenc-
cd for conspiracy III connection with
the "crookcd'' whisky ring, proceed
ed to the County Jail, where cells
had been fixed up quite comfortably
for them. The iron bedstcads had
been removed, and the apartments
refurnished with spring mattresses,
carpets, chairs, lamps, etc. Both were
quite cheerful under the circumstance
es, and the "good deacon" Mckee
did not break down in the least when
the iron gate closed him in. He said,
smilingly, to a youthful friend who
accompanied him; "This is heavy
calamity for an old man like me, but
if 1 were as you. wouldn't give a
cent. AS it is, have enough philos-
ophy in me to sustain me-" Mr.. Nc
Kee expressed an abiding confidence
that, long before his sentence of two
years expires, he will have been freed
by a Presidential pardon. He was
accompanied to the jail by J. b. Nc
Cullagh, his editor; Henry Mckee,
his brother; ii. Ray, his nephew; ID.
II. Houser, his partner, and Colonel
Dougherty and l.. H.. Bohlc, employ
ees. Before leaving his office he paid
over to the Marshal the $4,000 fine
included in his sentence.
Mcguire was accompanied 10 the
Jail by his bOndsmen. Con has only
four months to serve, and the con-
temptation of his marvellous good
luck in escaping with only this brief
curtailment of his liberty made his
shrewd, Irish face beam with, evident
pleasure. Many Of McKee's friends
believe the long confinement will fin
ish him, but though sixty-fonr years
old, he has remarkably strong phys.
icai constitution and good menta
vigor, and is quite likely to pull
/ through. As far as known there vii
be no change in McKee's newspaper
the Globe Democrat.
The Globe Democrat Of tomorrow
will say editorially:
! "Mr. Mckee was yesterday com
mitted to the county Jail under sen
tence of the United States Crcui
| Court. The efforts of his friends Il
obtain Executive clemency were Qy
erwhelmed by the zeal of his enemies
to seek vengeance under the plausi-
BILE disguise of public justice. Ih,
end fifty crowned the work. Indict
ed on the testimony of informers anG
convicted on the testimony of perjur
ers, it was but consistent that his pie:
for clemency should have been oflse
| by an affidavit by which a woman re
yiles the memory of her dead hus
band, and cheerfully acknowledge.
herself the widow Of thief. Their.
is probably no parallel to Mr.. Mckee.
case in the extent to which yindictive
ness was made to enact the part OF
j justice, and popular clamor was al.
lowed to drown the voice of law
We have 10 disposition to make thi.
newspaper Mr.. McKee's specia
tpleader or vindicator; but it would
be an easy task to show that his
prosecution was q persecution
from its inception TO its close, and
that the first step in the attempt to
prove Mr.. Mckee guilty of conspi.
ring against the Government was a
vile conspiracy against Mr.. McKee,
We trust that the many friends who
have enlisted themselves for him on
the side of mercy will continue their
efforts in the consciousness that the
measure of his suffering has already
far exceeded the measure Of his re.
puted SHINING"