The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1881-07-05

The Lexington tram brought 10 tillS
city last night eight prisoners bound
for the penitentiaFy, in charge Of Sher-
III Elliott, Of Lafayette county, and =
deputy, sentenced at this term of the
criminal court. There were six ne
grOes and two whites-One Of the
whites being woman, Kate Jen-
nings.
Four negroes, Fletcher Walker,
goes for three years, Mat Walker, five
years, Andrew Green, five. years and
Josiah Burns five years all for bur-
glary. Lev Bolton, black, takes rooms
for two years, having pleaded guilty.
John Hall, black, two years for lar
ceny. William Mitchell, white, for
gerry, stays in the pen two years, and
Kate Jennings five years, for arsOn-
total, twenty-nine years.
As soon as the prisoners were seated
in the waiting room, nlaneled together,
they were surrounded by n swarm ri
Sedalia cOOns who were acyuaintenan-
ces, and such string Of jargOn a.
those people went through with in
sending words to their acquainten'es
and in bidding each other goodbye,
was . caution.
The Woman Kate Jennings, has a
history well worth recording in the
public prints She is thirty years Ut
age and q native of Illinois. She was
reared i'm affluence and educated with
all that money could give her, until
when she was seventeen years of age,
she eloped from school and married
Her subsequent history is little in
distinct. but suffice il Ia say that she
gave birth to two children which are
dead and beyond feeling the shame of
their mother. She lived with her hus-
band acouut five years when an IS
arrangement took place and they sepa-
rated.
At the age of twenty-five, she, with
that pride which was born i'm her,
would not return To her people, hut
went to Springfield, Illinois, as the
mistress of well-knOwn Illinois poll
tician. He soon tired Of her and she
went to Chicago and entered upon a
life of shame.
Step by step she droPped from the
pretty cyprian To the besOtted woman
Of the town. crazed by rum and that
awful narcatic opium. She was I'm
ally arrested, and i'm the w0rkhOuse i'm
Chicago she came to her reason after
some months of Imprisonment. When
liberated she resolved to lead differ
ent life. For u time her career Is in
darkness.
Two years ago she opened a house Of
prostitution ut Lexington, Mo-, and
soon fell into her old ways Ut drinking
whisky and eating opium. Her fall
was again rapid. On the 18th, 18th
and 18th days of last April an ice
house, q saw mill and two dwelling
houses were burned at Lexington.
She was accused Of the crime and
lodged in the county Jail. She denied
1t and protested her innocence to the
reporter last night. The probabilities
are that she did fire the building, but
it was while she was in q demented
condition frUm the effects Of whisky
and opiates, and she probably is not
of her crime. She was tried,
and q Jury of sworn citizens Of LAfay-
cite county said she was guilty-hence
the sentence of Judge Ryland.
Kate Jennings has been q lady. She
has been talented and she is smart to
day. Her face, now that she has been
kept for . few months from debauch-
cry, bears q good impress, and from
under all her sins and crime there
shines the impress of good and lady
like early training.
At the train last night, while the
sheriff 3 attention was called in a diff
ferent direction, some admirer and
friend handed her bottle Of whisky,
which she soon put herself On the out |
side of. Later the fellow, and We are
,orry that his name is not in our pos |
session, came into the car and attempt |
ID 10 give her another flask. This, |
Sheriff Elliot saw, and dealt him a |
blow with his pistol that he will feel
br some days. This ended his desire |
% give the woman whisky.
Verify the way of the transgressor il
lard.