The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-01-26

both sides of the Atlantic, lay. dead In
the anteroom of the court room.
Whether Wright's death was due to
heart disease, following the excitement
of the trial as announced by the DOCTOR
or by poison, as grimly limited by his
friends, is still undecided and possibly
will not be ascertained until the coro-
ner's verdict. Standing with his hands
in his pockets, and looking very pale,
but not so anxious as during the judges
severe summing up Wright heard the
judges condemnation and sentence
without apparent excitement. He quiet
ly protested his innocence in a firm
voice, audible throughout the room, left
the court in company with his solicitor
and was arranging for the future of his
and expired without another word. His
solicitor, George Lews, jr.. who was
with him at the time, said to a repre-
sentative of the Associated Press:
Wright seemed to be stunned by the
sentence, but he did not give the slight
est indication either before or after
his sentence of any intention to take
his own life.
sOf course" added Mr.. Lews, mo
one can really tell the cause of death
until the post mortem examination
The general opinion tonight is that
while Wright fully deserved the YER
diet of guilty, the judges whole con-
duct of the case was most partial and
that while none of his co-directors
was punished, Wright alone had TO
bear the entire punishment.
Mrs. Wright, the widow, is in Eng
| land.
After twelve days trial the jury
in the kings bench division of
found Whitaker Wright guilty of fraud
on all the counts, and he was sentenced
to seven years. penal servitude.
| Justice Bingham in passing sentence
said he could see nothing to excuse
| the crime of which Wright had been
convicted and he could not conceive
q worse case He must therefore allot
| the most severe punishment the law
! permitted.
Wright, who had stood up to receive
his sentence, said in a firm voice:
"All l can say is that 1 am as inno-
cent of any intention to deceive as any
| one in this court.
Wright was then removed in custody
In summing up Justice Bigham said
| he would ask the jury to find a general
verdict of guilty or not guilty. If they
were satisfied that Wright was guilty
of one or more of these charges they
| must not be deferred from finding Z
verdict of guilty by the suggestion that
| such verdict would cast a slur on tbs
4 memories of Lords Dufferin and Loeb
It would not do anything of the kind
Their conduct was consistent IN tne1l
| having honestly made mistakes.
Dealing with the evidence Justice
Bigham described as singular the way
in which thousands of pounds sterling
became millions on paper, so far as the
i Lake View shares were concerned.
The London & Globe and Standard
were gambling concerns which excited
his indignation. In the course of his
long experience Justice Bigham said he
) had never before heard of anything ike
the transactions which preceded the
hopeless bankruptcy of the London &
Globe financial concern Justice Big
ham concluded his reference to Wright's
career by referring to the position
which. the defendant claimed to have
occupied in New York and Philadelphia
and said Wright had built up fine
position for himself in two or three
years and if it was necessary to secure
a motive for his actions it would be
found in his desire to maintain this
: position. At the same time it was saio
after the crash of the London &
4 Globe financial corporation he foun6
himself with 81, 500, 900 to 81, 600 II
worthless shares. The sentence was
followed by a commotion in distant
part of the court and the faint cry o.
a woman in distrtAs was heard. Ons
: man shook hands with Wright as tbs
Halter left the court by the private exit