Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1901-06-24
A UNIQUE SENTENCE.
fHE NOVEL PENALTY A JUDGE I'M
POSED UPON TWO MEN.

Both Prisoners Were Condemned to
Jail Until One of Them, n College
Graduate, Taught the other How to
Rend and Write.
Along in the seventies the late Judge
Arnold Krekel was holding court at
Jefferson City, relates an old timer,
when there appeared before him two
men charged and indicted for a VIOLA
tion of the United States laws, one Of
whom will be called Brown He was
charged with cutting timber on the
public domain. Brown was about 40
years old and had been reared on the
border in Arkansas and never had any
| opportunities for schooling, hence was
| unable to read or write. In his en-
deavors to get living he had cut tim
ber suitable for making ak handles on
| United States lands, which led to his
arrest and Imprisonment. The other
man will be called Jones. for the real
name of both men are not known in
] the memory of any one who witnessed
the incident.
Jones was charged with and indicted
for having sold liquor to the Indians.
Mr.. Jones was a native of New York,
| a graduate of Union college and was
educated for a lawyer. He possessed
highly cultured mind, a good Latin
ist and thoroughly scholarly in all
sorts of books. Not succeeding in his
profession In his native state, more
from lack of application than other
wise, he left that country and plunged
into the great west and located no.
body knew where, but he drifted into
the lower strata of society. and to OBJ
tain the necessaries of life he resorted
to "bootlegging" among the red men
Of the Indian Territory border. His
: arrest and Imprisonment followed.
The two men were arraigned before
Judge Krekel and the indictments
read. They both pleaded guilty and
threw themselves upon the mercy Of
the court. The court questioned both
prisoners at length and drew from
each his history. He recounted the
wrongs they had been guilty of against
society. He did this in a kindly tone
and manner, suggesting in mild form
that both might have been useful mem
bers of some community had they
: sought honorable means and methods
to secure livelihood.
The court seemed puzzled how to as
: sess a punishment that would meet the
. ends of justice and project the govern
a ment its lands, its wards and society.
Finally, sitting upright in his chair.
looking over his glasses as both men
stood before him, In a voice little Loud
i er and more positive than usual he
), said:
"Mr. Brown, 1t is the sentence Of the
II court that you be confined in the Cole
county Jail until you are educated to
Il read and write" The judge then turn
ed his eyes upon the other prisoner al
y the bar and. possibly IN n louder voice
said, "Mr. JoEes, ii Is the sentence OF
the court that you be confined in the
h Cole county Jail until you have taught
20 Mr.. Brown to read and write, and
!. enjoin upon the keeper of the Jail tc
~ afford you every facility possible with
T. the safe keeping of his prisoners"
"a The lawyers and spectators in cour
If looked with astonishment at each 9th
er as the sentence was concluded, ant
y the marshal led the prisoners out o,
D. the courtroom.
s. 1t was the second term of the cour
after this incident when the marsha
conducted Brown and Jones into court
and It was announced by the cour
that Brown had completed his educa
tion-ready to graduate-able to reat
Tn Il lrnI
his glasses and asked that the prisone
le give him an evidence Of his being abb
to, read. Brown stood up and read
few paragraphs from a newspaper Il
the satisfaction of the court, when h
IL said, "Mr. Clerk, will you let him 81
ID at a table and write me letter"
Paper. pen. ink and seat were fur
It. nished Brown, who went TO work {
ho write letter to the court. For som
~ time the poor fellow struggled wit
rh the task, and in the meantime Jone
=, was very nervous, fearing he woul
~ be compelled to go back to Jail an
at take up school, again. Finally tn
49, clerk said. "May it please your honol
's the prisoner can write, but cannot forr
Fl. sentences to make 1t Ineligible"
:, Mr.. Clerk" said the court, not tai
~ ing his eyes from the court docket h
nd was looking at. you will dictate lie
ter for him and see what headway b
makes with that" The clerk dictated
letter that the prisoner wrote quit
eadily. which subsequently was pas
ed up to the court, who read the sam
and after giving the prisoners shol
lecture both were discharged an
walked from the courtroom free mel
&c Jefferson City Tribune.