The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-11-18
FERDINAND WARD.
The EOung Financicr Scntonced to
n Long smpri .O.tfMcnt,

~ u"
n Long 3mpri on
The trial of Ferdinand Ward, the young
New York fnancier and lea1ing spirit in tho
firm OF Grant a. Ward, having resulted in a
verdict of guilty, it remained for the judge
to impose the laws sentence upon
the prisoner. Ward was convicted
partly upon the evidence of Fish, ex-president
of the broken Marine bank, himself a con-
vict. Fish, it will be remembered, shared in
the profits resulting from Wards iniquitous
financial operations, and when Grant & Ward
collapsed the Marine bank was also COM
PEELED to suspend. Ward received the full
sentence of the law. The Judges remarks in
sentencing Ward, were as follows:
"Mr. Ward, you have been convicted by
an intelligent and conscientious jury of the
crime of which you were charged. You GER
tainly had a perfectly impartial trial. Your
jury was most carefully selected and was
an excellent body of men. The court
guarded all your rights, as it believes.
fairly, and you were convicted because
it was proved you mad no defence. The charge
was ~abundantly proved, overwhelmingly
proved, and you Offered in substance no de-
fence at all to the facts, the only matter for
conjecture was why SO intelligent a jury
should have taken 80 long to deliberate about
so plainly proved and so absolutely disproved
q case. If your case had been that of a per-
son absolutely known apprelend that on
such evidence the jury would scarcely have
left their seats. So that it may be
said that you have not been convicted
by reason Of any popular clamor. On the
trial you lave had the benefit Of every as
s~istance, every possible and appropriate pains.
You were most skilfully and ably defended,
every point that could be taken was taken in
your favor, and an address as brilliant in
eloquence and power as I have ever heard
was made in the opening of your case. You
were not convicted upon popular clamor but
rather the jury, which was, as 1 have said, a
most Intelligent and conscientious one, prob
ably delayed finding a verdict because they
feared that popular clamor might prejudice
them. So that in place of popular clamor hay
ing caused your conviction it really tended to
render that conviction doubtful by reason of
a fear in the breasts of the honest men who
tried you, a fear lest it might injure you. On
that suggestion alone can l conceive of their
having taken the time they did to arrive at a
verdict in the case. have nothing to say to
you in the way of comment because
1 think it would be wholly useless. You have
exhibited a certain insensiblity throughout
this trial that shows me you are
not repentent for the misdeeds that you havs
committed. I have not seen the first symp-
toms of regret upon your part for the acts
which nave brought down upon so many in
nocent and good people poverty and shame.
You have lone more probably than any one
man ever did to undermine the confidence Of
commercial people in commercial dealings,
to cause and keep up a depression in bust
ness, and generally to affect injuriously the
whole body polite. And yet you have main
tanned the same insensible demeanor through
out. Under those circumstances it is idle
for me TO ask you to repent and show some
sorrow. That being SO, l will simply impose
the Judgment Of the law which is that you be
confined in State prison at hard labor for a
period of ten years"
At the conclusion Of the judges remarks
Ward took his seat and buried his pale face
in his hands. He was very nervous and
rubbed his eyes and brow convulsively, and
many expected to see him weep. In this
they We're disappointed, for he quickly re-
covered his composure. Warden Herman
then got his release signed by the judge, and
as the audience arose to go Ward was con-
Quoted out of a side door and taken back to
the Tombs. He was sent to Sing Sing prison
on the half-past two P. NJ. train.