Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-10-24
COURT PROCEEDINGS.

Court convened yesterday morning at $50.
| The first case called Was that Of the state
against j. c. Stevens. The charge WAS
| grand larceny The indictment charged
that on the night of the 10th of September,
the defendant stole gold watch from John
Rose at his room on Douglas avenue, in the
CITY of Wichita County Attorney Frank
! Dale represented the state and w. T. Stan
| lev and j. W. c. Jones defended the prison.
er. The latter is a shrewd, keen looking
follow, and said he was brought up In Lou
isville, Ky. The facts IN the case as devel-
! oped by the evidence, are about as follows :
About 10 o'clock on the night OF
September 18th, the prosecuting witness
Rose, who said he is butcher and
works in shop near the fremont house on
Douglas avenue, was at the lunch counter OF
a combined saloon and restaurant on Doug
i las avenue; that he was not beastly sober;
that the prisoner was there and said that he
was hungry and had no money. DR.. kessler
was there also and told him TO 60 in and get
something TO eat and he would pay for it.
| When he had done eating he said that now
/ that his hunger was sppeased, that If he had
a bed be would be all right. Rose, who 1t
appears took lunch at the same time and sat
near the prisoner, offered to take him to his
room and LEI him sleep with him. Rose
said he had looked at his watch while they
| sat at the lunch counter, and of course knew
that he had the watch at the time.
They immediately went to Roses room and
went to bed The prisoner appeared I'M
easy. talked of trains and so on, and got up
in about half an hour after retiring, fumbled
around Roses clothes and went out Rose
turned the catch on the door and no one
else got into the room during the night
When Rose got up next morning he found
that his watch was gone and that his watct
kew, ten cents and quarter lay on I'M
floor. He went down town and found tbs
prisoner near the Santa Fe depot. de tolo
him that he had been robbed of SIS and ,
gold watch the night before. He described
the watch as being just such watch a
Rose had lost. When arrested he said h
had slept in the coal shed at the Tremon
house. OF course nobody believed that tn
prisoner had money or a watch, If be had b
would not have slept in a coal shed, and !
was evident that be left Mr.. Roses room TO
4he purpose OF getting away with his vaiua
bles Three witnesses swore to the KIND 0
a watch Rose had and thought it wort
about S35. As the watch was not sine
found il was a difficult matter to determin
: its value. and if he had not told about lesini
, a watch Of that description il is doubtful ]
he could be convicted. The defendant
counsel made determined effort 10 make
appear that the watch was not worth $50
order TO get their client of for petit lar
: cenv. Mr.. Dale watched the cas-
! closely, and fortified every point attacked
l making a pretty clear case for the state IN
Jury after being cut fifteen minutes came IN
to the court with verdict OF guilty OF gran
i, larceny as charged in the indictment
When the court asked the prisoner II :
: had anything to say why Judgment shoul
: not be pronounced against HIM, appeare
: greatly moved. He said he had wife an
Two children at Topeka, that he cared notf
ing about himself but begged for mercy o
r account of his family. He said that he ha
worked at the Windsor hotel in Topeka
a His Honor said that if he foun
: out that he had not been ba
8 man heretofore he would meet him LIBERAL.
= hut if he found on investigation that he W,
a bad egg he would put him out Of the wa
of further mischief for some time
: withholds sentence pending inquiry abo'
S the man.
I. Al the conclusion Of this trial, j.
# Rhodes, the man who was mentioned
f sundays EAGLE as having stolen pair
# horses from his father, and whom Detectl'
Mcmahon went after TO Dodge City Sunda
night, was brought into court ana pies
= guilty, and made statement TO the court
y the effect that he was apoor man with WI
: 10 support. and that he had no work and I
T money: that he has been living in Il
|! city and working around: that he went o.
y TO see his father TO get work on the farI
e bnt that the old man would neither "a
him work or do anything for him. He al
"a stated that he and his brother had nor
&c each. and that the old man had got the
- and sold them. On that ground he thong
= II no harm to take horse from the
a man. He said he had tried to sell the nor
n at Dodge City to get some money TO SCI
!. home TO his wife, but did
y succeed. He was greatly moved, and tho
~ present sympathized with him becau
he did not try TO conceal anything.
1t would be safe to say that those who we
v present and heard his statement, felt tn
BE the old man was as much to blame as
ne boy. The court was visibly moved a,
ne concluded to ascertain more OF the facts
ID fore giving judgment. 1t is probable
pc court will Investigate the whole matter, a
ly If be finds it as the young man states, he "
probably give that old chap piece OF
mind.