The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-08-18
SENT Up FOR FIVE YEARS.
Burglar Ben Thomas 10 Cease Burg
ling for Awhile.

He Is Believed to Be the Robber Who
Has Ransacked the Southern Part of
the City-His Capture by Detective
Wetherhorn Followed by lis Con
viction and Sentence to the Peniten-
tiary-The Prisoner an Ex-Convict
and a Desperate Criminal.
BENJAMIN Thomas, colored, was con-
victed in the superior court yesterday Of
burglary and sentenced 10 a term of five
years in the peniJentiary. Thomas was
charged with burglarizing the house Of
MIR. James G. Nelson on Ninth street
about month ago, and stealing gold
watch valued at $40 There were some
unusual features to the case. 1t was a
clear case against Thomas, and nobody
doubted that he would be convicted, not
even his attorney.
When the case was called his attorney,
Mr.. William Pease, by Thomas request,
entered plea Of guilty in the hope Of OBJ
tanning light sentence. Thomas, how
ever, had changed his mind about the
plea of guilty after entering the court.
He objected and demanded trial by jury.
This made it necessary for Mr.. Pease to
withdraw the plea of guilty and proceed
with the trial. The evidence was very
conclusive and the trial resulted, as was
expected, in a verdict of guilty.
HIS WITNESS FAILED HIM.
Thomas. it seems, had had some CONVEX
sation with one of the witnesses for the
state in the sherlff's room before the trial
began, which led him TO believe that he
would testify other than he did; hence
his change OF mind with regard to plead
ing guilty.
AS soon as the sentence was pronounced
Thomas arose from his seat and began a
harangue, directed chiefly to Judge F'alli-
CANT. He laid especial stress upon the
fact that his lawyer had made no argu-
ment in his behalf, and that his state
ments had not been accepted when they
cOnficted with those Of the witnesses for
the state. He declared that he had been
unjustly convicted, and ended up by de-
claring that there was only one bar where
justice could be obtained and that was
above, and calling upon Judge Falligant
and the others present to meet him there.
Thomas was removed from the court
room, but continued his harangue to the
officers of the court in the sheriff's room
His impudent manner aroused the ire of
the court attendants, all of whom were
satisfied of his guilt
THINK HE IS THE BURGLAR.
There seems to be little doubt in the
minds of the officers that Thomas is the
cracksman who has been working in the
southern part of the city for the last year
or more, and in that time has robbed
. more than forty houses and secured
thousand dollars or more, besides the stuff
he has carried of and disposed of or con-
verted into cash. The fact that the rob-
p berries Ia the southern section, which wer.5
OCCURRING at tho "a oF fvvC ont
some times more week, almost entirely
ceased with the arrest of Thomas points
TO him as the robber.
Thomas mode of living and the charac-
ter of his surroundings did not suggest to
the officers that he came by his money
honestly. The house where he and his
wife lived, down in the Jones Field neigh
borhood, was handsomely furnished, and
Thomas wife had a wardrobe which
would equal that of a society woman
Thomas paid for his purchases as
he made them, and owed no
bills. He always had plenty
of ready money, which, If he did not
steal, is question how he got it, for he
had no visible means of livelihood and
was not known to be a workingmau.
Thomas is strongly built negro. about
six feet in hight. He has record as a
thief, and has served two sentences of six
and twelve months each on the
chaln-gang for stealing poultry
From chickens it seems he has
enlarged his field of operations to
include residences and now and then
store, where the plumber was more valu-
able, and he was equally as safe from
arrest.
Detective Wetherhorn, who arrested
Thomas, was pretty sure at the time that
he had burglar of more than ordinary
preteDsions, but was unable to locate him
exactly. From subsequent developments
there seems to be little doubt that he is
the man who has been doing the most of
the robbery that has been going on for
the last eighteen months.
There was some surprise around the
court house when it was learned that on
first ballot of the jury after Thomas
trial II stood q to 6 for conviction and
acqulttal 1t was not thought when the
case went TO the jury that it would be
more than minute or two before YER
dict could be rendered.