Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1893-01-27
A QUEER CASE.
James n. Pine Goes to the Penitentlary for
Writing Obscene Letters.

Writing Obscene Letters.
Mention was made in last week S
REGISTER Of the arrest of Mr.. jaime s
H. Pine. resident of Harper's Ferry,
on the charge of writing and sending
through the mails obscene letters.
The sequel proves that it was most
unfortunate piece of business for Mr..
Pine, as he has been severely punished
for his crime against the United
States statutes. He was hailed out
to Parkersburg by two deputy
marshals and arraigned before Judge
Jackson, in the U. S. Court
The letters referred to assailed the
character of Miss Lizzie Alstadt, a
young lady twenty years of age, re-
siding near Harper's Ferry. Pine
wrote one to her and another to her
minister in Upton, Mo. The letters,
says the Parkersburg Journal, are
monstrous and astonishing in their
filthy and disgusting details. He
alleges that under promise of mar
riage he was familiar with the girl
and that she deserted him to marry
another, and that he thought it his
duty to warn her intended about her.
The letters state wildly what he al
leges she did. Mr.. Sturgiss said they
were the most vicious letters he ever
saw-that they were written in a
brilliant style that suggested Dickens
writing, and that they showed learn
ing and education.
Pine pleaded guilty and said his
motive in writing them was that he
thought 1t his Christian duty to
warn her sutton. Judge Jackson sus-
pended judgment until he questioned
the young lady. Miss Alstadt was
brought into the court room and
sworn. She denied in toto having any
improper relations with Pine. She
was engaged to him and permitted ca
resses and nothing more. She was EN-
phatic in her statements Miss Al
stadt is a young woman, refined in
appearance and quite pretty. Her
uncle and pastor testified il her be
half, also the assistant postmaster at
Harper's Ferry.
Pine was then sworn to testify. He
incriminated the girl in her state
ments and went into minutest detail s
of their engagement and separation
and why he wrote the letters about
her. His confession was startling
and the like Of it was never heard.
His ingenuity would do credit to a
French novelist, and his plea was
pathetic and remarkable.
Judge Jackson then called Pine to
the bar, and scored him most I'M
mercifully for the gross letters he had
written. He said nothing like it had
come before him In the history of his
career on the bench, and the otfense
deserved severe punishment. He
thereupon sentenced Pine to four
teen months in the penitentiary and
fined him 500.
Throughout the brief trial given
him Pine is said to have been as cool
and collected as though his own lib
erty was not threatened. He listened
to the scathing words of the Judge
without so much as the culver of an
eyelid. His sentence was received
with the same calm demeanor.
The day following the trial Pine
was removed to Moundsville. For
good conduct two months and ten
days will be deducted from his term
of imprisonment, reducing it to II
months and 90 days.
James II. Pine, who has thus been
practically ruined by his own vi.
eiousness, was well-kuown in the
Harper's Ferry neighhorhood, where
he lived for several years. He was Il
school teacher, and a finely educated
man. He bore an excellent reputa-
ton. and was an active member Of
the Episcopal Church. Itis said that
he was an ex-captain in the union
army, and came of Il good family in
Washington. He is about a years
old.
Pine was one of the leading actors
IN the Harper's Ferry Dramatic So
ciety, which played The Woven
Wed" in Shepherdstown last spring.
He took the part of the villain in the
play, and did it well 1t was little
thought then that the clever little
man was getting ready to be sure
enough villain.