The Anaconda standard., 1898-01-01
He ACTED LIKE A MAN
Brickett Pleads Guilty and Asks
for Immediate Sentence.
JUDGE LESLIE GRlEVED
He Gives the Prisoner the Minimum
Penalty and Regrets Circumstances.
The Gamblers Got About All
the Dough in Sight.

Great Falls. Dec. o1-John Guerin
chief of police, arrived here this morn
ing with his prisoner, William Brickett
whom he picked up in Butte. For the
past five years Brickett has been EN-
ployed on the sheep ranch of T. G.
Power, up the Sun River valley. A
herder working on the ranch named
A. ]. Austin had two comptroller's
checks for the payment of his share of
the second dividend from the North
western National bank. These he gave
to the foreman Ira Ingraham, to de-
posit for him in the Great Falls Ma
tional bank. Ingraham carried them
about in his pocket with letter for
some time until when. at Fort Benton,
he was reminded of their existence by
a letter from Austin. Then he could
not find them. Brickett demurs to this
part of the story by claiming that Aus
tin gave the checks to him, Brickett,
to deposit for him. But the rest of the
story is the same.
Brickett came to this city with the
checks. He got to drinking and then
to gambling. He gambled away all of
him own money and then. in a weak
moment, thinking that he could replace
the money and no harm would result,
he forged Austin's Endorsement to the
checks and got the money on them.
5000 of the money left, there being some
$3.50 originally. Every cent of this. sum
he lost at the tables in Butte. he says.
On the return trip he told Chief Guerin
the whole story.
This morning he was taken before
Justice Burleigh for preliminary hear
ing. He pleaded guilty to the charge
of grand larceny and begged that he
be taken, as soon as possible, before
the district court that he might receive
his sentence and have it over with. The
complaint was accordingly made out
at once and the prisoner taken before
Judge Leslie at o'clock this afternoon.
The information charged him with the
theft of but one of the checks. $20I60
in amount. He was informed by the
bench that he could have "a hours in
which to make his plea, and that he
was also entitled to the services of an
attorney, he said
Il am guilty and | do not see that
these things would do me any good"
Then the court told him of the statu-
tory allowance of time before sentence
could be passed. He also waived that.
sn perfectly steauy voice and one
which impressed the few present With
its sincerity he again spoke:
I've got to go. | wish to 60 ! am
guilty and l think that / ought to be
punished The sooner | go the better,
and the sooner will it be over"
His whole bearing was manly and an
extremely unusual one in such circum-
stances. The judge. in passing SEN
tence said that it was the most un-
pleasant duty of his term. He believed
that the prisoner had been guilty of a
technical crime. but not of a criminal
intention He had made a mistake
which had brought him under the OBJ
servance of the law and it's officers.
While in the penitenJlary the prisoner
would be brought into contact with only
vicious characters. but that need not
destroy his manhood. 1t rested entirely
with him whether he came out worse
or a better man. He then gave him
the minimum sentence of one year.
The prisoner sat down. and while up
TO that time he had exhibited all of
the self-control which is possible to a
comparatively innocent man. he then
broke down and cried quietly. On his
out his time and as soon as he was free
he would set to work to pay Austin
back every cent which he had taken
1rom him. ,,udSe Leslie. after the thing
was over said that it was the first time
he had sentenced a man whom he
thought did not deserve the sentence.
He thought 1t was a pity that the
parties who were engaged in the bus-
ness had not come together and tried to
settle the matter up without sending
Brickett over the road. An officer of
the court stated that Ingraham had
said that If the gamblers who had OBJ