Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-11-20
THE FULL

Ferdinand Ward Sentenced to Ten Years
at Hard Labor in the Sing Sing Prison
lie Is Assigned II Position In the
stove-Making Department.
Nav YORK, Nov. 2.-Ferdinand Ward,
smiling and perfectly self-possessed, came
into the crowded courtroom Saturday
morning to receive the sentence OF the law
for one of the many crimes which he hat
committed in the world of finance. The
Sheriff and the Warden Of Ludlow Street
Jail accompanied him. Throwing Off his
o%vercoat with an easy air, he bowed to
and shook hands with his counsel. IS he
looked around the room he saw 4 few IA
miliar faces. The Court Clerk was prompt
ly on hand with his assistant. The Judge,
however. was late, and did not arrive until
twenty minutes after the appointed hour.
All being ready, General Tracy, of Wards
counsel, arose, and in a low tone, scarcely
audible ten feet away, said:
The defendant, Ferdinand Ward, movcs
BE arrested: First, on the ground that
the facts stated in the second count Of
The Indictment do not constitute u
and the evidence charges him with procuring
thc unlawful certificat'on Of his own check
by that Nat onal bank. this court has not
jurisdiction OF the subject Of the Indictment.
General Tracy then read the bill Of ex-
teptions, and when lie had taken his seat,
district Attorney MARITIME moved that Ward
II. sentenced. Ward arose and stood in
fl ont OF the bar by tho side of his
CO msel. His face was pale. frat
firm. He did not finch as Judge Barrett
rrt nounced the sentence, but stood un-
mOPed Whlle tho court poured upon his
head the words Of condemnation. The
courtroom was hushed and an almost i'm
! pres$.ive silence fell upon the several
| hundred men who watched the prisoner
with almost feverish eagerness. Judge
Barrett said:
Ward, you have been convicted by an intel
ligcnt and conscientious jury of the crime of
which you have been charged" began the
Judge. directing his gaze on the prisoner who
stood before him.: You have certainly had Il
fair and impartial trial; The jurors were most
your case with apparently unpreiudiced
minds. The court guarded all your rights and
privileges from infringement to the best of his
ability. You were convicted because you had
no defense. You offered no defense to the
facts. 1t is only Il matter for conjecture why
50 intel. gent a jury should have taken so
long Il time to decide yOur case. Ii your case
had been that of Il person wholly unknown,
the jury needed not to have left their seats.
vi tiE contrary, your cast nus ndu inc Denc'
have been most ably defended by your coun-
sci, and an address as brilliant and scholarl.
as any ever heard in this courtroom was
made in your defense. You were not con.
victed OH popular clmnor. The jury probably
delayed in its Judgment because they were
cused of being influenced by popular lamor
which tended to make that conviction doubt
ful. have nothing to say to you in the way
wholly useless. You have shown yourself to
be wholly indifferent throughout this trial of
the charges which have been brought against
you. You seem to experience no remorse
Whatever over the ruin and sorrow which
you have brought to hundreds Of pco.
to unscttle public confidence in moneyed in.
stltut.ons tnan any other man of this genera
ton: And yet through this entire trial you
ant for the sins you have committed. This
being the fact, l must simply content myself
With prononncing the sentence OF the court,
State Prison at hard labor for Il period Of ten
years.
Not a muscle of the prisoners face
changed Wien these s~catling remarks were
made. He bowed his head, but did not
tremble or show any evidence of feeling.
Wary was duichly surrounded by his
friet4ls. He put on his overc0at, took his
derby lat and left the court room, accom-
panied by his keepers.
Ward was Immediately taken to Sing
Sing, and before nightfall was wearing the
stripes. 1t was decided to teach him the
stove-ma1ling industry. He was told that
good behavior would abbreviate his sen
tence three years and six months, and as
signed to a cell between a burglar
and a murderer. Warden Brush said
that Ward would be treated as
an ordinary convict. His money
could not procure him any~immunity from
I fhn 0n,n, py, lot IY,,l io, 49,, z.:---
to work or the second floor of the stove
mounting shop, his task being to fit the
rough castings before they are finished.
The work is easy and comparatively clean.
He will begin his labor at 1880 o'clock in
the morning and end it at four in the after
noon. The State will receive fifty-six cents
a day for his services.