The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-02-26
DOWN VERY FINE.
Punishment for MurderReduced
to the Vanishing Point.
COlOred People of Washington,
D. c., Are Angered
AT LIGHT SENTENCE
Of Three Hours in Jail Imposed
on Miss Flagler.
The Young Woman Only "ViS-
its With" the MatrOn.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26-There is great
Indignation among the colored people in
Washington over the light sentence
given to Miss Elizabeth Nj. Flagler, for
the shooting and killing of colored boy
last August The scene in the criminal
court when Miss Flagler was fined is de-
scribed in a local paper as follows:
When sentence was announced the
young woman's father, Gen. Daniel W.
Flagler, U. S. A, at once paid the fine by
handing Clerk N. c. Downs ten crisp $50
bills, and then, accompanied by her
father and a female friend, the distin-
guished prisoner was driven to Jail to
serve her brief term of Imprisonment
In his statement to the court before
plea was entered, Jere NJ. Wilson who
was Miss FIagler's attorney, said: This
is one of those unfortunate accidents and
cases which, in the pleading of the de-
fendanr of guilty of involuntary man
slaughter, does not call for anything but
the lightest penalty in the power of the
court. Without making any further
statement we submit the matter to your
honor, and crave on the part of the de-
fendant, the minimum penalty. To the
indictment she now desires to enter
plea of guilty of involuntary man
slaughter"
|. To Judge Cox's inquiry, District At
torney Biroey merely stated that the plea
would be acceptable to him, and then
Judge Cox asked if he should at once
impose the sentence. Mr. Perry and
Mr.. Wilson nodded assent, aud as Miss
Flagler stood up to receive her sentence
Mr.. Perry arose and stood beside her.
The yonng woman. attired Ia smart
street costume of dark material, was per-
fectly composed and now and then held
a delicate bottle of salts TO her face.
Judge Cox made no comment whatever,
merely saying:
"I sentence you to pay fine of $500
and to be imprisoned in jail for three
hours" si
Miss Flagler's face slightly flushed as
she heard her sentence, and then she
calmly seated herself beside her coun
sell. f-s-.
Her father handed Clerk Downs ten
$50 bills, and after the clerk had record
ed the plea and sentence and marked the
fine paid, the party stepped across the
corridor to the private room of Marshal
Wilson. There they remained until Miss
Flagler's commitment TO jail had been
made out, when it was handed to Bailiir
Thomas F. Cook, who escorted the
prisoner to Jail. Two carriages were
awaiting the party, and in one Miss Flag
ler and her female friends seated them
selves, while Bailiff Cook and General
| Flagler took the other. The Jail was
| quickly reached, Messrs. Perry and Will
| son bidding Miss FlaCler adieu at the
| court house, and at the prison the baiiiH
formally handed his prisoner over to the
| custody of Warden Leonard, taking the
warden's receipt for his charge.
From the court house the prisoner
| drove TO the Jail in a private carriage.
| She was accompanied by her father and
a female relative, She was not confined
! in CELL but was allowed to remain in
the matron's room. General Flagler
stayed with his daughter at the jail, as
did also her aunt, an elderly lady, and
| between them the hours were made to
| Bass as quickly as three hours under
| such circumstances and amid such sur
roundings could possibly be expected to
| pass.
The offense for which Miss Flagler
| was sentenced was the killing of Ernest
Green, a small coIored boy. the morning
of the I'd or last August. That morning
| the little fellow, accompanied by num-
| ber of his friends, started out TO play
ball in the suburbs. On the way they
stopped near the residence of General
| FIagler, on California avenue. Some
| fine fruit trees were on The place, and
| bows had been in the habit of robbing
them. Noticing the crowd of boys
Miss Flagler imagined that
! they were about to rob the
| trees and to frighten them on as
she explained afterward, she secured
small revolver and fired, she has
always contended, she supposed, in the
air. She is said to have fired twice, and
the boy, who was said to have been on
the fence, fell to the ground, shot through
the body.
The moment she discovered that the
boy had been wounded Miss Flagler had
him brought into the house, but he died
before physician could be secured. The
Young woman at once drove to police
headquarters. where she surrendered
herself to Maj Moore. An inquest
was held that evening, the jury
declaring, while we do not be-
lieve she Miss Flagler) did it with
murderous intent, yet we believe the
shots were fired carelesslv and inoiffer
emily, and upon the evidence we cannot
hold her."
Miss FIagler was thereupon discharg-
ed from arrest but i've days later she
was required to give bail in the sum of
$4,000 to answer any Indictment which
might be returned against her. The
31st, of last October an indictment was
returned against her charging her with
manslaughter, the penalty for which
offense is imprisonment for not more
than ten years and a fine not exceeding
$1,000.
RaiIrOaIfng to Farming.
D. F. Wickman, who has been en-
| -, he onditor of naGGoDU6r re-