The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-03-09
Both Get Five Years, Then Go Before
Grand Jury and ImpIicate Six
teen Other Citizens.
MARION A GOOD NEWS CENTER
FOUR NEGROES IMPLICATED IN THE
HALLIDAY ROBBERY.
Girl Dying of Poison Furnished by q
Barbcr-Miners March to SceIy-
willie 10 Force a Strike.

Special TO the Indianapolis Journal.
AUBURN, Ind, March S.-Auditor T. A.
Borst and ex-Treasurer r. w. Sawvel. who
were indicted by the grand jury last
Thursday for grand larceny and forgery,
having conspired together and robbed the
county treasury of thousands of dollars,
went before Judge Adair this forenoon and
pleaded guilty, throwing themselves on the
mercy of the court who had come from his
home in Columbia City to hear these cases.
They helped get away with $4,000 of the
county funds. After listening TO Attorney
j. w. Baxter in behalf of the prisoners,
who pleaded earnestly for mercy, Prosecu-
tor Davis and +. S. Roby pointed out the
enormity of the crime against the people.
After the judge heard the attorney and the
prosecutors he taxed that the offenses with
which the prisoners were charged were pun
ishable with inn risonment for not less than
two years nor more than fourteen. mas
much as they had made complete restitu-
ton by turning over their homes and farms
and because of the former good standing
as honest citizens, he would sentence each
to term of five years in the penitentiary
and assess a fine of $40 each. 1t was q sad
spectacle witnessed by the hundreds of peo-
pie that crowded into the courthouse. Sym
pathy for the families of the condemned
men seems to have spread over the city.
The prisoners are now at their homes in
charge of deputies, and will be taken to
prison tomorrow.
This makes three of the county robbers
sentenced. Both the prisoners broke down
and wept bitterly when they heard the sem
tence. expecting a much lighter one. Borst
Is about forty yeas old and Sawvel forty
six. They raised Several thousand dollars
worth of COUNTY orders and i'm large num-
Der of cases hid issued fraudulent orders
and had them caShed and divided the
money. Borst had been in the auditors
office for twelve years and was very popu-
lar. No man in De Kalb county was held
in higher esteem than ex-Treasurer Sawvel
He was never known TO cheat man. His
word was as good as bond. He had ac-
quired considerable property before enter
ing the Office and paid out much of this to
settle his crookedneSS. He is a church
member and has been a Sunday-school SUI
perintendent. There are three more ex-
officers under arrest and the grand jury, il
Is expected, will return several more in
dictments.
A dispatch from Waterloo says: Enough
indictments have been found against Saw
vel and Borst to keep them in the peniten-
tiary for life if the indictments should be
prosecuted from time TO time as each sue
cessive term expires. but the judge ex-
planned that the hve-year sentence was to
cover all. Sawvel in an interview after his
sentence said: II think my sentence Is too
much and II have to suffer the penalty
others will be punished likewise
This interview was more fully explained
by Sawvel and BorSt going before the
grand jury and making confessions impli-
eating others. whose names are not known
Ut is reported by one who claims to have
heard what Sawvel said after he had been
before the grand jury with his confession.
that he had implicated fifteen others and
the same sperson claims to have heard
Borst remark that he made confessions
ports are not given out by the grand Jury
ii is believed that from the confession of
these two the grand jury will find other
indictments which will lead to the arrest
of several other prominent citizens of this
county within the next few days.