The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1905-10-05

Wltuessts III court. lie ealO tHat ne be-
lieved Rufus came 10 the nearest of any
of them 10 telling The truth
County Attorney Youug spoke very
briefly for the state He SAID hat he
hoped the court would lrnp,-r 4 sru
tence which would tend 10 cau-e he
people of oomeroet County AID u the
tate 10 feel hecure
Judge y ear said that he thought
cltmeucy bad been shown when lie
state accepted the plea Of mauslaughter
lie said that the prisoner while on the
stand festlfylng in Lls own behalf gave
evidence vi no feeling Of remJIhe fot
the awful crime that be had committed
hat he believed be was able 10 tell the
ference between hight and wrong aud
that the fact that the prisoner might
have been drunk when the deed Was
committed was no excuse That it va.
the highest degree Of mauslaughter and
that he hhould impose sentence accord
ingly.
The prisoner stood up while The clerk
imposed the sentence Of 70 years at hand
labor in the state prison at hDmastou.
Sheriff smith and Deputy sheriff Cook
| then took the prisoner back 10 his cell
The prisoner was very wild AS be ex-
pected sentence Of lOt over i've Years
His wife took the sentence very calmly.
In passing sentence Judge : pear said
II | were 10 pass sentence accDld ding
to my sympathy | am afraid few persons
would be punished, but duty devolves
upon me sitting here Az a justice Of this
court that rises above the consideration
of sympathy or seuumentahty There
has been said by the counsel in his re-
marks that the eyes OF justice are blind
aud the scales should be held equal.
! The rights of the respondent should be
/ protected; the rights Of the State, and
society on the other hand are entitled to
consideration.
Now there has never been time in
! the history of the world of which have
read where the crime of murder Of HON.
icide, was not branded with the mark of
Cain, where it was not punished by the
/ law or the custom of the realm however
| benghted and however dark. have no
doubt but that the respondent in this
case belongs TO low order of the human
race in this community
As suggested by his counsel, his early
teachings and his surroundings, his en-
vironment, have been such that he per-
haps is unable to appreciate fully as the
average citizen the enOrmities of crime,
/ yet he is by no means an imbecile. His
own testimony upon the stand shows
that be has almost an average degree of
intellect. His narration of the events,
according to his version, as he gave
them was clear, concise connected and
indicated memory perhaps equal to
that of the average, but that intel ect, to
be sure, is uneducated and uncultivated.
Yet | cannot hep feeling that this re-
spondent knew right from wrong, that
he knew and fully understood the saucity
of human life, but that he did not re-
spect it.
From all the testimony in this case |
cannot but feel that this respondent is
depraved, cruel, vicious, relentless. and
from the way in which he testified upon
this stand, without the feelings OF re
morse or conjunction of conscience for
the deed which the evidence satitties
me he alone committed.
cannot fail, from the testimony in
this case, to think that he is imbued
with criminal instincts.
The evidence, to my mind, shows it
/ The testimony shows that upon the af-
ternoon before he committed this terri
BILE offence he stated in effect chat he
meant to kill THE old man, and to my
mind what occurred in the evening was
ou. sequence Vi "IlaV was III MS ln'nu
III ,r rse afternoon, -.
no .estlnony Vi lne latneI anu l l''!il
Of 10 ooiIv,nolnE " my 'nlnu u nlS Buil.'
As mas oeen ed'l oy counsei represent
fne nun, ~ seems unna.uI"I thal tHe
aa,heI shoulu lake 'ne sI%nu anu iee.lly
against ms con II "oulu inGeeu DC IN
na' al 'na' tile la'nei snoulu take tne
sl"nu " .ostny asaIusO hlS sou ~ oiu Isl
" oonN'ot nun NC "i' oeIleVe may nlS
SOU was innocout. l "in oounu' lne re-
LILY, ~ Piaoe eteaL oonluen &c, III we
9.a,o,''. L ", tuo WIZ n"s o'oiy
ia'her lhah 10 lalhely Iesuly 10 convict