Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-09-05

pregnable spot iii 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 we'll, 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 a
glimpse Of us. The judge in scarlet sat
in solemn state, with members of the
nobility or equity aldermen in gold
chains and robes on the bench behind
him. The body Of the court was filled
with bewigsed lawyers tipping lot
of sharks and roguls, always after lunch
half tipsy with the punch or dry sherry
which English lawyers drink, jesting
and cracking jokes unmindful of the
fate of their clients. Captain Curtin
and score Of detectives were present.
No Tower than 2l3 witnesses were
called by the prosecution. OF these about
90 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. Itreally 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 VI
about a quarter of IN hour they gave in
averdict of guilty against all Of the four
prisoners,
Judge Archibald proceeded to pass
sentence. He began with the interesting
and truthful remark, ~ 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. d" 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 1.-THE sentence is
penal servitude for life, and l further
order that each one Of you pay one fourth.
OF the costs OF prosecution-f4s, 600, or.
s24s,OO0 in all. "
And, AFTER all, what aroused so greatly
MS indignationE 1t was simply this
because we wsre youngsters and Amer
leans and had successfully assaulted the
fondly imagined imprognable Bank OF
england and worse still, had held mp
to the laughter Of the whole world its
red tape idiotio management, for had
they even asked me for reference the
fraud would have been made impossible.
Let my reader contrast this modern
Jeffreys, his savage TRADE, and for an
offenso 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 perlured reports, for years had loot
cd the bank, finally robbing the depos-
itors OF sl,OOO,O 900, several of whom
committed suicide, and thousands more
oil whom wero ruined.
lhey We're tried' convicted and in
being sentenced were told that, being
men OF high social position, the disgrace
IN itself was a severe punishment.
therefore he should take that fact into
consideration and ended by sentencing
TWO 10 months, one to IL months and
one to Ia months Imprisonment.
We were sentenced lnta M r;ol,.
nearly 10 O'Clock. n smoky. fosov e.,
don night The court was packed tho
corridors crowded, and when the inrv
came in with their verdict tha srnrs 49,
ed excitement found vent But when
tho vindictive and unheard of sentence
fell from the lips of this villain Judge
an exclamation Of horror fell from thet
crowded court,
We turned from the Judge and want
down the stairs to the entrance NJ tho
underground passage leading to New.
gate. There we halted to say farewell
To say farewelll Yes. The Primrose
Way had come to an end, but wa were
comrades and friends still, and in order
that in the gloom OF the slow moving
days and the blackness and thick bor'
ror of the years to come we mich, ha,a
some thought in common yve thon 81
there promised--what could we moor
broken banlSrupts promiseS Wv p'or'
Where or to what in the thiol, horror
enshrouding us could we turn? We hsd
gctht,,,, -, 49,. A. ,, W HSu