Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1905-06-19
JUDGE QUARLEs GIVES DEFAULT
Err TEN YEARS.
DEFENDANT ADMITS GUILT
New Federal Judge, Close Personal
Friend of Prisoner, Shows Feeling
in Performing His Duty-Crine
Aggravated Because of Ability
and Influence of Offender.

Milwaukee, June 12.-- Frank G..
Bigelow, the self confessed defaulter
of funds Of the First National bank to
the amountof $1,500,000, pleaded guilty
Saturday to an indictment containing
ten counts, each a violation OF the
national banking laws, and was SEN
fenced by United States District
Judge Joseph VQuarles to ten years
imprisonment ut hard labor in the
penitentiary at Fort Leavenworth,
Kansas, the sentence to begin at noon
Saturday.
The former banker being sentenced
was turned over to the custody of a
United States marshal and the pris-
oner was started on his journey to
prison late in the evening.
Sad Duty for QuarIes.
Judge Quarles in passing sentence
dwelt at some length on the circun-
stances surrounding the case and in a
voice indicative of strong emotion re-
ferred to his own long personal
friendship of the ruined man, who
faced him awaiting his sentence.
Bigelow was visibly affected, although
he bore himself with remarkable for
titude The courtroom was crowded.
! Every member of the grand jury who
returned the Indictment against Bige-
! low was present and the space within
| the bar of the court was occupied by
many we'll known attorneys. In his
remarks before passing sentence
Judge Quarles expressed deep regret
and sorrow over the duty he had to
perform. reviewed briefly the law VIC
lated by Bigelow and added:
by reason of the great prominence
of the defendant and the enviable
position he held in banking circles,
the evil influence of his default has
been far reaching. 1t shocked the
mercantile sense of his community. 1t
reached into nearly every state in the
union and even challenged the atten-
ton of the people in Europe.
"Here is a man of high intelligence,
ripe experience, enjoying the unlimit-
ed confidence of the people of this
city, occupying a high social station,
who appears deliberately and through
a series of years to have been system
atically false to his trust and guilty
of repeated violations of the law. In
such a case the court can see no palli-
ating circumstance. The offense is
rather aggravated because of the abil-
ity, splendid opportunities and com
manding influence of the defendant.
'tThe ends of justice seem to re-
quire and court is constrained to
hold that the defendant should suffer
the extreme penalty of the law" Sen
tence was then passed.
BqeIow Not Affected.
While Bigelow was not apparently al
fected by the passing of sentence,
Judge Quarles showed no little emo
ton when he ordered man whom he
had known and respected for years to
pass the best part of his remaining
cars behind the bars of a. prison. The
judges voice broke and trembled as he
reviewed the enormity Of the crime
and accepted the suggestion Of the dis
trict attorney that the term be for ten
gears.
Bigelow stood while sentence was
being passed. Then he sat down with
bowed head and few minutes later
left the court room in company with
United States Distrist Attorney But
terfeld for the latter's Office. There
he remained in seclusion until placed
in the custody of United States Mar
slal Reid.
Mr.. Bigelow entered the court room