The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-06-18
MILLER GOES TO PEN
HEALTH OF COUNTERFETTER RUIN-
 ED BY NsANITAHY JAIL.
He Pleaded Guilty and Was Hurried on to Atlsnta Prison--True Bfil
 Against Eugene Hester.

The terrible physical condition of John Miller, who was sentenced in the United States Court yesterday morn ing to serve a term in the Atlanta pen itentiary for counterfeiting served to call attention forcibly to the wretched sanitary condition of the Montgomery County jail.
 Two months ago Miller was captured in Selma by H. B. Mills. a secret ser vice agent, and was brought to Mont gomery. MT. Mills swore out a war rant against Miller alleging that he had made and had passed spurious sil- yer dollars in various sections of the country, specifically that more than $50 worth of the coins had been passed on Fillmore held Miller to answer to the Federal grand jury. and in default of bond he was committed to the Mont gomery County jail.
 At that time Miller, who said his home was in Columbus, O., was a fine specimen of manhood. He was tall, straight, with a fiorid, healthy face. muscular, and the picture of good health. Men who saw him at his pre- liminary trial did not recognize him when he appeared at the bar of the United States Court yesterday morning and pleaded guilty to the two indict- ments returned against him Friday by the grand jury just adjourned. He was thin, emaciated, colorless and weak. His voice was hollow and he told Judge Jones that he was suffering from a weakened heart. His appearance was that of a man with lung trouble.
 Counsel for Miller announced to the court that the condition of the county jail was such as to make 1t imperative that Miller be removed from there at once. He therefore would plead guilty and ask that sentence be passed and that he be sent by first train to one Of the Federal penitentiaries.
 The indictments against Miller charged him with making and passing counterfeit coins. He told Judge Jones that 1t was his first offense and that he had a wife and children in Ohio. After featuring the prisoner and ad- monishing him not to give the prison officials any trouble and to go out from the penitentiary resolved to be a bet ter man. Judge Jones sentenced Miller to serve eighteen months in the Att lanta penitentiary and to pay a fine of $1 in each case, the prison sentences to run concurrently.
 Miller, who said he was 50 years old. was taken to Atlanta on an afternoon train by Deputy Marshal A. B. Col quit.
 It should be said that the condition or the county Jall IS no reuecIlon upon the administration of Sheriff W. R. Waller. Each recurring county grand jury has reminded the Board of Reve- nue that the Jail is much in need of repairs and of sanitary improvements, but the Board has not yet discussed the matter of allowing the needed i'm provements.
 The Miller case was the only one to engage the attention of Judge Jones yesterday and his court took a recess at II o'clock until 10 o'clock tomorrow morning.
 It developed yesterday that the grand jury which adjourned Friday had re- turned true bills against Eugene Hes- ter of Montgomery, and Lucien Calla- way of Verbena. Hester Is the mall clerk who claimed he was robbed on an Atlantic Coast Line train one night in January at Wiley, and Galloway was the postmaster at Rushton who sent about $S5 worth of stamps to Chicago to purchase merchandise.
 Hester is charged with embedding $2,6O0 from letters in his charge. Cal laway was only technically guilty In that he paid for the stamps and did not defraud the Government.
 Both men are on bond. Their cases will come up for trial at the December term of the court.