The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-11-21
A DEATH SENTENCE.
washington Post.)

Ex-Vice President Stevenson had a
fund of good STORIES. One of his best
was about a judge in one of the back dis
| tricts of Illinois in the early days: The
judge was a politician all over, and took
particular care so to conduct himself on
the bench that he would offend no one,
and thus secure a reelection at the eX-
piration of his term. In one section of
his county was numerous family named
Green. Green Ridge famous on
account of every voter being related TO
the Greens, if not actually bearing the
name. They We're clannish andNalways
voted together. In contests where every
thing else was equal, the vote of Green
Ridge" would decide. The person VINO
was so unfortunate as TO incur the DIS
pleasure of any one person of the Ridge
was sure to have the entire population
against him. Officeholders were salts
fled to overlook many shortcomings OF
the Green family in order not to incur
their enmity.
One year Bill Green, the most notorious
of the family killed a man. 1t was a
case of cold-blooded murder, and, al
though the Ridge" attended the trial EN-
masSe. the jury was not to be oyeraWed
and rendered a verdict of guilty. Seeing
the numerous Greens in attendance. ana
not wishing to offend them, the judge
was very lenient in his rulings, favoring
the counsel for the defense and overrid-
ing the law and the prosecuting attorney
unblushinglY. His charge TO the jury was
a model of inoffenSiveneSS and favorable
to the prisoner 1t was apparently palm
ful to him when the verdict was pro-
nounced.
Bill Green went back to jail and re-
NAMED there until the prosecuting aJtor-
ney had insisted several times that SEN
tence must be pronounced. The relatives
from the Ridge" were still around, and
when it was noised about that the judge
had sent the sheriff to bring Bill Green
into court to receive sentence, they all
filed into the court room and awaited de-
velopments When the prisoner had been
brought in the judge glanced about the
room, and began nervously:
Mr. Green, by the way as you are no
doubt aware, the recent trial ended in a
manner rather unfavorable for yourself.
That you will take notice, Mr.. Green.
was not the fault of the court. The
court, Mr.. Green, you of course observed,
had nothing to do with making or rem
dering this verdict. That was entirely a
matter outside the Jurisdiction of the
court, and wholly with the jury, MI
Green The jury was not of the court S
choosing Mr.. Green. In fact. the court
could have no choice in the matter of q
jury, and in this case the court had no
idea as to who would compose the jury
and had no part in it's deliberations or
conclusions The court, Mr.. Green, con-
tented itself simply and solely with the
Mr.. Green, have observed that the court
kept strictly within its own proper
sphere"
The judge glanced around and noticed
mat ne ndO not YET gwen OIl6liSe " lliS
Ridge" and proceeded:
You no doubt observed. Mr. Green,
that the jury-not the court, mind-re-
turned the verdict. That verdict was-ah
was somewhat preJudicial to your m
terests, Mr.. Green. 1t was, in fact,
against you, Mr.. Green. In fact, Mr..
Green, the jury found you guilty of-of
murder, Mr.. Green.
He glanced around the room again, and
the Ridge" was frowning, and he added
hastily:
YOU understand Mr.. Green, that it
was the jury. as | said before. and not
The Judge hesitated some time and then
the prosecuting attorney said:
Sentence must be pronounced.
"Ah. yes continued the judge. You
see. Mr. Green, the law makes it oblS-
atory upon the court-and l wish you and
your family to remember that the court
did not make the law-to pronounce SEN
tence upon you without regard to what
sentence, Mr. Green, which the law pro-
Vdes-and with which the court had no
part in the making-is that youth fact,
Mr.. Green. the law says, as you are no
doubt aware, that you observation-disclosures.
Now. Mr.. Green. the court desires to
make this ceremony as comfortable and
convenient for you as possible, and the
court would like to know if you have any
preference as to the time. What day,
Mr. Green, would you PREFER"
Friday is as good as any day, an
swered Green. stolidly.
"Ah, very good; it shall be as you de
sire, Mr. Green, and the court fixes Fri
day"
He bowed to Green and smiled at the
Ridge" The attorney said the exact
Friday must be named
'Oh, yes" answered the judge Mr..
Green, the law says that the date which
means the day of the month as we'll as
the day of the week, must be appointed.
Now Mr.. Green, what day of the month
do on hi ink m
venience? There are five Fridays in the
next month. all nice Fridays. There is
the I'd, the 9Th, the 18th the 2Sd and the
3Oth."
oner, like a clerk in a dry goods store
showing goods to q particular customer.
THE last ones good enough for me,
answered Green.