The morning call., 1894-08-05
ADDRESS BY JUDGE BELCHER
An Anonymous Letter Received
and Read in Court.
STRANGE THEORY OF A CRANK.
Melville Appears Neatly Attired as
Usual and Bears His Fate With
Composure.

William r. Melville, the self-convicied
embezzling clerk of the Bank of California,
was sentenced by Judge Belcher yesterday
to serve a term of eight years imprison-
ment in San Quentin.
Melville, having once been captured and
brought back to the city. made the best OF
bad job and pleaded guilty to the charge
on wednesday last, asking for his sentence
forthwith. Judge Belcher, however, de-
cided to take some time for consideration
of the case, and postponed the passing OF
the courts judgemnt until Yesterday.
Accordingly, when the time came. large
crowd of attorneys and interested persons
gathered in the courtroom. Melville came
in charge of Deputy Sheriff. neatly at
tired in dark. weIl-ftting garments, his
face and hair barbered for the occasion.
and a nOsegay in his buttonnole. He
seemed perfectly composed and resigned
TO his fate.
AS soon as his case was called the As
slstant District Attorney present made
statement to the Judge, detailing the
various acts of stealing from the bank
that Melville is believed to have been
guilty of. He reminded the court that al
though the complaint on file, TO which
Melville had pleaded guilty, only charged
him with having misappr0prlated S10l2,
yet his stealings amounted to much
larger sum than that.
In support of this statement Irving f.
Moulton, second assistant cashier of the
Bank or California, took the witness
stand and Informed the court that Mel
Vile had confessed to having misaDpro-
priated S34 352 40 within the past thirteen
years. Specific acts Of embezzlement were
then recited by the witness. Melvile's
counsel vigorously objected to all this tes-
timony, but Judge Belcher said that it
would do DO harm for him to be fully in
formed in regard to the prisoner, especially
as this was not trial.
Judge Belcher then asked the prisoner
II he had any legal reason to show why
sentence should not be passed upon him,
Melville stood up and adjusting his glasses.
gazed calmly at the Judge and answered
No" All that remained now was for the
Judge to pass sentence. Before doing 80.
however, his Honor had something to say
about an anonymous letter he had re-
ceived. The Judge said that he intended
to read it for The benefit of those present,
an read ii he did.
1t proved to be voluminous epistle
written by some one whose ideas of right
and wrong were evidently distorted. This
crank maintained that the cour. was
about to pass sentence upon an innocent
man, despite the fact that he had pleaded
guilty. 1t was ruinouS system of finance
and not the prisoner himself who was re-
sponsible for his unfortunate predicament.
TO send Melville TO prison would be a
judicial crime, said this writer, who then
and there denounced the Government of
the United States for maintaining iu-
dicial system against the good of society.
There was lot OF this nonsense in the
letter. The writer claimed that the bank
was in reality in Melville's debt, "for,"
c.,id 10 M 0nt h.
worked in the bank he earned $4,000.
which in London had market value of
S4S, 600, so that if he took S34, 900 the Bank
of California is still indebted to him to the
extent of $4,000. All the money in this
country is loaned by few bondholders.
One man cannot raise above his fellows,
and as the Government does not own the
money in circulation, that given the eni-
ploye by the employer is not payment
but loan"
The letter was signed by "a Lover OF
Humanity" Mrs. Melville Snyder, tie
mother of the prisoner, received a similar
letter from the same person. 1t was signed
Henry Warfeld, 420 Montgomery street."
Judge Belcher then made q speech of
his own TO the prisoner He said that
considerable sentiment had been shown
in the case and If it were left to the man
the Judgment would be, "GO and sin no
more" But men died. while the law still
lived, and so another sentence must be
imposed. We are a commercial people
and trust in everything. The betrayal OF
confidence invariably works mischief
MANY of the citizens who testified here
as TO defendants previous good character
were personal friends of the Judge, but
the court cannot help thinking that they
have been deceived. They were not aware
of the conduct of their friend until the
exposure of his wrong-doing, but they
nor ma in fr,, It.,s of him hni
testimony amounts merely to a confession
that they did not know Melville's true
character until this time"
At the conclusion of this address Judge
Belcher Iassed formal sentence OF eight
years imprisonment. Melville took his
fate with stole calmness. although a buzz
of sympathy ran around the courtroom.
Ha will he fakan anrnss the hav at nnna