The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-05-30
FOUND GUILTY.
The Coffins Must Answer to Every Count
Clemency to Reed.
"Guiltyn

This is the ominous word that was
| Numbered in the ears OF three men at
at o'clock yesterday morning when the
United States district court convened to
receive the verdict in the trial of the
| wreckers of the Indianapolis national
bank. This was the word that avenged
the people of Indianapolis: that avenged
outraged justice; that avenged the de-
| positors in the Indianapolis national
| bank for the loss of their savings and
that unlocked the prison doors to shut
| out from the world for years to come
Francis A Coffin, Percival B. Coffin and
Albert S. Reed.
A few minutes after o'clock Marshal
| Hawkins made a way with the greatest
| difficulty through the packed mass Of
| people that covered every inch of floor
| space in the court room, for the jury 10
| enter, and the twelve men filed into the
! room looking very grave. They feared
they would be called to task for divulging
| their secret.
The Verdict.
AS they took their seats the court with
out any delay turned to them and asked
if they had agreed upon a verdict. Joseph
A. Trotter Of Columbus, white-haired and
white-bearded. arose and amid deathly
silence replied: I'VE have" Clerk But
| Ter took the sealed envelope from his
hand and tore it open. Removing the
folded verdict he handed it to Judge
Baker who slowly unwrapped it and af-
ter reading it to himself handed it to
| Clerk Butler, who read as follows, after
a slight amendment had been made:
| I'VE, the jury, find the defendants
| Francis A. Coffin and Percival B. Coffin.
guilty as charged in all the counts Of
| the indictment, and Albert s. Reed guilty
as charged in the indictment from counts
| thirty-seven to fOrty-siX inclusive
The court asked the jury if that was its
| verdict as every person in the court room
held his breath, and after an affirmative
| nod had been given by each Of the twelve
men, and the attorneys for the defense
had expressed no desire to pool the jury,
| the court said:
| Gentlemen Of the Jury-The court will
| not require that you shall remain longer
| in service at the present time. Another
| jury will be called for service probably
| next week. The court, in parting with
you on this occasion. desires to return
| to you its sincere thanks for the patience,
| attention and intelligence that you have
given in listening to the evidence and de-
| liberating on the verdict that you should
| return.
II hardly need assure you, gentlemen of
| the jury, that the court is entirely salts
| fed with the result of your labors. 1
| need hardly add that 1 believe the gener-
| al public, not only in this state, but every
| where where the national bank laws OBJ
| tain. will feel that you have rendered eff
| ficient, intelligent and honest public serv-
ice. Trusting that nothing during your
absence has happened TO any Of your fam
| ilies the court now, with its sincere
! thanks, discharges you for the present
| from service in the court"
| The Court-"If the bond is a continu-
| ing one it may remain with the present
sureties. How is that Mr.. Clerk? The
| bond Of Percival B. Coffin 1 shall place
! at So, 500 and the bond Of Francis A.
Coffin at $4,000, and the last two to be
| in the custody of the marshal until a
| at liberty until Monday next, when he
and the other defendants will be required
! to be here in court"
Defendants Sat silent.
All this time the defendants had sat
silent and apparently unmoved by the
| result Of the verdict 1t had not come to
| them with the suddenness that left
them unprepared, and there was no visi-
| BILE emotion upon the face of either. The
| Collins arose and accompanied the mar
shall from the room and to his office.
| where less than an hour after their
| bonds were signed and placed in the
hands of the marshal.
| That of +. A. Coffin for S25 000 was
| signed
| New York who qualified as being worth
$4,000 above his liabilities: Daniel w.
| MarmOn of this city, who qualified as be-
ing worth $4,000; William F. KurtZ Of
this city, who qualified as being worth
S25 O00 and John Roberts. who qualified
as being worth $4,000.
The bond Of Percival B. Coffin was
signed by these same bondsmen, himself
and Joseph r. Perry of Indianapolis,
who qualified as being worth $4,000
On Monday next the three defendants
must appear in the federal court when
the motion for a new trial will be heard,
argued and passed upon by the court.
! A motion in arrest of judgment will
| then be made and passed upon, and if
both are oyerruled sentence will then be
passed upon the three defendants.
Immediately after sentence is passed
| a motion will be made by the defense
to admit the defendants to bail pending
an appeal TO the supreme court Of the
| United States, which will in all probable
ity be refused Mr.. Miller will then go
| before Justice Harlan of the supreme
| court, ask him for a writ of error and
| a supersedeas, which, if granted, will
! admit of an appeal being taken to the
| highest court of judicature in the coun-
| try and will admit the defendants to bail
| pending the decision of the case. 1t will
| take at least year and a half for the
| case to be settled in the supreme court
| and the Importance of securing the ad-
| mission of the defendants to bail can be
| readily appreciated in the eyes of the de-
! PENDANTS and their attorneys. The at
| torneys for the defense are confident of
| securing a writ of error and the admis-
sion Of the defendants to bail by the
| supreme court and If promptly secured
| after next Monday will keep the defend
| ants from the penitentiary until the case
| is decided in the supreme court. \
| transcript of the record will then be
! made and this will involve a prodigious
amount Of time and expense. All the
| and it must be completed within 12O days
| as this is the limit allowed by the court.
| The bond Of A. S. Reed was continued
| as before He was found guilty by the
| jury of the counts in the indictment
| pertaining 10 the false entries or the plac-
| ing of worthless paper in the bank and
| having it credited to the cabinet COM
l pany. but it made no difference in his
] punishment, as it would have been the
same whether he was found guilty Of all
1 or only one of the counts in the in
! dictment. He had the compassion of the
/ jury and they did not want to send him
| TO the pententiary for even five years,
| but could not otherwise agree.
| The court has compassion for Reed,
as it is known that he was but the ignor-
| ant tool of the Collins. and there is every
| reason to believe that he will never be
| sentenced but next Monday will be re-
| leased under a suspended sentence, which
| means freedom during good behavior.
| This can be done in the discretion Of the
1