St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-05-20
frank Landers Thinks His Way Is
Hard So, Doubtless, Does
W. A. Turner.
The Council Rustles Through a Lot OF
Business Board of Public
Works.
Bryson, the Tea Man, Has Come
Back--Ch1ef Clark and the
Taxpayers.
Inspector johnson and the Architects
--Some Sporting Notes--A Full
City Budget.
TwENTY-FOUR YEARS.
Frank Landers Sentenced--Turner
Gets Three Years.-Other GRIM
inal Proceedings.

Frank Ianders Sentenced--Turner
Gets Three Years--Other Grim
inal Proceedings.
On the opening of the district court
Yesterday afternoon County Attorney Egan
moved sentence upon the prisoner Frank
Landers, alias W. f. James, who PLEADED
guilty to the six indictments charging him
with swindling st. Paul merchants.
On being asked by the court what he
could say that sentence should not be passed
upon him, Landers addressed the court ior
ten minutes or more. He spoke quite
pleasantly. and vet manifested signs of con-
siderable emotion. He commenced by re-
marking that he was without means to pro-
cure counsel or to get evidence. Public
opinion was influenced against him. The
newspapers had published false reports
about him, picturing him as an accomplished
rascal. scoundrel, gambler, blackleg and
thief. They also published false inter-
views with him and confessions from him
of crimes that had never entered his head,
much less had been perpetrated by him.
They had also anticipated his sentence, one
paper saving yesterday morning that ne
was going to get twelve years. He men
toned these things to show the temper OF
the public feeling against him. The
amounts stated in the indictments were Tar
in excess of the value of the goods he had
received. He hoped the court would not
assume too much from the indictments, or
that his character was utterly bad. Ii he
had the means to summon witnesses he
could prove a good previous character. He
concluded 81 have pleaded guilty. L am
sorry [ have done these things, and am
sorry l am here, and trust may yet be able
to do some good in the world. Ii your
honor will temper justice with mercy, de-
clare | shall not forget it, Everybody, l
am sure, cannot cast the first stone at me"
In passing sentence, Judge Brill said:
''You appear to be young man of good at
tainments and one that could do well in
some legitimate employment. You have,
however, deliberately chosen life of crime,
and instead of doing good you have contin-
ually preyed on society. Your life outside
the states prison would be constant men
ace to society, and the gravity OF your
crime demands severe punishment" He
then sentenced him to five years at hard
labor on each of the first four indictments,
three on the fifth and one on the sixth. AS
the sentences kept roiing in, one after an
other, five years at time, the prisoner Wis
IDLY weakened, and trembled perceptibly as
he walked back to his seat
WHAT JAMES SAYS.
sits an outrage and travesty on
Justice" said James to GLOBE reporter
shortly after he had been sentenced. He
appeared possessed of his usual GOODNESS,
although naturally little detected. A few
DAYS ago speaking of the same subject, he
thought that at the very outside he would
not receive more than fifteen years and
hoped it would not exceed more than eight
or ten. Continuing he said, ST defy the
Judge who sentenced me, or any other man
to find precedent for such a heavy sem
tence. The matter is an outrage on the
face of it. Why, I was persuaded rather
than forced to plead guilty; but what did
the Judge know of the crimes. Only what
the county attorney told him, suppose.
Now if I had got away with the amount
charged, it would only have been few
thousand dollars. But really all actually
received was $75 from Glidden & Griggs,
$3.50 from Dyer & Howard, $40 from
Palmes, 5000 from Berg and the jewelry
from Myers & Finch, for which received
$3.50. So that for procuring less than 81, 900
under false pretences, for that was GER
tainly the offense, I am sentenced to twenty
four years in the penitentiary. About that
jewelry want to tell you that, examined
by an expert in New York, it was only
found to be worth 1926 and Myers
& Finch charged me $3.50 for it.
But speaking about the sentence, do you
remember Duey, the Boston man arrested
few years ago for the same Offence. Now
that man swindled merchants by forged
bills Of lading out of $500, 900, only $780,
900 of which was secured again. He was
tried in Boston, found guilty, and yet only
received eight years. A bank rObber in
your own town here of $50, 900 only re-
ceived seven or twelve years. But l get
twenty four. I tell you it knocks all the
good ambitions have formed, because Pm
% years old now and that will make it So
when I get out, and the worst of it is I
have not friend in the entire West from
whom can look forward to do anything
for me, so all can do ismake the best of it.
Further conversation was cut short by
W. A. Turner, who came up and began la
menting over the vanity of humanity. The
prison rs now sentenced will be taken to
Saltwater this morning.
THE SAN FRANCISCO CASE.
Chief Clark received yesterday from the
chief of police at San Francisco the record
of the police court of that city on which an
application of requisition for Frank Lam
derS is based. From this record it appears
bl1dG LIZ WCuV llIO udulC VI OOOISO
Marshall and obtained money on drafts on
which were the forged signatures of Hen
derson. Marshall & Co.. Los Angeles. The
amounts he secured in this way were S425
from W. K. Vanderslice; $500 from John
Levy & Co.: 1915 from Nat Raphael & Co.. {;
$3.50 from Randolph & Co.; 1915 from A.
Andrews and $3.50 from William Manning.
THE CASE OF W. A. TURNER
was next called. His attorney stated that
the amount of his defalcation from the
Manitoba road was but 5000 and he would
plead guilty to taking that amount. The
prisoner then changed his plea
TO guilty on both indictments,
the one charging him with EN-
bezzling from the road and the one
charging him of defaulting as
treasurer of the Itasca club.
His attorney pleaded with the court for a
light sentence, saying that these were the
first offenses he had been charged with and
that he had led a blameless life with these
exceptions. The circumstance mitigating
these offenses was that he committed them
while he was intoxicated. County Attor-
ney Egan also asked for a light sentence
for the prisoner. Turner spoke in his own
behalf, saying that these two embezzle-
ments were the only dishonorable acts of
his life. He had no desire to escape pun
ishment, and had no plea to make except to
ask the court to consider the circumstances
Rs stated. Judge Brill then sentenced him
to two years on the first and one on the Sec
Dnd Indictment.
THE OTHER CASES.
Fred Loomacks, the Fort Smelling colored
barber. was arraigned and tried on the
charge of assault with intent to do bodily
harm. Loomacks, it will be remembered.
was visiting house one evening occupied
by some colOred folks, including a girl
named Mamie Lacie, who during the course
Of the evening was shot in the forehead by