Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-09-22
MEENAN'S MAN GOES UP.

Gets Ten ears IN the fen1tenfIary
"A capture thar Deserves Reward.
Police Officer Frank Meenan has re-
turned from Iowa City. where he was
called as a witness before the johnson
county grand Jury in the case of young
circuit, the self~confessed burglar and
would-be train -wrecker. whom he ar.
rested in this city few weeks ago and
turned over to the officers at Iowa City.
Circuits voluntary confession to Officer
Meenan of the burglaries, with the peni>
Tertiary staring him in the face and no
hope then acknowledged the ownership
of two satchels and stated where they
could be found-which he left in the
woods at Columbus Junction. One of
those contained the evidence of the at
tempted railroad wrecking. Having de,
luded the officers and detectives for over
year, he, like the famous Jim Cum
mings, furnished the means of his own
detection by carrying in the satchel,
notices of the reward offered by Superin-
tendent Given, on which were written by
him that the trainwrecker was too sharp
for the officers and that they could not
discover the identity of the attempted
train wrecker; this very fact when once
he acknowledged the ownership and
authorship of the writing, stamped him
as the culprit that planned and attempted
to carry into execution by removing the
Splice bars and spikes on curve forty
feet from the ground. the most diabolical
deed for the destruction of human life,
simply to get chance to plumber the
dead, dying and wounded, that was sure
to follow the ditching of the express
tram
Orcutt WAS, as has been stated indicted
the other day, and plead guilty to the
charge of attempted train wrecking and
burglary. Yesterday was the day
for the young mans sentence in
Judge Fairsls court The court room
was filled to overlooking with people,
many of whom had been school mates
and friends of the young man. at was
solemn occasion, says the Iowa City
Republican, finally broken by the judge
who ordered young circuit to stand up.
This the latter did looking not the least
abashed, but rather smiling The Judge
then asked him If there was any reason
why the sentence of the court should mo-
be imposed upon him. To this Orcut
answered that he knew of no reason
circuit then took his seat, and Mr.. JOIN
W. Slater who had pro forma been ap
pointed by the court to defend the pris
oner, arose, and in well delivered ad
dress, plead for the lenent sentence o
his client He said that the prisoner wa
youthful and had early fallen into ba,
company. That he had been reading tn
sensational literature of the day and ha
been fired to commit the crime charge
against him Mr. Slater, who is speak
er of much feeling, then concluded b
calling the attention of the court to th
fact that the disposition of the case ha
much to do with the future life of tn
young man at the bar. Meantime Orcu
sat smiling and apparently not the lea
bit concerned. When Judge Fairall be
gan to deliver his sentence, the stillne
of court room was almost oppressive.
was plain to be seen that the court W,
much affected. His relations with II
family extending back thirty years, mat
1t sad indeed fo- him to sentence til
young man And yet, as he said, his d
ty in the premises was most plain. G.
ing on, the judge spoke of the tempt
taions that came to young men and no
they fell into crime. He spoke of the W.
they should follow to avoid evil dons
The young men present were urged
avoid such career as Orcutt had fall,
into. Finally the court said that the sc,
tence would be, and was ten years at ha
labor in the penitentiary at Fort Madiso
This concluded the exercises and Il
crowd filed out feeling sad. Not pc
son but felt that it was a sorrowful m
ment. Here was young lows CITY b,
convicted on his own confession large
of a heinous ofIense. and here was Il
stern law sending him to solitary confn
ment"
Orcutt is now captured and convicte
and it affords a sense of qualification
know that Rock Island officer w
wholly instrumental IN bringing tn
young villain to justice, before he cou
comm't further depreciation, and Meens
WILL 1t is unnecessary TO state. soon be
subject for congratulation for having r
ceiVed the reward offered by the c., R.
d r. railroad for capture and convictic
OF the man now safe in the penitentiar
obituary.
Me- III.