The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1897-03-02

Court.
There was a session of Court on Sstur-
day. P. S. Scovel presented two matters
in the Orphans Court, asking a date for
their hearing
The three young men who were arrest
ed for breaking into the Mount Holly
Shoe Company's factory, were brought in
to Court. They are William Clevenger,
Harvey Thomas and Albert Donnelly.
Prosecutor Budd stated that the three
prisoners desired to waive Indictment
and plead guilty before the Court
The only crime with which he would
charge them would be the breaking and
entering, on the night of February 8, the
factory of the Mount Holly Shoe Com
pany, and stealing goods to the amount of
$25.
Each prisoner pleaded guilty and Mica
iah E. Matlack addressed the Court in
their behalf He said that on the Satur-
day night previous to the burglary Clev-
enger and Thomas were standing on the
corner of street, when the former said
he would like to get wire thread cutter.
Thomas said he thought it could be got at
the shoe factory. So the two men went
there, pried open a window, and secured
the desired article.
They then went to their CLUB house"
on West Washington street, and on the
way met Donnelly, to whom they told
what had been done and asked him to go
back to the factory with them. He did so
and the kit of tools and shoes we're stolen.
On the following Thursday they were
arrested. Donnelly was first secured and
on the information given by him, the two
other offenders were taken. Mr.. Matlack
called attention to the age of these de-
PENDANTS. Clevenger will be 81 next
month, Thomas is 10, and Donnelly Is.
Punishment seemed necessary, but the
Court was asked to bear in mind that
Donnelly had received severe chastise-
ment. for in addition to being imprisoned
he had suffered the loss, by death, of his
mother
These boys have comfortable homes,
decent Christian parents, all have been
brought up in respectable manner, but
they have brought sorrow upon their
families. They have made clean breast
of all their faults and that they will here
after lead better life there is no doubt.
To send them to state prison to associate
with hardened criminals would be hard
and Mr.. Matlack pleaded for a sentence
that would punish but would not forever
brand these young men with stain that
could not be erased.
Prosecutor Budd said it was not often
he came into Court in a case similar to
this. The young men before him had
been surrounded with teachings and in
huences which, if followed, would have
placed them in position very different
from that now occupied. That they had
saved the county expense by pleading
guilty could not be denied, and it had al
ways been the custom for the Court to
take such action into consideration when
imposing sentence.
The prosecutor said he recognized the
fact that the Court is always in an unen-
viable position when sentence is to be
passed, and he was ever ready to aid in
giving his ADVICE and counsel. The pris-
oners had an old house which they des-
ignated club. The evidence of their
guilt was found there. and in all the arti-
cles found there was nothing to show that
much evil had been intended by the
actions of those arrested. In fact it
seemed to him tie acts were merely those
of reckless bravado.
Punishment is always warning to
others who may be tempted to commit
crime, as well as penalty upon those who
have already been guilty. Mr.. Budd felt
that any sentence which will accomplish
the punishment of these defendants and
at the same time aid in their reformation
would be justice to all.
Judge Gaskill asked the prosecutor if
any evidence had come to his notice i'm
plicating these prisoners with the burg
laries committed at some of the residences
in the town. Mr.. Budd answered in the
negative, and the Court decided to hold
the sentence under advisement for a
week.
Prosecutor Budd's answer was undoubt-
eddy true with regard to residences, but
how about other places? In the club
house where the goods taken from the
shoe factory were found, there were sew
eral articles known to have been stolen
from other places. The chisel which
forced open the window of the shoe fac
tory was recognized as the property of the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company, and
other articles found in the club house
were identified as property stolen from
other places. There may not be any eyi-
dence to implicate these defendants with
the other robberies, but the fact that
they have pleaded guilty to one indict-
ment and that stolen goods were in their
rendezvous Is not in their favor