The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-18
HORsA OFFICERS SENTENCED.
The Captain Must Pay $500 and Serve
sixteen Months.

Philadelphia, March 17.-Judge Butler
in the United States circuit court this
morning overruled the motion for a new
trial in the case Of the officials of the
steamer Horsa, for beginning a military
expedition for carrying men and arms to
CUBA TO assist in the war against Spain,
ana passed sentence upon the prisoners.
Capt. j. II. S. Wilson was sentenced to
pay hne of $500 and costs and undergo
Imprisonment for one year and four
months in the eastern penitentiary,
Mates Jens P. Petersen and Hans Johan-
sen were sentenced to pay a fine of 500
and costs and Imprisonment of eight
months each in the county prison.
Before pronouncing the sentences, Judge
Butler addressed Capt Ker and Charles
L. Brown, counsel for the defendants, at
some length. The judge substantially
said that he was unable to give the statute
any other Interpretation and that he had
found nothing of substance to justify the
granting of new trial To put any other
Interpretation on the statute, the judge
said, would make it absolutely abortiVe
or a delusion. To do so would make the
statute appear as false pretence on the
part of congress, and false pretence to
discharge national duty-it would make
1t disgrace to the nation. The evidence,
the Judge declared, left no reasonable
room for the escape of the defendants.
The judge continuing, said that no one
could tell what his feelings were at this
time and where his sympathies were, and
that he felt glad that If he was putting a
wrong construction on the meaning of this
statute, his error was open to correction
by appeal to the supreme court.
The judge gave it as his view that un-
der the evidence it was shown
that in this case there was an organiza-
ton in this country, in which the defend
ants took part, to carry men and arms
to Cuba to tight against Spain, with which
country the United States was at peace.
The expedition had been organized in
New York and Philadelphia, and it made
no difference as to where the exact point
was at which the men and arms were
placed on the vessel.
The captain and his two mates were
told to stand up. They took their seh-
tences cOolly.
In speaking to Capt. wiborg. the judge
said that he was a foreigner and as he
came to the United States with the
thought of being protected by its laws,
he should have known that he must obey
them. He had violated the law for gain.
1t was not proposed to infiict a severe
sentence, but the idea was to make 1t
sufficiently heavy to deter Others from
committing like offenses.
To the mates the Judge said that he
would deal with them with less severity,
but it must be borne in mind that they
were no wealSlings, If they had protested
against going on the voyage no one could
have forced them to do so.
After saying that he had no feelings
of animosity against the men. further
than he had against any one who trans
gressed the law, he named the punish
ment.
Subsequently the sentence of the two
mates was changed to, one year each, so
as to enable them to go to the Eastern
penitentary instead of to the county pri-
son. This make their sentences what the
law terms as infamous, and gives a bet
ter status before the supreme court
The case of all three of the defendants
is to be taken to the supreme court upon
a writ of error, and special allocatur
asked for to enable the defendants to be
liberated upon bail pending the argument
before the supreme court.