Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-06-20
QUICK WORK ON KIDNAPER
Man Who Stole Philadelphia Boy Gets
Twenty Years in Prison.
COURT PROCEEDINGS MOVE RAPIDLY
within Twenty Hours from the Time
Of His Arrest the Criminal
f. Landed in PenI-
tentinry.

PHILADELPHIA June 19.-rwenty years
Of hard labor in solitary confinement in the
eastern penitentiary was the sentence pro
nounced today on John Joseph Kean. the
abductor Of little Freddie Muth. The enor-
nifty OF the mans crime. which had aroused
the whole city. stirred the officers Of the
law TO quick action and the swiftness with
which justice moved has never been
equale in this community. Kean fell into
the clutches Of the law yesterday after
noon about the time the courts were clos
ing. Promptly at 10 o'clock this morning
he was photographed and measured by the
Bertillion method. Twenty-Five minutes
later he had been arraigned before a mag
istrate and committed to court without
bail The grand jury found a true bill and
at go a IN. he was in the criminal court
awaiting his turn to face Judge Sulzberger.
Shortly after IL o'clock the Judge passed
sentence upon him and at 1880 o'clock tho
iron doors of the penitentiary closed behind
him. In his quick trip from liberty to the
solitude Of the Cherry Hill. the institution
which Dickens made famous in his Ameri
can notes by. condemning its system OF
solitary confinement. no friendly hand or
voice was raised in the prisoners behalf.
II he behaves himself his sentence. under
the law. will be reduced to twelve years
and three months. The court had the
power TO give him a life sentence.
Much sympathy for Family.
Much sympathy is expressed for the wife
and three children Kean leaves without
support. Mrs Kean is prostrated by the
shock and disgrace that the abduction has
brought upon the family She will break
up her home and remove to New York.
where she has relatives
Had 1 disposition Of this case ! would
summon a large number of mothers here
and turn you over to their tender mercies,
but as the law fixes the penalty for crimes
like yours l can do nothing but commit
you without bail for the action OF the
grand jury on the charge of kidnapping"
These words were addressed by Magis-
trate Eisepbrown to John Joseph Kean, the
abductor of Albert Muth, the 7-year-old
boy, who, with his captive, was discovered
yesterday after a six days search in a
vacant house in West Philadelphia 1t was
the intention of the police department to
railroad the prisoner to the penitentiary
and Immediately after the hearing Captain
of Detectives Donaghy went before the
grand jury with his witnesses and asked
! for an Indictment. District Attorney Bell
said he would do everything in his power to
facilitate the trial of Kean.
The magistrates Office was crowded and
muttered threats could be heard when the
prisoner was placed in the dock. Many OF
| the spectators were women.
kean, after a sleepless night in the cell
appeared haggard and wan. He still seemed
| to fear bodily injury and eyed the specta-
| tors suspiciously The police say he paced
the cell all night. sobbins and moaning
his wife and children being uppermost in
| his mind.
The grand jury found true bill against
Kean and he was given immediate tria
and convicted in less than an hour
Judge Sulzberger sentenced the prisoner
| to twenty years. From the time of Kean'i
arrest until he was on his way to the
penitentiary to begin sentence less thar
twenty-four hours had elapsed.
When Kean was taken before Judge Sulz
berger he requested TO be allowed to make
a statement. He said there were mitigating
circumstances in connection with the kid
naping, but the Judge told the prisoner -h'
must either plead guilty or not guilty. Kear
then pleaded guilty.
Three witnesses. the two special police
men who made the arrest and the propri
etor of the eating house who had seer
Kean and the child together, then CAV,
testimony before the Judge. No jury wa!
chosen.
The prisoner was sentenced Immediately