Amador ledger., 1902-10-31
The Interpretation Thereof.

week S Ledger OF the Official action il
the case of w. FL. Lester, and also o
the charge of non-collection of licenses
from the Morrell show company last
month, Q S Gregory, as sheriff and
license collector has issued circular,
and scattered the same broadcast over
the county We quote the circular in
full, so far as the explanation of these
transactions are concerned:
In the Lester cattle stealing case
the burden of the Ledger's song-one
of Aliens cattle was butchered in FL
Dorado county and as the owner of the
COW lives in Amador county and helps
to pay my salary, aud fearing the ras-
cal might escape before the Ell Dorado
sheriff could reach the scene, | went
lover into Ell Dorado county and ar
rested the thief. After his arrest |
discovered that part of the beef had
been brought into Amador county and
sold. The law provides that where a
theft has been committed in one coun-
ty and any part of the stolen property
has been brought into another county
and disposed of. the offense is triable in
either county. The man begged to be
given a chance to plead guilty in this
county, probably knowing the feeling
against cattle' thieves in Ell Dorado.
and fearing a more severe sentence
there; out of mercy for the poor un-
fortunate fellow, consented. The dis
trict attorney and superior judge knew
all the circumstances in connection
with the matter, and the man was
given fair and legal trial and sent to
San Quentin, whore he paid the penalty
for his crime and is now at large. The
editor of the Ledger knows perfectly
well that the right of habeas corpus is
4 still in vogue, and if there was any ir-
regularity the convicted man could
| have availed himself Of his legal rights
and have been released from prison at
any time. The editor of the Ledger
admitS that the man who wrote the
letter in connection with the case is an
entire stranger to him, and still is will
ing to besmirch the character of a pub
lie officer on such testimony. | could
have informed him that the fellow is
an irresponsible, worthless vagabond,
if he had taken the pains to ask me,
and | do not think that any honorable
upright man would charge au officer
with yrong-doing upon such informa-
tion from such a source.
AS to the charge that no license was
collected from the Morrell Show Com
pany, it is a most unjustil fable mis-
statement. The company did not
leave the county until the 4th OF
October and settled with me at that
time. Had the editor OF the Ledger
been fair and honorable he would have
ascertained the truth by coming to my
Office aud seeing the stub for the license
which was paid after my settlement,
which was made on the 1st OF October,
aud which will be paid into the county
treasury in my next quarterly settle
ment The fact that since my as
sumption of the duties of license col
lectOr that | have collected and paid
into the treasury of Amador county
more than double as much as any other
license collector ever did in a like per-
jod of time, should be a complete
answer to this malicious falsehood
u GREGORY.
| We give place to the above, not at
the request of Mr.. Gregory, but of our
own free motion, and for the purpose
of showing the hollowness of the ex-
PLANTATION. It is no explanation at all;
indeed, it brings into stronger relief if
possible, the damaging facts of the Les
ter case, as set forth in the Ledger last
week by our correspondent. Let it be
where personal property is stolen in
ono county, and afterwards removed,
in whole or in part, into another coun-
ty, the case may be tried in either
county, Mr.. Gregory says that he dis
covered that part of the beef was
brought into Amador county and sold.
plant, nor is it proven or stated in any
manner in the records of the case.
Why was this fact kept in the back.
ground. Who bought the stolen prop
erty. Why was he, to. not prosecuted
as a party to the criminal transaction.
Section 1876 of the penal code reads:
Every person who for his own gain,
or to prevent the owner from again
possessing his property, buys or re-
ceiyes any personal property, knowing
| ishable by Imprisonment in the state
prison not exceeding five years, or in
the county jail not exceeding six
months.
Now, one of the main points in our
correspondent letter was that the
railroading of Lester TO state prison in
the uncermonious fashion adopted, was
the means of allowing an accomplice in
crime in Amador county to 60 unpun-
ished. Not syllable is vouchsafed in
ventilation of this vital point. How
came it that the one in Amador county
was not mOlested but the Ell Dorado
man yanked into Amador county, and
sent to state prison at a ?. 40 gait. 1.-THE
man begged to be given a chance to
plead guilty in this county," and so
compassion came to the rescue of the
poor unfortunate, and he got two years
for a crime without any extenuating
circumstances that we can see, the
punishment for which is from one to
ten years. 1t is admitted that he would
probably have got much heavier
sentence in Ell Dorado county. That is
the way the cattlemen of Amador soun-
ty, who help to pay the sheriff's salary,
are protected, and why the Ei Dorado
authorities were not allowed to attend
to the case. The culprit gets almost a
|