Omaha daily bee., 1889-06-30
SENTENCE DAY In The COURT
Judge Deemer Fixes the Fate Of
Numerous Law Breakers.
THE DELIGHT OF cHAU1AuouA.
The Gate to Be opened for Sunday
scrvices-Thc Newsboys' Friend
-1he Pulpit Programmes
For tho Day.
The sentences Pronounced.

trict court yesterday than on any previous
| day this term. This was rendered necessary
as the term is drawing TO a close, and the
| court desires to adjourn Monday evening for
| about three weeks. The case on trial dur.
ing the greater part Of the day was that of
| State VS.. kimci, for larceny from tho person.
1t was submitted about o'clock, and tho
| prisoners convicted at this term of court
were then called in to receive their senten.
| ces. There were fifteen of them, and they
| were disposed OF ms follows;
Jack Brown, seduction, three years ut FIT.
| Madison; appeal bond fixed at 81, 900. Brown
seduced Mary Sutton by means of mock
marriage
Sam Andrews, falsely personating an on
| GER, thirty days in the county jail. The sem
| tence was made lighter in view of thc tact
that the prisoner hal already served l52
| days In jail Appeal. bond 500. He per-
| formed the marriage ceremony for Brown
and Miss Sutton.
William Copeland, larceny from building
| in the night time, five years In the pcnitcn-
| tiary. Copeland is the fellow who stole n
| bot of silk from Beno's store. Appeal
| bond $1,000.
Frank Rowe, larceny from building,
| two and one-hulf years in tho penitentiary
| Appeal bond Sl,50o. Rowe stole watch aud
some money from Mr.. Carger's farm in
Garner township.
Frank Williams, larceny from huiling,
| eighteen months at Fort Madison. Appeal
| bond, $1,000.
"Ths case" said the court, "shows the
uncertainty of jury trials. Williams and
| Somers were both indicted on this charge.
| They were tried separately. One jury con-
victed Williams, who stood outside and kept
watch, while the other jury acquitted Som
ers, upon precisely the same evidence, al
| though he went inside and did the work.
| There is no question but that both should
have been convicted. 1t seems hard to pun
ish one man and let the other so free, and
fp,.f hat will ,lyn 10
| lighter than otherwise would"
Jacob Stihey, larceny from a building in
| the night time, three years in the peniten-
tiary. Appeal bond g, 200 e..
j. S. Mercer and James Mclaughlin
| pleaded guilty to burglary, and were both
| sentenced to the penitentary, the former for
| three and one-balf years and the latter for
three years. Appeal bonds So, 600 and $1,000
respectively. These are the parties who bur-
| glarlzed a store about eighteen miles east of
| this city.
Peter Knecht and Adolph Kolp, the parties
who broke open cars in the Northwestern
$50, were each fined $3.50 and sentenced TO
the coanty Jail for nine months "This is
| the full extent of the law" remarked the
| court, land wish that was allowed to give
you more. That is beyond my discretion,
however, and that alone keeps you outside
| the walls of the penitcntiary."
Fred Harter and Clarence Blakeley, who
pleaded guilty to the charge of larceny from
a building IN the night time, and the value of
the stolen property at sly, were fined and
sent to Jail. Harter's fine was S75, and his
sentence eight months and BlalSeleys fine
was $50 and sentence six months. The diff
ference was due to the fact that Harter was
the more to blame, and led Blakel ey into the
scrape. These young men are part of the
tough gang that has made SO much trouble
in the southern part of the city
Shields aud Casey, the two Omaha young
men found guilty of assault and battery,
were each fined s75 and costs Colonel Sapp
asked the leniency of the court, stating that
the assault was provoked by the most outra-
geous conduct on the part of Connors, the
prosecuting witness, and to this fact is un-
doubtedly due the reduction of the fine from
the full limlJ of 500.
Thomas Mullen, larceny, $3.50 fine and one
year in jail. Mullen stole coat from a
boarding honse on Fourth street. When
asked if he had anything to say why sen
tence should not be passed upon him, he de-
livered the following: 81 was travelling
west and was hard up. stole the coat,
and was honest enough to own up to it.
confessed the whole thing, for 1 hadn't any
witnesses and couldn't prove an alibl." At
this statement the spectators opened their
faces and roared, while very audible smile
overspread the features of the court, who
unsuccessfully endeavored to preserve his
dignity behind his pocket handkerchief.
Were you ever in the penitentiary"
queried the court.
mot in this state" was the reply.
"In any other state!' persisted the court.
"Well, don't know as / am compelled to
answer that" was the cautious answer.
You have not been out long, and | only
wish that could send your back" said the
Judge, with severe frown.
~ tell you 1 am mighty lucky to stay out
as long as 1 have, but 1 didn't want to 90
back on this job" was the parting reply of
the crook, as he ambled away to the ante
room, with step which showed plainly the
prison lock-step acquired by years in the
penitentiary.
After this batch was disposed of the court
announced his decision in the David Gray
contempt case. He found the defendant
guilty, but in view of certain mitigating cir
cumstances, fixed the fine at $500 and costs,
the defendant to be confined in the county
Jail $50 days in defoult of payment.
The jury in the case of State VS. johnson,
alias Stewart, was unable to agree, and was
discharged, after struggle of twenty-four
hours. Three of the jurors were taken sick,
the result of hot weather and ice water, and
had to be released. The jury stood ten to
two for conviction.
At five o'clock the jury in the Smith case
returned a verdict OF guilty as charged in
the indictment, after being out an hour.
M. V. Cannon and George Townsend, two
Omaha attorneys, were present to take up
the FraDey contempt case. 1t was desired
to argue motion 10 modify the order of the
court regarding the commitment clause in
case he failed to pay the required sum within
specified time. 1t was continued until
Monday.
81 don't want to do any more business
to day If can possibly help it," said the
court when asked about other cases. LIB
erty is dear to the average American citizen,
and it is disagrecable duty to deprive him
of it, You may think that l have been
unduly severe in the cases of these men who
have pleaded guilty. The Jaw recognizes
these results to be derived from sentencing
neutrality-suspicious. of the criminal HIM
self, the example to deter others. and the
hope of reforming the criminal. / am salts
fed that there are but two, and that there IS
nothing whatever in the reformatory idea.
There Is altogether too much crime In this
county, and the only way to stop it is TO
make the punishment severe. / am deter
mined, If it is possible thing, to relieve
this crime-ridden community, and therefore
have made sentences as severe as l have in
the hope of accomplishing this end. desire
to adjourn court Monday evening, but will
return July IL to finish up some preliminary
business and render decisions in civil cases
now under advisement."
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