The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-12-06
WHEATON'SEL0QUENT PLEA
The Dynamite Artist Entertains the
Court with His Autobiography.
He Thinks Himself the Victim of a Base
Conspiracy and Criticises the Action
of the Press.


counterfeit money in his possession with the in
tentiOn of putting it into circulation, resulted
in his conviction. The case occupied the atten-
ton of the court during the greater part of the
day, but the jury returned with a verdict of
guilty within five minutes from the time they
retired to their room. The prisoners rep
utatiOn as a desperate and dangerous
criminal caused many persons to visit
the courtroom during the day simply through
curiosity to see the man who recently made such
a bold attempt to gain his freedom by trying to
blow up the Jail with dynamite, the particulars
of which are still fresf, in the memory OF the ma
jority of Journal readers.
When the Jury brought in a verdict Of guilty
Wheaton's attorney, Mr.. Morris, made a motion
for a new trial. Judge Woods was writing at the
time, and, without looking up, answered, ''The
motion is entered and-overruled."
The attorney hesitated for a moment, and said,
81 except"
Addressing the prisoner, Judge Woods asked
If he had anything to say, and Wheaton, step
ping up TO the Judges bench. produced a roll Of
manuscript, which he said, as he handed it over,
he hoped would be given a careful perusal.
"Ah, you seem to have anticipated this YER
dict" the Judge remarked. The prisoner made
no reply.
The statement was carefully written, and is
rather an interesting document. 1t is as follows:
Hon. Judge Woods:
sir-I have II great deal to say why sentence
should not be hastily passed upon me. I confess
ignorance of law. therefore will leave all legal
points for ADLER men to argue, ana trust to your
superior knowledge to decide. / used to labor
under the impression that a man had TO violate
the law before the law would allow him pun
ished. But l find that to be erroneous, and that
it is a very easy matter to get q man
locked up for months, and years, who
has never violated the law in any respect.
Therefore ] ask you to carefully consider my
case before passing a hasty sentence upon me,
which would add. another outrage to the long
list that 1 have already suffered.
] have been the victim of the blacklist and
most villainOus conspiracy that was ever perpe-
trated upon a human being in this country. The
| press, which has acted as a mouthpiece for these
scoundreis who FIVE upon blood money. has
kept my name paraded before the public for the
last six years, and denounced me in a seanda-
lous manner as everything bnt O gentleman.
And without a word of truth for a foundation,
they have built up an unenviable reputation for
me, which nor only has an influence against me
in court, but Will render 1t almost impossible for
me to obtain employment in this country, ex-
oept where their publications are known to be
false. From the dangerous reputation that has
been given me l have 10 doubt but some people
who have been implicated in the eonspiracies
against me do not feel safe when l am at liber-
ty. Not because / have ever wrOnged them, or
shown any disposition to do so, but because
they have wronged me, and their guilty con-
sciences condemn them, which causes them to
fear me. 1 can fruthfully say I never wronged a
man out of a dollar in my life. MOI
never had a dollar that l did not come in pOsses-
sion of honestly. And, although l am denounced
as u 'slugger," 1 never had n fight In NV life;
was never struck by a man in my life, and never
had q man draw - weapon upon me until, a few
days ago, Sheriff Hess chained me and then
placed a revolver to my breast and said he
would shoot me as he would n dog. will not
impose upon you with u history of my life,
for it wOuld be embarrassing to you,
but will tell you where I have been
employed, and request you to Investigate
the truthfulness of my statements. Aud win
GLADLY and oEpnrfu1IV nnEv-pr INV oti Ona tO
assist You that you may see fit to ask me. When
l was fourteen years old [ was employed by A.
J. Kent, of Kentland, Ind. for whom 1 worked
five years as farm hand, hotel clerk and sales
man In his store. I then enlisted in Company I,
Flfty-n1nth regiment Indiana volunteers, and
remained there until the close of the war, and
was honOrably discharged in this city on the
Oath day of July, 1865. While in the army /
never had a fuss with any one, was
never punished or repreIuanded for conduct
unbeeoming a soldier, and never failed TO respond
to perform the duties for which | was detailed.
Alter 1 was discharged from the army 1 went
out West. and was employed by the govern
neut, first as teamster, then upon the courier
line, ana last as scout in western Kansas, Colo
RADIO. New Mexico and the Indian Territory, in
which position l remained until 1871, then
returned to tins State, then went TO Blooming
ton, ILL., where L married, and went TO work for
the @. & A. Railroad Company, for whom I
worked two years as switchnnan, brakeman and
conductor, and five years as yardinaster. |
have now got a few months beyond the first time
I was ever accused of n crime. In December.
1877, a man was found dead upon the streets of
DlOOtitiElOut SuOb hluuSA II "A IaFz0
reward was Immediately offered for the arrest
and con iotion Of the assassin, which brought
detectives there from all parts of the country,
eager TO secure the rev ard. In a few days 1 was
spotted as the victim to be sacrificed i'll order
that they might get possession of the coveted
prize. L was arrested and put in jail, it being
the first time I was ever arrested or saw the in
side of a Jail. After allowing the prose-
cntion ten days to LOOK np evidence,
given a hearing and acquitted. 1 returned to my
work. and in about Two months was rearrested
upon the same charge. The grand jury I nvesti-
gated my case and released me from custody. 1
again went back to WORK, and it is from the ont.
RACES that was perpetrated against me during
my confinement In jail and subsequently that
some people have placed themselves in fear of
me. They felt so sure of convicting me that they
plundered my house and stole everything Of
value that could be carried of. Two gold watches
they stole from me / found in "a pawn-shop In
Chicago, and having positive proof against the
thief, l did not have him arrested. which |
presume strengthened their belief that 1 in
tended To revenge tb otherwise than through the
courts. In August, 1873, I went to Lngansport,
Ind, where some of the parties resided who had
Joined the conspiracy against me-. and VINO are
still bounding. me. and ths second night 1
o drunkard OF nine dollars. Ana after
ransaoking the dens of tnfany and diving down
to the very bottom depths of the slums of degra-
dHti0n, the officers succeeded In finding n lot of
polluted, gangreened impostors vino, for n drink
of whisky would condemn their mothers neck TO
the gallows, and upon their evidence 1 was sent
to the penitentiary for four years; and were
they my dying words, / would say that I am az
innocent of that robbery as L am OF the cruelty
ing of Christ.
The fact OF my being convicted led some peo-
pie to believe that 1 was a wolf in Sleeps cloth
ing, and revived tine hopes of the detectives OF
being able to convict me OF the murder, and
thereby secure the reward. An Indictment was
easily procured, and at the expiration of my
term of sentence IN this State I was taken to
Bloomington, Ill where, after being kept In
fail nearly ten months, | was arraigned for trial,
the frat ballot. The villainy that was re-
sorted to in their endeavOrs to convict me upon
that trial would require volumes to relate. After
my release 1 went to visit relatives in Illinois,
STAYED with them five weeks, and then
started to look after my children
whom I had not seen for nearly five years. l
found my eldest child in Jasper county, Ind,
but could not learn from him where the others
were. SO I went TO Bogansport, believing 1
could ascertain there where they were. And