Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-08-10
SENTENCED TO DEATH.
How the Majesty of the Law is Upheld
at Takoma Park.

JUDGE MILLER's KNOWLEDGE or MODERN LEaAI
PROCEDURE ENABLES HIS CLIENT TO ESCAPE
BUT THE RECEIVER MUST sUFTIR-THH IA
KoMA CITY COUNCIL IN SESSION.
The Takoma Park city council met last might
in spite of the terrific downpour of rain which
made every place in the vicinity Of Washing.
ton. Many members Of the council were alb.
sent, but there was an active surplus over and
above The quorum of 81. The chairman Of the
council-B. n. warner-was absent, and after
his place had been temporarily filed by the
election of W. @. Yeaton, the absentee was
fined $40 for, as Mayor Heaton put it, warner.
ing around when there was business to be at
| tended to-"
Gen. Knifin, in command Of the Takoma
Park militia, then announced the appointment
Of the following officers on his staff, and the
| council approved the same: VIM. Yeaton adju-
| tant general; r. s. Brown, quartermaster gen.
eral; Enoch Maris, commissary general; j. r.
johnson, inspector general; ID. G.. Purman,
master generals H. A. Cady, chief signal off,
| GER; Benz. G. Cowl, chief of scouts.
| The question OF appointing a public execu-
| toner then came up, and, on motion Of Maj.
Heaton. the council appointed George A. Gustin
| of the city OF Washington. There was consid-
to the Office, and it was finally settled in a
| mutually satisfactory agreement by the terms
OF which the executioner is to be paid by the
| job-so much head, as it were.
very interesting part OF the proceedings
was the discussion on
OFFICIAL ADvERrIsINa.
1t could hardly be termed discussion be-
cause, with but two exceptions, everyone pres
ent openly stated that there was but one news
MAJ in uvbi oh 10 Cd o,I {lox -
STAR. The two exceptions agreed that The
STAR was undoubtedly the best advertising
medium to be found in a Sabbath days jour
ney on Baltimore and Ohio limited, but one
OF them was opposed to The STAR because it
failed to support st. John in his prohibition
and pro-St John campaign, while the other
based his antagonism on the ground that The
STAR had refused to endorse The Board Of
Shanty Hill' Mrs. Sarah Ulrich Kelly in her
struggle for position and salary as poet-laureate
OF the United States. The DIRECTORS were
promptly hustled out of the meeting by q
large badge, the motive power of which was
the chief Of police, and The STAR was unani-
mously declared to be the only organ and the
sole advertising medium of the Takoma city
council.
THE MAYORS COURT.
The council then adjourned to give way to
the mayors court, which was opened with the
aid OF Crier Purman's voice-piercing as a can
oPeuei. MI preliminary remarks,
commencing with "Oyez" and ending with
GOD bless the commonwealth Of Takoma and
the honorable court" was evidently regarded
as humorous, for several people smiled &udibly
when he got through with his speech. Mayor
Heaton put on his glasses and while City At
torney Lamar was reading the papers in the
case of the city of Takoma agt. William Lewis,
polshed his badge. The prisoner was placed
In the dock and beneath a prepossessing
exterior he evidently concealed a hardened
disposition. Several times did he wink at &C
quaintances in the court and on one occasion
he placed his tongue in his cheek to such an.ex-
tent that his features were distorted and much
merriment ensued.
Lawyer Yeaton, for the defense. moved to
quash the information and everything else
there was in the case on the ground that the
court had no jurisdiction, but Mayor Heaton
told him the court did have jurisdiction land
don't you forget 1t"
THE CRIME.
The case was an intricate one. The defen-
dant, Lewis-a bright boy of ten or eleven
years-had found two ducks in the vicinity of
his home. He failed to find an owner for them
so he took them home and put them in
chicken coop. His mother insisted on his re-
leasing the birds and in obedience to her
wishes he took them out of the coop and
escorted them of the premises. While still in
possession of the wanderers he met one Edwin
7. Brown, a gentleman from New York, now
summering az Takoma. and to him he sold the
ducks for 30 cents. Subsequently the ducks
were claimed by G. L. Favorite and he took
them away. Upon information received
WARRANTS WERE AT ONCE ISSUED
by Mayor Heaton for the arrest of Lewis on q
charge Of petty larceny and for the arrest of
Brown, the latter's offense being the purchas-
ing of the ducks. knowing at the time of pur-
chasing that they were not the property of
Lewis.
Lewis was without counsel so the mayor as
signed Judge Thomas Miller to defend him and
there was thunderous applause when the we'll
known Police Court administrator of Justice
stepped forward and shook hands with his
client. The judge saw at once that his case was
not good one SO he looked around for O loop
hole. In half a minute he had fixed up an
agreement with City Attorney Lamar and a few
seconds later he announced that Lewis would
plead guilty and be used as a witness against
Brown, Mayor Heaton at once imposed a fine
OF one cent, which was paid by Judge Miller
Then the Brown case came up and it was full
of funny incidents. Attorney Yeaton, for the
defense, was very active, but the prosecution
and the mayor were too many for him. Judge
Miller made most of the fun by his quantity
put semi-professionalo objections. The prisoner
demanded jury and a mixed panel-half male,
half female-heard the testimony at length, al
though the mayor frequently requested them
to hurry up because
THE ICE CREAM WAS MELTING.
Attorney Yeaton's searching cross-examina-
ton OF Lewis was too much for the youth, and
just after the mayor had decided that cause"
was good and sufficient reply to a question
propounded by counsel, Willie burst into tears
and sobbed all the way back to the bosom Of
his family. Ice cream was administered at
once, but he did not recover until this morn
| ing.
Ordway Gilbert, G. L. Favorite, the prisoner,
| Brown, J. X. Johnson and II. V. Purman testi-
| fed, and the weight Of the evidence was
against the prisoner. Counsel endeavored to
show the prisoners character by reference to
his antecedents and his previous places of
abode, but the court promptly ruled them out
on the ground that the verdict had been agreed
on two hours before while the sentence had
been made up last Saturday. The prisoner was
/ to be hanged; therefore it made no difference
where he came from. 1--WE all know" said hiz-
/ zoner, ''where he is going" In his charge to
| the jury Mayor Heaton called attention to the
| ''pairoducksical" manner in which the trial was
carried on and quoted from the opinions of
/ Summerfun, chap. XXXIV, s73: Verdict
/ first. evidence afterward is the rule, but if the
! evidence shall by chance be heard first it shall
have no effect whatever upon the verdict"
| THE JURY pELIBERArEs.
The jury retired to q large table, ate ice
cream at the prisoners expense and then re.
turned a verdict of mot guilty" The court