The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1895-01-30
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS FOR STEALING.
That's What Bill Males Got for Taking
Hog and He Didn't Repine Either.

The quality of mercy is not so strain
ed in behalf of criminals in portions of
the Southern courts, or was not some
years ago, as it often is, say, in Illinois.
The law provides for heavy penalties
and neither Judge nor jury hesitates for
a moment about imposing them when
the occasion seems to demand it.
Just after the war crimes were some
what numerous down in Eastern North
Carolina and the courts were kept busy.
Those were the days when horsesteal-
ing, arson, burglary, highway robbery,
and other crimes beside murder were
punished by death sentences, which
were invariably executed, while lesser
crimes had corresponding need of re-
ward. Murders might and often did
escape justice, but other transgressors,
never.
Bill Males, "poor-white" clay-eater,
who owned a wife, nine small children,
six cur or "tice" dogs, and nothing else
in the world, had been arrested and in
dicted for hog stealing. Bills "cussed-
ness" was so pronounced that it passed
into proverb among his own class,
which was very extraordinary, as mod
crate amount of that commodity was
commonly regarded by them as good
! thing.
Bill did work sometimes. but it was
| an inheXible rule with him to stop when
his earnings amounted to So. Fifty
cents of the amount was then invested
ia corn meal for the larder and the re-
mainder in whisky for himself. The
latter fact will explain in a large degree
Bills unpopularity among his neigh
bors, whose unvarying rule when they
got hold of whisky was to call In the
"folkses" and have good, old-fashioned
drunk together, men. women, and chill
dren. Nothing could possibly be more
contemplate from their point of view
than for man to "git pizen drunk all
ter hisself" as Bill was wont to do.
Hence Bill lay in Jail three months.
with no one to visit him except his sal
low-faced wife and ragged children,
who took him 'backer N whisky" at re-
current intervals. Because he had no
friends the court was compelled to as
sign him counsel, for no lawyer would
have been willing to take his case vol
UNFAIRLY, even if he had had money.
The prevailing sentiment among them
and everybody else was that the hen
roosts, potato and melon patches, sheep
folds, and hog ranges would show
| IL WOAO hOR'
out of the neighborhood.
The youthful attorney who represent
ed him withdrew with the prisoner fol
brief season to the jury-room thai
opened off from the court and when he
returned announced that Mr.. Males, in
''view of the evidence and the facts, de
sired to enter plea of guilty, throwing
himself on the mercy of the court, whose
sense of justice would unquestionably
lead him right"
7 Bill nodded his head approvingly tt
i. what was said by his counsel and to in
terrogatories from the Judge frankly
confessed he had crept by night into tn
hog pen of Mexican Jennings, borne
thence "razor-back" hog of uncertain
value; that he had cut its throat, scald
ed and cleaned the carcass, cut it up
and salted it down in his own pork bar
n rel, concluding with:
"But, Judge, 'twer' desput'ly po' n
stringy."
Mexico solemnly testified that thi
particular "razor-back" was pet of tn
household which he valued at upward
of $40, although he "moughter not tin'
buyer at them fggers."
The Judge evidently deemed it un
necessary to go further into the ev
dence, for he stopped Short bade Bi
stand up, and said sternly:
Prisoner. weighing your geners
character, with the evidence, have de
cided TO give you twenty-five years an
have only to regret that 1 cannot intiit
a severer penalty. Mr.. Sheriff, take th
prisoner"
The good people were accustomed
heavy punishment for crimes, but eve
they, those present and afterward tn
whole community, were astounded (
such a sentence for the larceny of
~razor-back" that was not worth 5!
bill.
Bill, however. regarded the matte
differently. His face was wreathed
a succession of smiles as he turned
unaffected joy to his counsel and e;
claimed:
"'Hit were peart move er pleadu
guilty, fer ef Judge Plume hev had I
jury to help him out, durn ef he would
er hung me, sho's snaix."