The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1895-08-22
TAYLOR SENTENCED.
MUST SERVE FIVE YEARS AT
HARD LABOR.
Judge Gaffcy Says the Ex-Treasurer's
Greatest Crime Was His Attempt to
Force a Compromise With the State
Ignores the Two Years Statute.
Taylor Pleads Guilty.i

Pierre, Aug. ID: The court room was
crowded this morning with people from
all parts of the state who care to hear the
famous Taylor case.
About 10 o'clock States Attorney
Holmes, for Hughes county, announced
to the court that he was ready to pre-
sent the arraignment against w. w.
Taylor, and he was called before the
court and a~rraigned on the charge Of
embezzling 1857, O23.S4 Of the funds of
South Dakota collected by him and In
his hands at the time he was to turn
over the same to his successor, Kirk G.
Phillips, January s, 1895.
Messrs. Horner and Stewart, counsel
for Taylor, asked for a few minutes
conference with their client before he
should plead. After a few minutes
Taylor returned to court and his at
torneys filed a demurrer to the indict-
ment on which he was arraigned.
claiming that the grand jury which
returned the indictment had no author
ity to examine into the offense charged,
as it was committed outside of their
Jurisdiction and that more than n
offense was charged.
The demurrer was submitted with
out argument and was overruled by
the judge. Taylor was then asked If
he was ready to plead n declared
himself ready. The judge stated the
facts Of the indictment, to which Tay-
lor pleaded Guilty" and announced
that two days would be allowed to
elapse before judgment would be pro-
nOunced.
Taylor's attorneys then stated that
their client wished to waive the two
days allowed and asked that sentence
be pronounced tomorrow and that their
client be admitted to bail.
Judge Gaffy granted the request in
regard to pronOuncing judgment and
settled the time at $3.50 a. m, but re-
fused to fix bail and remanded the de-
PENDANT to the custody Of the sheriff.
Taylor takes the situation cOOlly and
betrayed no feeling in court. His wife
did not attend the trial, but his brother
Is here from Lafayette, Ind, and was
in court.
The crime for which w. w. Taylor
pleaded guilty was the embez-
element Of 1857, 900 OF the state
to appear and turn over to his successor
the funds supposed to be in his custody
none but the fd$ had any thought
but that he void appear and make
settlement withfthe state. When he
called to come to time all was excite
ment for a few days and then a deter
mined effort was put forth by the au-
the same time recover for the state the
money lost by his acts.
Since Taylor's return and it has been
possible to get at the inside history of
the causes Of the defalcation, it appears
that he expected to be able to settle up
In full until just a few days prior to the
date when he would have to turn over
the funds to the state, when he found
that the friends whom he had accom-
modated with loans could not repay.
and hat on account Of the financial
crisis at that time he could not realize
or the many investments in which he
had used the state money. which, under
ordinary business conditions, would
nave brought him through all right.
When he found he could not raise
the money he went to Attorney D. X.
Tenney, of Chicago, for advice, and evil
IDENTIFY acting upon the advice withdrew
all the state funds which he could Sc
cure without causing comment, and de-
posted them with trust trans
fers of all his property with
Of Chicago. He then left the country
anally returning to the United States
but remaining in c~oncealment until
the agreement was made for his return
Indictments for conspiracy yet stand
against H. M. Benedict, c. T. Mccoy
John T. McChesney. D. X. Tenny and
Charles S. Wells, only the first two eve
having been brought into court te
plead to the indictments, and theii
trials are set for the November term Of
the circuit court. Judgments yet stanC
against all the bondsmen, which will
not be set aside until the state is fully
reimbursed for all losses through Tay.
lor.