Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-11-29
THE SCOTT MuRpRRERs.
Their Trial Yesterday-The sentence-Re-
marks by the Court

erson. of San Joaquin county, presiding, for
the murder Of Police Officer Scott, near the
corner of Seventeenth and 1 streets. on the
night OF the 9TH Of December, 1873 The
prisoner, through his counsel, Frank ID.
Ryan, asked to have the case continued on
account Of the Absence of two important wit.
nesses, of whom ore resided near George-
town, this county, and who had been sub
penaed, and the other was in San Francisco,
but up to the present time they had been un-
able to find him. An attachment was issued
for the Georgetown witness, and the case
then continued until this morning. The Court
then toek recess until 2 o'clcck, during
which time the murderer and his counsel
together with the attorneys and witnesses for
the prosecution, held long consultation in
regard to the trial and its probable results.
Inc prisoner, who in thu meantime had care
fully scanned the witnesses for the prosecu-
ton, and especially Deputy Sheriff William
Conger, of Wells, Nevada, who, it appears,
had arrested him on charge of robbery about
month before the murder of officer Scott,
made the discovery that officers Jackson and
Harrison had woven a complete network of
evidence Ter the prosecution, which, despite
all efforts on his part. would send him to the
gallows.
The Court convened at 2 P. NJ, and the
case was reopened. The counsel for the pris-
oner Withdrew the plea Of not guilty made by
O'Brien, and one was entered guilty of muir
ger In rhe hrst degree. Nm: Anderson also
arose and pleaded guilty to the same crime
The chsrgeof murder against Thos. Hamilton,
one OF the murderers, and whose confession
was published in full in the RECORD NIoS
some months since, was dismissed and he was
placed on she witness stand and testified TO
the circumstances which led to the murder of
officer Scott. Officer Jackson and DR.. Deuel.
were also examined in relation to matters
connected with The crime. MIR. Ryan, in
addressing the Court made an appeal for
mercy on behalf Of the prisoners. District
Attorney Buckley then asked that the Court
do not pronounce the death sentence upon
the mprderers. Judge Paterson then SEN
fenced Anderson and O'Brien to the State
Prison for life. In passing sentence upon
Anderson the Court spoke as follows
Anderson, you were Indicted by the Grand
Jury of the county of Sacramento on the 9Th
day Of October, 1882, for the crime of muir
der, and subsequently you came into Court
and entered your plea of not guilty. A time
fer the trial was set, sud you came into Court
this morning and your case was continued.
This afternoon you have again c5me into
Court, and stated that you wished to with.
draw the plea you heretofore entered and to
enter plea Of guilty of murder of the first
degree, as charged in the Indictment. The
Court has received some evidence on that
plea and is satisfied; and it is found that you
did, as charged in this Indictment, commit
the crime Of murder of the first degree. You
have stated to the Court that you desire to
waive time and tske your sentence now.
What cause, il any, have you now TO show
why the sentence Of the Court should not be
pronounced upon you?
Anderson-I have none.
The Cour5-Have you anything to say?
AudersoE-No, sir.
The Court-The evidence that has been
given here before the Court, taken in connec.
Eion with your own plea, is the strongest sx.
empiifcation of the enormity of the offense
which you have committed. Nothing that l
could say to you here, or to anybody in the
Courtroom, it seems to me, would make
deeper impression than the fearful statements
that have been made by ore of the partici.
pants in this enormous crime 1t seems to
me that if if b d been apparent TO the men
who muitted that deed, and to yourself
who joined in it, that the man whom they
Stayed in cold blood was an officer of the
peace, man who was constantly in such
danger, and who put bis life between the peo-
pie of this city and s1ch characters, it would
be q shameful abuse of discretion for the
Court to do anything other than sentence you
TO that most fearful of senSences-death it.
self. But as the representative Of the people
has well said here, it may bs well considered,
not only as to the policy, but as to the question
of discretion whether such q penalty should
now be imposed npon you. To You it can
make no difference whether you are young
in years or old. That you are young
will make yeur punishment all the
more terrible, because you have befcra you
80 many long years Of close confinement. l
hope the time viii core when justice will be
20 administered ard that admin istrstion so
upheld BY the executive powers of the gov
ernment that nothing but absolute proof Of
innocence viii ever interfere with the sentence
of III, law ia cases of this kind, so that he
VINO commits a 1crime will know that if de.
tscted in il. either death or the life penalty
will be as certain as the rising and setting of
the sun. But In visw of the fact in your
case, Anderson, That you did not fire the fatal
shot YOU self In view of the further fact
that yorr svideaes hereafter may be useful to
the State in cor yicting the ore who did stay
that officer of The peace in cold blood; ie
view of tie fact further, that you yourself,
even guilty as You are, have manifested dis.
position to assist the officers in feTreting out
the perpetrators of this crime and in view
OF the fact that You have assisted the admin
istration Of justice by your plea of guilty and
have saved the county from the trouble and
expense Of long and tedious trial, l will ex-
efcise the discretion that the Court has in this
case, and stall make your sentences that of
C }nhnement in the State Prison for life.
Therefore il Is the sentence of the Court now
that you be taken hence and confined in the
State Prison of the State Of California, at
San Quentin, for the period of your natural
life.
After the prisoner replied to the question
as to whether he had anything to say why
the sentence of the Court should not be
passed, Mr.. Jones, associate counsel for the
prosecution, asked Of the Court that the sen.
tence of desth be not pronounced.
The remarks made by the Court in passing
sentence on O'Brien were in substance nearly
the same as that in the case of Anderson, ex-
cepting in reference to the age of the pris-
oner, O'Brien being much older man.
Hamilton was rsmanded to the custody of
the Sheriff and will be returned to San Quen.
tin, where he is serving q sentence for burg
larry committed in Napa county. About
three years Of the sentence is yet unss tisfied.
This murder, as above stated, was COM
mitted within few days of four years ago.
According to the confession of Hamilton.
one of the murderers, it appear, that about a
week previous to the committing of the
crime, he and Anderson were together in
Marysville, but shortly left that place for
Wheatland. where they were joined by Ed.
wards and O'Briep, who had just come from
the State of Nevada. They all started for
Sacramento, and while en- route, committed
petty otfenses at Lincoln ard Roseville. At
the latter place they boarded a freight train
and stole a ride to Sacramento. While the
train was passing the vicinity of Agricultural
Park. the four jumped off and started into
the city. Before arriving at the place where
Scott was murdered they had agreed to chang
up" some one. While standing at the south.
east corner of Seventeenth and I streets,
they discovered man walking along Seven
tesnth street. Edwards and Anderson
stationed themselves on the sidewalk
near the alley, and when Scott
had stepped up to where they were
standing, Ed@srds ordered the officer to raise
his hands, which he refused to dc, and made
an attempt as if to draw revolver. Ed.
wards, who had Scott covered with pistol,
fred, killing him instantly. The assassins
then ran up l street ard out Nineteenth or
Twentieth, TO the upper Stockton road. They
next made their appearance in Stockton,
where thsy met an old convict by the meme
OF Ivy, who gave them seven or eight dollars
to pay their fare to Vallejo. According to
Haniton's story, they drifted over into
Napa county, where they Immediately
set TO work plundering houses and steal.
lug everything they could lay hands upon.
All four men ware shortly afterward arrested
for crimes committed in Sonoua cprntv and