The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-03-14
MILTON SHEETS
CONDEMNED TO DIE.
Received the Sentence With the
Same Indifference that has
Characterized BIS Con-
duct Throughout.
Claims Weller ADMITTED that He Testified
Falsely Against Hin.
WELLER GOES TO TEE @PEs~ FOR rrs
YEARS.

-----1A GOEo ~ IhE "REH" FOR TEE
YEARS.
Milton Sheets. convicted OF murder Of
the tFst degree al December coart. wss
Friday afternoon condemned to die on
the gallows.
HAIRY Weller. the aecctnplice of Sheets
10 the murder Of Augustus GIessner. who
was permitted by the Court o esser a
plea Of guilty Of murder OF the second
degree, was sentenced TO the penitentiary
io- period Of ten years.
The time of the court was occupied M
until four O'Clock Friday afternoon with
TIE trial OF an eiectment suit, and after
ene attorneys had finished summing MP &c,
The jury, Judge Longeneoker announcej
tnAt he would withhold his charge until
saturday morning. as he wished TO dis
pose OF the matter of sentence in the cases
OF The Commonwealth vs.. Sheets and
Weller.
The news that Sheets and Weller we're
about to receive their sentence spread
rapidly, aud in a few minutes several
hundred men assembled in the court
room.
When the defendants came into court
escorted by Sheriff Saylor, both cast their
eyes over the audienee as though search
ing for the face Of sympathetic friend,
before taking seats inside the space re-
served for members of the bar. The de-
PENDANTS we're neatly attired. and aside
from the prison palloT occ2sloned by their
long confinement. showed no evidence of
being criminals. Sheets entered into a
whispered consolidation with his Attor-
neys, while Weller, with his hands jam
med into his pantaloons pockets. lolled
in chair in front of them, apparently
uninterestsd in what was transpiring
about him.
District Attorney Meyers filed formal
motion thai sentence be imposed in the
case of Sheets, and when Judge LOngen-
ecker directed the prisoner 10 stand up,
Sheets sprang lightly to his feet and walk
cd to position Immediately facing the
Court
Ia response 10 Judge Longenscker's
question, Have you anything 70 say be-
fore sentence is imposed7r the defendant.
in clear and frm tone, said that he had
not His Honor then imposed the SEN
tence Of death. halIing for moment and
glspcing steadily in the face Of the beard
les youth before him when he uttered
the words, And may God in his infiuite
wisdom have mercy on your soal.n
Sheets stood erect as a craven image
throughout the trying ordeal, and there
was no trace Of moisture about his eyes
or evidence Of excitement in his face
when he resumed his seat.
A few minutes afterward be turned TO
the HERALD reporter and said: Perhaps
shO0ld have told the Judge that Weller
has told me since the trial that be did no.
tell the truth when he testified against
me. and that he believed he was justified
IN making false statements in order to
save himself"
Sheets has persistently sverred that
Weller first suggested robbing Glessne-,
and that Weller held one of their victims
hands while he rified his pockets. He
also maintains that they attacked Gless-
ner on the Berlin side Of the strip Of
woods, and not at the point where their
victims body was found.
When Weller was told 70 stand mp, he
arose quickly, and without removing his
hands from his pockets He asked the
Court to be a. lenient as possible with
him. After a whispered consultation with
the Associates. Judge Longenecker, sd-
dressing the defendant. spoke substan-
TALLY as follows: The circumstances sur
rounding this case were such that the
Court decided 10 permit your counsel to
withdraw your plea Of not guilty, and to
submit one Of guilty Of murder Of the
second degree instead We we:e i'm
pressed with the fact that you were per-
hs2s controlled by "a stronger mind. bat
you were an sccomplice in a brutal mGr
der and we are not disposed 10 deal leni
emily with you Until recently the max
imum sentence in cases of murder of the
second degree was ten years confne-
ment, but the Legislature has very wisely
changed the law, making the maximum
penalty twenty years. We have taken
your youth into consideration with all the
other Circumstances. The sentence Of the
law is that you undergo imprisonment in
the Western PenitentiAry in the City Of
Allegheny for period Of ten years, TO be
c Imputed from this dsre-"
Wellsr's face was wreAthed in smiles
when be turned to the audience and
sought the eountensnce Of his father. who
occu pied one Of the eenter-sislese seats- He
had expected 70 get not less than from fI-
teen 10 eighteen years in the pen" and
expressed himselfss being delighted with
the sentence Of the Court Good behavior
on the part Of Weller will redace the
term of his imprisonment more than
year.
Sheets attorneys have declared all along
that ii their application for new trial for
their client was refused they would take
an appeal To the Supreme Court They
have twenty days in which 70 file their