The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-12-10

one of false pretenseS, and was SEN
fenced to twelve years and six months
in the Eastern penitentiary He was
given three years and six months on
each of the charges of forgery and two
years for false pretenses.
Morgan is considered one of the most
dangerous men that has been tried In
The local courts for many years. He is
highly educated extremely cunning,
and, according to his own admissions,
has lived by his wits for twenty-five
years. He is now forty-seven. He
knows all the details OF the banking
business and is an expert perman.
Although nothing definite is known
about his past career it Is probable
that this is not his first venture In the
forgery line. 1t is known that his right
name is not Fred Morgan. that being
the name of a friend Of his who lives
at Long Branch, n. j.
Morgan had a long statement con-
Cerning his case written, which covered
eightytwo pages of legal cap. This he
wanted to read to the jury Monday,
but by advice of his counsel the jury
was saved the necessity of listening to
it. 1t is an exceptionally we'll written
document, and the defense constructed
in 1t is most ingenious.
Morgan and the Judge.
After the jury returned its verdict Of
guilty yesterday morning. Judge New
comb called the convicted man before
him, and this dialogue followed:
Court-My impression is that your true
name is not Morgan.
Prisoner-Your impression as to my.
name being other than Morgan is quite
correct, but owing to my excellent fam
lily ] would prefer not to disclose my
identitS. I am kecnly sensible to my un-
fortunate position. and pray your honor
In my plea for mercy. that you will call
all your friendly and brotherly. and I may
add your fatherly feeling, to my assist
ance. I appreciate the fact of the privi-
lego accorded me by the court and the
fury and the learned district attorney.
do net think that l care to say anything
further.
Court-Q. Have YOU ever been in the
pentcntiary? A. No. sir
Q. Did You serve II term in the peni-
tentary at Trenton. n. J.9 \. No, sir.
g. Sure of that? A. Yes sir
G. think you have held rather i'm
portant positions in your day. I should
not be surprised if you have been bank
clerk some day? a. Never.
Q. Possibly you have been a telegraph
operator? a. followed that occupation
for some time years ago.
Q. You write an excellent hand a. good
clerical hand You have had some advan-
taEes you have had some education. May
ask you where You attended school?
A. attended school for little less than
nine months during all my life. My
learning has been gathered by being buff
feted about
Q. Who're did YOU learn telesraphy? a.
I picked that up myself from a manual I
nad
c. You have been arrested before? A.
Once for being intoxicated
q Have you ever been arrested for any
thing like stealing, like forgery or for
cheating by false preteuses? A. Never.
Q. Where was your last place of en-
ployment? A. AT silver Creek.
Q. Can you now tell us how long ago
that was? A. cannot; Il is over twen-
tS-five years ago, and since that time
have had no regular employment.
Living by Els Wits.
Q. You have been living by your Wits
A. 1t depends upon Just what you mean
by that.
@. use It IN it's bad sense. and You
understand what that means? \. If you
mean that, no sir. If you mean ! employ
my wits to como here to Scranton and
beat any one out of money. if that Is
rnent of my wits ! have been endowed by
good common sense by the Lord God AL
mighty and ! have employed them TO
good advantage.
.. And for that reason We cannot re-
sist the conviction that YOU are n very
dangerous man, and 7 hon" ] do YOU no
Injustice In entertaining the strong con-
vlction that you have served time be-
fore, because q man Of your talents and
Of your proclivitieS could not escape the
laws long grasp at tho age of forty |
seven. and I may say to you that 1t IS
not without an acute sense of pity and
sorrow that I feel called upon to impose
such sentence as the law demands in n
case of your kind, Il sentence that must
he measured largely by the stress OF
public security. You are n man Of super !
tor ability, you are clever perpetrator in
your line-as yet your exact line is some |
thing Of mystery but YOU certainly
have had a career and It has not been
mt all times an honest career. As | say .
am convinced and | do not believe that
any good citizen could fail to be con- F,
WINGED from what has developed on the |
trial here that your heing at large in
society will be constant menace. and |
while We will not impose the full penalty |
Of the law upon you, we feel in duty
bound to impose such sentence upon you
rs will afford society some protection
from your further enterprises for n con-
siderable time, with the hope slight us
It may he, that when your term of i'm
prsonment expires You will come out
prepared to devote your gifts and talents
and ability TO better uses than | fear you |
have been accustomed to.
williams Tried.
Harry Williams was tried before |
Judge Edwards for buying car axles
from Robert Marshall and John Keeley |
boys aged IA and Is respectively, the |
axles having been stolen from the Bulls |
Head Coal Company. The transaction |
occurred last August The boys went |
on the stand and admitted stealing the |
axles and selling them to Williams.
One of them, Keeley, said that Super
intendent OF police Day told them to tell |
the truth about the case and they |
would let up on him. This the defense
tried to construe into an effort on the |
part of the police department to build |
up a fictitious case against Williams. |
The latter denied absolutely having
purchased anything from the boys who
accused him.
There were number of junk dealers |
IN court and In charging the jury Judge |
Edwards made some remarks that were |
probably intended for them as we'll as
the jurors. He said that junk dealers
ought to be more cautious in their pur-
ehases from boys and when the latter
offer any articles of value that have not |
been discarded they should inquire who
the owner Is and buy from the owner
rather than the boys. When boys find |
Il so easy to dispose of articles that
roma inta thair naasassinn ~ Ia M In