The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-04-01
THE FATAL DAY.
Ed PitkinS Will Hang in This City
Friday, June 2.
Yesterday Judge Williams of the United
States Court Passed Sentence OIL
Various Criminals I'm
pressive Scenes.

| the scenes in the building, he ceremonies
were very impressive Seventeen mer
we're sentenced to serve terms in the peni
| Tertiary and one man was sentenced to b.
hanged to satisfy the laws Of the United
| States which have been outraged and
broken. Seventeen men to be deprived o.
! liberty and one man to be deprived of life
is seriods thing but the majesty of the
law demanded it, and the interests of soc
ETY. and civilization require it. The argu-
menus in the MattoX case occupied the en-
tire forenoon, and the afternoon was de-
voted to sentencing the convicted prison,
ers.
At 2 p. N. there was large crowd in
the government building. and the upper cor
ridor was jammed full of people including
cowboys, negroes, deputy marshals, ladies,
newspaper men, loungers and witnesses of
all shades of color and degrees of civilizt-
ton. When the doors of the court room
were thrown open every body rushed III
headlopg to gain seats, but in less than "A
minute every seat was occupied. AT 2:3O
Judge Williams entered and promptly
called the court to order. When the gavel
sounded every voice was hushed and not
even a whisper was heard. In the north
west corner of the building the eighteen
prisoners were arranged and each aud
every one of them eyed the judge critically
presumably to ascertain the kind Of humor
be was in.
After some preliminaries the Judge in
his usual easy manner and with still
softer and more gentle voice, called for
Daniel A. auckland for sentence, but
Daniel was out on bond and could not be
found.
l.. A. Perry was next called and he stood
before the judge asking for mercy in re-
Spouse TO the question why sentence
should not be passed upon him.
The judge was merclful and
only sentenced him to two years in the
penitentiary and to pay to the government
"A fine of 800 for the crime of perjury.
Unfortunately for Perry he was born in
America. The crime for which he was
convicted consisted OF swearing that be
did not enter the territory Of Oklahoma
until 10 o'clock on the 22ud of April 1889,
while the evidence showed that he was
there early i'll the morning. The Bohe-
mians committed the same crime but they
were sentenced to one year and a day.
The judge told Perry that as he was an
American born and consequently more
as to our laws that his crime
more punishment than that of
the Bohemians. L. then followed with
an Interesting moral lecture on the serious
ness of the crime Of perjury. After Perry
had marched to his seat in tears, eleven
Bohemians were arranged In front OF the
judge for sentence. Their names are ms
follows and their crime was the same as
that of Perry's: Joe Caha, Hank Dudeck,
Jno. Rsticell, John Cerney, Anton Cerney,
T. G. Rittr, John Brozonia. Frank Kalasac,
Renzel Reany and Joe Cerney AS the
judge was about to address them their at
torney, w. T. Stanley of this city stepped
aud made a touching appeal for
them. His address was SO full of pathos
and tenderness that tears trickled down
the cheeks Of half those who were in the
audience Even the court was deeply
moved and the venerable judge listened
with wrapt attention to every word he
uttered. He pictured their ignorance Of
our laws. the designs OF the false friends
who led them into the crime and then In
words Of the utmost tenderness referred
to the families they are leaving after them.
He did not ask the court to break the law
in the exercise of his clemency, but begged
him to bend it ALMOST to the point of
breaking. The judge commended Mr..
Stanley for his kindness in behalf Of the
prisoners. but assured him
that his elegant and touching address was
as he had already made up
his mind to exercise his mercy to the full
est extent.
The judge then proceeded to address the
prisoners in the tenderest terms that
was possible to man. He spoke to them
as a father speaks to his erring children,
and in less than minute be had every
one of the eleven brawny, stalwart for
egners in tears. He spoke to them con-
Corning the sanctity of An oath and how
necessary its most sacred observance was
to the administration of law in a country
like ours. He pictured to them the benefi-
cence of the American government and
he opportunities iJ extended towards
foreigners to become good. happy and
useful citizens. He partially condoned
their act by referring to the impossibility
Of poor men TO acquire landed possessions
In the country they came from, which
sharpened the desire TO acquire land in
this country, and hence their invasion Of
Oklahoma previous to the time set in the
of the president declaring it
open TO settlement. He referred, also, to
the fact that they were misled by man
who held a high position in the govern
ment of the United States, but he would
mention no name. 1t was well under
stood, however, that he referred TO
Jim Weaver, the Populist candidate
for president, who, it is alleged on good
advised the Bohemisus that
they could enter the country previous TO
the hour mentioned in the presidents
He then sentenced each of the eleven to |
serve one year and one day in the Kansas |
and informed them that If |
they behaved themselves be, with the |
court officers, would join in an effort TO |
shorten the penalty Of that sentence |
When the eleven took their seats they |
we're all in tears.
Anton Gaia who was the leader of the !
men allowed named in their entry upon |
he lands of Oklahoma was the next man |
sentenced. On passing sentence on this |
nan Judge Williams address was still |
more interesting than in the former cases. |
He said that Anton was an Ish mael, that /
ais hand WAS raised against the law. but |
hat he had manly heart which he de |
tired TO reach. He said that he had in |
ended to give him four years in the peni-
eutiary but for evidences of his better
nature which he SAW him manifest on |
wo occasions. Anton Caha," said /
le, II saw you one day in this court |
wrap your coat around your little boy and /
aging him tenderly down TO sleep You |
lid not think l noticed you but did and
or that one kind act will throw one year
IF the penalty which l intended to SEN