Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-12-14

DckOEo du 1udQ1SIIdlo.
I do not propose to enter into the de-
tails Of our preliminary hearings before
the lord mayor at the Mansion House, or
Of the trial. Both the hearings and trial
We're sensational in the highest degree
and attracted universal attention all
over the English speaking world. Full
page pictures Of the trial appeared in
all the illustrated journals of Europe
and America, and our portraits were on
sale everywhere.
After many hearings before Sir Sid
ney Waterlow we were finally commit
ted for trial.
For eight mortal days the final trial
dragged on, and there we were pilloried
in that horrible dock-a spectacle for
the staring throngs that focked to see
the young Americans who had found q
pregnable spot in the impregnable Bank
Of England.
The misery Of those eight days! No
language can describe it, nor would
undergo it again for the wealth of the
world
The court was filled with fashionables,
ladies as well, who flocked to stare at
the misery, while the corridors Of the
Old Bailey and the street itself were
packed with thousands eager to catch q
glimpse Of us. The judge in scarlet sat
in solemn state, with members Of the
! nobility or equity aldermen in gold
chains and robes Gil the bench behind
him. The body Of the court was filled
with bewigged lawyers tippling lot
nf Sh a,.I ole 1x,,xo ~,
half tipsy with the punch or dry sherry
which English lawyers drink, TESTING
and cracking jokes unmindful Of tho
fate of their clients. Captain Curtin
and q score of detectives were present.
No fewer than 213 witnesses were
called by the prosecution. Of these about
SO were from America, and by them
they traced our lives for many years be-
fore. As the forged bills were all sent
by mail it was necessary to convict us
by circumstantial evidence. 1t really was
all very weak save only in that re-
markable matter of the plotting paper
The jury retired to consider their yer.
dict shortly after O'Clock, and ON re-
turning into court after the lapse Of
about quarter Of an hour they gave in
verdict of guilty against all of the four
prisoners.
Judge Archibald proceeded to pass
sentence. He began with the interesting
and truthful remark, 81 have anxiously
considered whether anything less than
the maximum penalty of the law will
be adequate to meet the requirements of
this case, and think not" We had in
formation that few days previously a
meeting of judges had been held and
that he had been advised to pass life
sentence. What he really meant to say
was that he had anxiously considered
whether anything less would be ade-
quate to satisfy the Bank Of England.
He went on to say that "the sentence is
penal servitude for life, and I further
order that each one of you pay one fourth
Of the costs Of prosecution-e49,OO 900, or
a249, 900 in all"
And, after all, what aroused so greatly
his indignation? 1t was simply this
because we were youngsters and Amer
leans and had successfully assaulted the
fondly imagined impregnable Bank Of
England, and, worse still, had held up
to the laughter Of the whole world its
red tape idiotic management, for had
they even asked me for a gs6erence the
fraud would have been made impossible.
Let my reader contrast this modern
Jeffreys, his savage TRADE, and for an
offense against property the most brutal
sentence, with his treatment of the War
wickshire bank wreckers. Greenaway,
the manager of this bank, and three Of
the directors, by false balance sheets
and perjured reports, for years had loot
ed the bank, finally robbing the depos-
itors Of 81 10000 several of whom
committed suicide, and thousands more
Of whom were ruined.
They were tried, convicted and in
being sentenced were told that, being
men of high social position, the disgrace
in itself was severe punishment.
Therefore he should take that fact into
consideration and ended by sentencing
two to months, one to 12 months and
one to IA months imprisonment.
We We're sentenced late at night,
nearly 10 O'Clock, a smoky, foggy Lon
don night. The court was pa 'ked, the
corridors crowded, and when q jury
came in with their verdict the press
ed excitement found vent B, when
the vindictive aud unheard of .-ntence
fell from the lips Of this villain judge
an exclamation of horror fell from that
crowded court.
We turned from the judge and went
down the stairs to the entrance of the
underground passage leading to New
gate. There we halted to say farewell.
To say farewell! Yes The Primrose
Way had come to an end, but we were
comrades and friends still, and in order
that in the gloom of the slow moving
days and the blaclness and thick hor-
Tor Of the years TO come We might have
some thought in common We then and
there promised-what could We poor.
broken bankrupts promise?
Where or to what in the thick horror
enshrouding us could we turn? We had
Nothing lefsSrs to call our own save death
And that small model of the barren earth
Which serves as paste and cover TO our bonea.
nothing but grave. that
Small model Of the barren earth,