Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-04-14
The Wilson Sentence.

state vs. o. B. Wilson came up "a the
Pawnee county court, on change of
| venue from Barton county. There
| were three charges against him, one
for embezzlement and two for forgery
Trial proceeded on the two latter, and
Thursday evening the jury returned a
verdict of guilty. Friday the judge
fixed the sentence at seven years in
the peniteD.iary, and Saturday morn
ing the sheriff of Pawnee county passed
through Great Bend with the prisoner
ON his way to Leavenworth. Thus has
ended one of the most famous criminal
cases ever brought up in Barton
county. The prevailing opinion seems
to be that if Wilson had gone imme-
diately to trial here, made a plain
statement of the case and thrown him
self upon the mercy of the court, he
would have got lighter sentence
than now rests upon him. There is
deep sympathy in this community for
the wife and son, and for their SAX es
it is to be regretted that the attorneys
for the defense did not pursue differ
ent course.
Following are the remarks of the
Judge upon passing sentence upon Q. B.
Wilson, which we publish by request of
many readers:
By the Court.-You have been con.
victed on both counts in the informa-
ton, in which you were charged with
forgery; have you any reason to offer
why the sentence of the court should
not be passed upon you?
By defendant, Wilson.-The circum-
stances are such that cannot say very
much, any more than to ask the court
to be as lenient as possible considering
all the circumstances.
By the Court.-This is one of the un.
pleasant duties of a court. The most
unpleasant duty l have to- perform is
that of sentencing man to penal servi-
tude. am of somewhat sympathetic
nature, and it is always trial to me to
send man to the penitentiary, especi-
ally man of your age. notice, too,
that portion of your life, at least, has
been spent honorably and profitably,
that you were Union soldier in the late
rebellion. These things plead for you
and make my duty hard to perform. On
the other hand, in the circumstances of
the case itself there are few mitigating
facts. The crime shows a degree of
deiberation and skill in its consumation
that must have called to your aid all
your senses, and your business skill, of
which you seem to have not little. 1t
was deliberately planned and careful
ly executed act. There is no question
of your guilt. That was clearly proven,
and / undertake to say that you have
had an absolutely fair trial. You have
been well defended by able counsel, and
you cannot complain that everything
has not been done that that legal skill
could do for you.
In passing sentence upon you your
age must be taken into consideration;
your brother tells me that you are near
ly fifty years of age. That fact should
take into consideration. You have a
number of friends who are interested in
your welfare. Your immediate family,
your wife and son, whom am told are
very respectable people, are, of course,
deeply interested, and your brother, too,
whom take to be reputable man, asks
that your sentence be made lighter on
account of your age.
These things I have all considered,
and after the consideration of them the
attorneys for the state as well as the
attorneys for the defense have talked
to me about the length of sentence that
ought to be imposed. 3 was glad to
hear from them, too, as the case is from
neighboring county and know but
little of its surroundings.
1t is conceded by the prosecution as
well as the defense that these are but a
series of crimes, and that the result Of
your speculations has been. not only to
defraud this mortgage company, but its
effect has been to turn men from their
homes, and to sooencumber their prop
erty with mortgages, that you have
received their money to pay off and
failed to do, that they have actually
been driven from their homes in
despair, and more than one of them.
And while am not sentencing you for
these other crimes, it is probable that
you will never be prosecuted for any of
them, and it is right that should take
into consideration to some extent, their
commission, aside from these crimes of
which you have been proven guilty. 1
cannot, therefore, give you the minimum
punishment, neither do expect to give
you the maximum punishment. To give
you anything like the extreme penalty
of xbo 1,x,, xro,,id he - oloee ,,1,,,- 1;f,