The evening world., 1893-11-08
WEEKS SENTENCED.
The Embedding Lawyer Gets 10
Years in Sing Sing,
Ee Pleaded Guilty TO Robbing Mrs.
Nicholas Fish.
Tho Larceny Of Sri2, 300 Was the
Indictment.

Francis H. Wees was sentenced to
ten years at Sing Sing by Recorder
Smyth this morning on his plea of guilty
Of grand larceny.
Francis IL. Weeks to the BARI
AS Clerk Hall called the case the door
OF Part l. of che Court of General SEES
sions opened and Francis Henry Weeks,
the embezzler, entered the chamber,
where Recorder Smyth presided.
A shave had restored the specialized
lawyer and trustee of 81, 300, OVv IN estates
to his former a~pearance-a handsome
man, tall. intellectual and of gentle
ways.
Deputy Sheriffs Burke and Brown, who
brought him from the Tombs at 0 o'clock,
that he might nav a last farewell visit
with his stricken wife. followed Weeks
up the aisle to the bar before the Re-
corder.
Clerk Hall went through the usual
formula, asking Weeks II he desired to
plead.
D!strict-Attorney Nicoll explained to
the Recorder trat Weeks had been re-
manded for a week on Friday last by
Judge MARITIME, at Weeks's request. but
that Weeks, who was held under five
indictments, had asked to be permitted
to plead guilty to one OF these. charg-
ing him with the grand larceny of s72,-
800, the property of Clemence s.. d. Fish
(Mrs. Nicholas FISH. which he held in
trust.
DO you so plead?" asked Clerk Hall.
II do" replied Weeks in a subdued
voice.
Then I move the immediate sentence
Of the prisoner" said Mr.. Nicoll, where
upon Recorder Smyth. in a voice full
of sadness and solemnity. pronounced
sentence.
Il regret very much to be placed in
the position of sentencino a man who
Is a member of the same profession to
which / belong and a member of a firm
with which | have had many transac-
tons said the Recorder.
Il know that you belong to a we'll
that you have brought ruin and disgrace
upon yourself and your family and that
you feel it keenly. p
1T is unnecessary for me to say fur
Their. The sentence Of the Court IL that
you be confined in the State Prison at
h erd labor for the term OF ten years"
Weeks took his sentence, the heaviest
the law allows for his %offense, without
finching. He seemed to hav expected
1t. He told Clerk Hall. in answer to
the usual questions, that he was forty
older than that when he arrived last
Friday from Costa Rica. He looked
ten years younger as he stood erect
and finely poised at the bar of justice
to-day. He had no lawyer, presumably
He turned and followed the Sherin's
deputies out of court with a firm, all
most buoyant tread. They took him
lPrnGG tho hall IN tho nfHHn NJ Col
Townsend. where he had a long visit
with his wife.
Mrs. Weeks is a womanly woman.
She has excited the compassionate ad-
miratlon of the detectives and other
connected with the case; She was
dressed in deep mourning. She was ac-
com 3anied By q ward and by Lawyer
She bore pu under her heavy load Of
sorrow bravely, and spoke only words
OF comfort. Cheerful e~ncouragement to
weakness IN the part of either. though
the wife wept IA little at the final part
ing.
Weeks was arrested on five indict-
ments. The first was that to which he
pleaded guilty; the second charged him
with embezzling 5000 in securities and
$4,000 In cash belonging to Mrs. Fish;
the third was, for the larceny n misap-
preparation of 100000, the estate OF
Isabel Von Linden; the fourth was for
the larceny OF S2I2Wl the estate of
JOnn JACOB AStor BrlStel, IN winch c.
cile Bristed and William Ellery Sedg-
wick are interested. Will residuary ben
efits to Edith Brevort Kane and other
children; the fifth indictment was for
the larceny Of $4,000. the property of the
Sidney S. Harris estate.
Should II be discovered that Weeks
mas secreted any of the embezzled prop
erty he will be brought to account on
these other indictments. and will surely
spend the rest of his life in prison.
The Office of Assistant District-At-
torney George Gordon Battle was lit
tered to-day with Weeks's check-books,
accounts. cash boxes and other para
phernalia.
The twenty-seven check-books present,
In their stubs, the story of the down
fall of a respected citizen, a man whose
word was as good as his bond. and to
whose care had been entrusted no less
han fifty-four estates, a~ggregating
81, O0c, 900 in value, the legacies of many
widows and orphans.
The first chacl, book was used by
Weeks in 1885. Its first check was num-
bered 1851. He did business with the
National Bank Of Commerce. Between
1885 and April %, 1893, Weeks signed
10, 427 checks.
During all those times Weeks seemed
to be a prosperous man OF large affairs,
his checks running into the tens Of thou
sands of dollars.
Mrs. Weeks has taken refuge with
friends in this city,
Weeks will be taken to Sing Sing to-