The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1880-11-23

Remarkable Career Of } OsePh .. Tres
pes In this Conmsaity.

The convict, Joseph ). TrosPeT. who
Is nov In the county jail, under sen
tsnes 10 eOBhBemsBt there, after which
be will be taken 10 the Lincoln Peni-
Tertiary 10 serve out = sentence for per-
jury, has had brief bat startling -
Ger In this community. He came here
several months ago and obtained EN-
pigment with q well known sheep
grower on Little Bear creek. Here
his stronger characteristics displayed
themselves and he o formed a con
spiracy TO biaekmail his employer. BY
q system Of falsehood that was plausible
for the nonce he succeeded in creating
bad feeling on the part Of his fellow
employees against their employer. He
then unfolded a scheme whereby they
were TO blackmail the latter out Of
$4,000. The wife Of Trosper was also
In the nefarious scheme and willingly
made herself a party to the ame They
laid their traps but failed 10 catch their
intended game. However, they had
shown their hand in the failure and II
was necessary TO carry on a game Of
bluff, 50 Trosper tore his hair and
kicked his heels in high Indignation
apparently and made grave charges
then and there. But he had not reck-
oned with his host, and his demand for
$4,000 hush money was met with stout
and indignant refusal.
Then Trosper came 10 the city and
swore out a complaint against his late
employer, charging him with attempt
ing 70 commit q grave crime. At the
hearing Trosper did some beautiful
swearing, and had a witness who re-
lated some nicely prearranged events.
but who did not swear TO an attempt u
commit n crime having been made.
The result was that the defendant In
the case was held to bail for court.
Knowing that the whole affair was a
conspiracy, the defendant aforesaid
set about TO fathom the facts and soon
learned them, as detailed above. The
witness whom Trosper had at the hear.
ing confessed that the affair was q
conspiracy and gave away the details.
Thereupon the injured sheep grower
sued out a complaint against Trospei
for perjury, which was committed In
swearing out the original complaint.
Trosper was held for court.
When the grand jury came TO aci
upon the two cases they first resolved
to ignore the n against the sheer
grower, as being groundless, and after
wards took up the n against Trosper
They also ignored this, on the plea that
as there would be no trial In the first
case. they may as well have none in Tn,
second. Hence Trosper failed TO gel
his just deserts. But some OF the cleo
ton officers learned that Trosper had
voted twice at the election held OF
the End 1.-THE present month) and hat
also sworn In his second vote. The,
then had the prosecuting attorney mott,
fled Of the facts and the grand jury soon
returned two indictments against
Trosper, ono for perjury, and tn,
other for illegal voting.
Trosper went to trial on the first In
dictment and was found guilty of per
jury and sentenced TO the Lincoln pen
it~entiary. To the indictment charging
him with illegal voting he pleaded gull
ty, and was sentenced to confinement
In the county Jail.
There is no doubt but that Trospe
has taken to heart n lesson on truth,
and that he will come out Of the Lin
coin penitentiary u better man; bette
because resolved upon living a NOR
honest and truthful life. The admoni.
tion Of the court in imposing the sen
tence will not soon be forgotten by him
the court said that next to the crime o
murder, perjury was certainly the mos
execrable and ~inexcusable, and warned
the culprit against a repetition of tn
crime. Trosper manifested contritioi
and we believe that he has even nov
determined upon n better life when h
re-enters the world. But 1t is lamenta
BILE that good resolutions did not govern
his actions before he made the attemp
to ruin regulations and blast firesides
However, the conviction Of perjury ha
washed away the last vestige Of credi
bility in the oaths he had taken befor,
being sentenced to a felon's cell, SO tina
much Of his harm has been undone.