The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-08-02
a o1RD FRoM JUDoE MEYER.
(From the Salem Era.)


ED. SALEM ERA-Deay Sr'-My at
tention has lately been called to an arti
Gle headed "A Judicial Outrage" copie,
from the Youngstown Register and 2ri
6Aae, and occupying prominent plac
in the editorial columns Of your journal
in which | am violently assailed and cen
tured in my character as judge, becaus
Of the leniency of the sentence which
passed on Thomas Naughton, at the lat
term of Court of Common Pleas in Coum
biana county, for the crime of shooting
with intent to kill or wound Joshua Rol'
Ter. AS in that article the facts o
the case are greatly distorted ant
thercbg gross injustice is done me,
trv {. !, conscious of the obligations ot
an eaitor and publisher, you will insert
and publish in your journal in like
prominent manner, this card OF mine,
which will render an account of my
action as Judge in the premises, and en-
able your readers to form correct opinN
ion in the case, and Judge what cause
there was for this attack upon my judi
cial character.
Towards the close Of the last term, by
an exchange Of courtesies with Judge
Laubie, came over to New Lisbon to
dispose of such cases as were ready for
trial, among some in which Judge Laubie
could not sit as judge, being of counsel in
the same. Iarrived there Monday after
noon, and finally adjourned on Saturday
afternoon of the same week. Of the case
of Ohio against Naughton, knew moths
ing whatever, except that the title of the
case appeared on the criminal trial
docket, with the remark, shooting with
intent to kill or wound" and that Judge
Amber, on behalf of the defendant, who
was in jail, submitted a motion for con-
tinuance on the ground of want oftime
to prepare for trial at so late day in the
term. The motion was granted and the
case was continued until the next term,
the defendant having put in a plea of
mot guilty" My attention was no lon.
ger called to the case. OF the case | had
never heard or read anything, and hence
knew absolutely nothing about it. |
never saw or knew the defendant, and
heard and knew nothing about him or his
difficulties. During the week was con-
stanlly engaged in the trial of cases, and
tried hard to get through with the busi-
ness so as to adjourn the term on Satur.
day. BY strenuous application | sue
ceeded in doing so, but was engaged in
opinions in cases before me
until the very minute of train time Sat
urday afternoon, and even had to cur
tail opinions in some cases for want of
time. At the last moment / gave orders
to the Sheriff to adjourn Court without
day, and was about to run to the depot
where my baggage had already been
taken. At this moment Judge Amber,
Mr.. McVickers, the Prosecuting Attor-
ney, and Sheriff Fountain, all hurriedly
came up to the bench and begged me to
defer the adjournment for few moments,
because they said that the prisoner
Naughton had determined to plead guilty |
% the indictment against him, and they |
would consider it great favor, and it
would be favor to the county, if he
,ould be sentenced to the penitentiary
before the adjournment. l declined do
ng so, and remarked, if did so would
Mss the train and would have no chance
o reach home that day, and my baggage
vas already at the depot. Thereupon
he Sheriff proffered that if l would stay
ong enough to sentence the prisoner, he
would take me over to Leetonia in his
arriage in time to take the train for
,anton, saying that he had one of the
eetest horses and would take me over
n forty minutes time, he would have my
aggage brought back, and would keep
is horse and carriage at the foot of
lie stairs ready to start as soon as |
ould be through sentencing the pris>
ner. yielded to their opportunities
nd consented to remain long enough
sentence the prisoner. The whole
ling was the work of a few minutes.
uch disliked the haste, but as the Pros
;uting Attorney and the Sheriff impor-
med and urged the matter l concluded
l was right, and there was no reason to
estate, The prisoner was brought in.
e withdrew the plea of mot guilty."
I'd put in the plea Of guilty" and /
e Prosecuting Attorney requested that {
; be sentenced. l remarked that | /
new nothing about the case, and there 6
re desired to be informed respecting
e case in order to be able to sentence s
e prisoner properly and justly. There :
ION, as customary in such cases, the |
Attorney and the prisoners c
'unsel, Judge Amber, made their pro- e
ssional statements, upon which it be. I
me my duty as judge, to act and sen !
nee the prisoner.
Judge Amber, in his statement, in j
rmed the Court professionally and a
ION honor, that the defendant had late
been keeper of saloon in the town v
Leetonia, where his family illresided; p
at he had been lately indicted for some '
fence against the liquor law of the 8
ate, and had placed money in the I
.nds of his lawyer to pay the fine, but I
e money had not been paid over; that Q
ereupon capias was issued upon the i
dictment to arrest the defendant, but 1,
at he carefully kept himself concealed y
that for some days he successfully =
lded the Sheriff in his search; that the =
eriff then placed the writ in the hands q
Constable Roller, who lived at Lees .
MIA and would have a better opportu~ +,
.y to catch the defendant than he had; q
at for some days the defendant eluded o
Unstable Roller and kept himself con- Il
aled; but that in the course of time fl
pposing that the pursuit had slacken- r,
/, the defendant had become less vigi> il
ut, and had also indulged in drunken
rec, lasting several days, to which, un- n
-tunately at times he was addicted, n
d which, on this occasion, because of a
) troubles, was worse than on any pres 9
BUS occasion, the officer managed to o.