Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-29
A SIX We ARS' TER M
The Knockout Drops Men Severely
Punished.
Judge Cole Showed Them No Mercy
and In View of Their Many Ofenscs
Made an Example of Them.

Gentlemen engaged In or intending to
engage in the Knockout drops" profession
received a rather severe and discouraging
blow at the hands of Judge Cole today,
the judge giving two young men six years
in the Albany penitentiary at hard labor
the extreme penalty-for practicing their
profession here.
The young men were Frederick alias
Frank, alias Fred, Nelson and Frank Lewis,
alias Lewis Mansfield. They were con-
victed before Judge Cole the 18th Of this
month of robhing Peter Outwater Of Pat
erson, N. j.. OF $40 and watch last month
by administering choral to him in a glass
of liquor they persuaded him to take with
them. They were tried at the same time
in two other cases. but in those cases a
verdict of not guilty was rendered. Last
week Judge Cole denied the men new
trial, and today they were brought up for
sentence. In asking that sentence be i'm
posed, District Attorney Birney stated
after Mr.. c. II. Turner of counsel for the
prisoners. had read several letters from
people in New York relative to the past
character of Nelson. that at the time of
the trial he received requ:sition for the
men from the governor Of Maryland, charg-
ing them with a similar offense in Balti-
more. He had also been informed that the
men are wanted in Cincinnati and Pitts
burg. By Detective Pinkerton he had been
told that Mansfield had served a term in
the Albany penitentary.
Deny Other Ofenses.
Mr. A. A. Lipscomb, on behalf of the
prisoners, denied that they had ever been
convicted of any previous offense, and he
made strong plea for leniency to them,
stating that both are married. Nelson hav-
ing, beside his wife, child and widowed
mother to support.
In imposing sentence Judge Cole said
1.-THE letters from New York are rather un-
satisfactory, for there is nothing tangible
in them. l have always made it a rule in
imposing sentence to take into consdera-
ton the past life of the prisoner, dealing
ieniently where the prisoners past life has
been good. But the letters read fail to state
whether the men have or have not hitherto
pursued an honorable career. l do not in
tend to be influenced by what the dis rict
attorney has said of them, but will act
alone on the facts developed at the trial.
Those facts are very serious, and while the
jury acquitted the defendants in two of the
three cases, | cannot avoid the impression
which those facts made on my mind. | be-
lieve that the prisoners came here the
result OF a conspiracy to rob people by
means of very dangerous drug.
Worse Than Highway Robbery.
Such a thing is worse even than high
way robbery, for then force may be re-
PEELED by force, while by the means en-
p!oyed by the defendants life is endanger-
ed unknown to the victim, and in a man
ner which allows him no chance of de-
Tending himself. These men undoubtedly
came to this city for the purpose of doing
just what they did do. In such cases l
have always imposed the extreme penalty.
and L feel that 1 must do it In this case
The sentence is, therefore, that the de-
PENDANTS be confined in the Albany peni-
Tertiary at hard labor for six years each,
to take effect upon their arrival there"
The prisoners received tn cir sentence
smilingly, but their fashionably attired
wives were visibly disappoin Mansfield
told Judge Cole that he wished to vindi-
cate himself, declaring that he had never
before been IMPRISONED. The judge re-
marked that he needed no vindication, and
then. after notice of an appeal to the
Court of Appeals had been given, the men
were remanded to iail.