The Savannah morning news., 1902-11-13

a short while. after which the grand
jury returned its indictments. and the
trial of criminal matters was taken
up.
The first case was that of Howell S.
Price. who was indicted on three
counts, for stealing a mail pouch, for
cutting it open and for stealing the
letters therefrom. The defenda Mt 8
counsel Mr.. Dryer. offered to enter
plea of guilty to the count charging
the prisoner with the theft of the
pouch. and to this the district attor-
ney. Mr.. Alderman. consented. De-
PENDANTS counsel then introduced let
tiers to show the good character of the
father of the boy. and submitted to
the court that 1t was the fathers re-
quest that his son be punished, though
he did not wish him sent to the peni-
tertiary.
with Head Bowed Low
During the progress of the trial the
young man sat with his head bowed
occasionally giving vent to his humilia-
ton by tears. In passing sentence on
the youth, Judge Speer said that while
the boy was young, he was large
enough to be dangerous criminal. ana
expressed it as his opinion that the lad
should be sent to the penitentiary.
where he would be under strictest
discipline. The limit of the law In
such a case is one years imprison-
ment
IF I sent this boy to JAIL" said the
court, "a years confinement would
have bad influence upon him. l am
restricted by the statute from impos-
ing a sentence in the penitentiary ana
he is too old to be sent to the reform
atory. Since he has already been in
jail three months. l will give him an
additional three months, RETAINING
from imposing any fine, which would
inflict hardship upon his father, who,
as letters before the court show, is a
good man."
Sent to RefOrmatOry.
Alonzo r. Kicks, a fair haired, blue
eyed, rudy faced lad of 10 years, was
arraigned on a charge of having brok-
en- into the postoffice at Norriston, in
Emanuel county, and stealing 95 cents.
Unlike the Price boy, that lads age
made it possible, under the statute, to
send him to a reform school, and this
the court promptly did. In sentencing
the prisoner the court took occasion to
give him lecture. he said:
Your offense is a bad one. Any
body who robbed a postoffice, particu-
larly by burglary, such as yours, COM
mits an offense which under some gov
ernments might be punished by death
and which on some of our state laws
may be sent to the penitentiary for
many years. I don't think you have a
bad face, and you might yet make a
good man. ! will send you to the re-
form school at Washington for the full
term of i've years. If you avail your
self of the opportunities presented
there it will do you a great deal Of
good"
Gave HI mthe Limit.
postoffice at Huxford, entered plea Of
guilty. When asked by the court
what he was doing down in Coffee
county, he replied that he was just
knocking around. The district attor-
ney, in answer to a query of the court.
stated that the amount purloined was
10 cents. Would you have taken
more had it been there?" the court
asked of the prisoner. ooh, yes" he
answered. II was taking all that was
coming to me-" The court Immediate
ly gave him all that was coming 10
him-five years at hard labor in the
penitentiary.
Forged Money Order.
Edward Brown was sentenced to
serve three years in the penitentiary
1T the name Oh f1llZdDeln
Brown to a money order. He endeav-
ored to prove his innocence. but there
was evidently no such virtue about
him, for after a trial lasting over an
hour, the jury was as firmly convinced
as were they shortly after the case
started that the prisoners defense was
a Transparent fabrication.
Henry Billingslea, another negro,
was tried for taking a letter fraudu-
lently from the mail at Pulain, Ga,
which letter contained a check In
spite of the fact that he was identified
at the trial as the same party who had
attended to pass the check, neither
the court nor the jury, for moment.
discredited the defendants plain,
straightforward statement of his in
nocence. The negro, who wore in the
court his working overalls and jumper,
seemed to be a Woodworking, conscien-
tious darkey. His statements
carried conviction with them,
and the Jury after a brief
consideration, returned verdict of not
guilty. a finding which even the dis
trict attorney concurred in.