The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1906-11-22

ing his sentence.
Judge Towner in passing the sentence
spoke as follows:
In regard to what has been suggested
by counsel, and certainly everything
that could be suggested has been not
only in good form, but in good spirit,
and the court desires to thank the
counsel for what they have said, and
for the confidence they have expressed
in the court. l wish the court could
feel the same degree of confidence in
his own power to do Justice in this
case as has been expressed by counsel.
The truth is, that with years of ex-
perience regarding these matters, the
court never approaches the duty of
sentencinga criminal, nor never con-
templates'it, without feeling of his
utter inability to do Justice. Such a
case as this for instance, seems utterly
ineXplicable to any reasonable man.
The appearance of this family as they
sit here, the father and the mother and
the sisters, is sufficient to tell this
court, if anything else was needed, that
this is good family; not family from
which criminals should come; not a
family from which such deeds, as this
young man has been guilty of, could
be reasonably expected. 1t is true, and
there is no use in Disgusting the fact
when we come to matter of this sort,
it is true that in this community in
which these people have lived, there
has been a very lawless spirit, but,
certainly, so far as the court can find
out never the least bit of it from this
family. The father is law abiding
citizen, man of good habits. The
family is respected by every one, and
there is no excuse under heavens for
this mans bad conduct. He should
have been anything almost that good
man can be. He had the opportunity
of good education. His family was in
such a condition that, after he had at
tended the schools of this county,
have no doubt but what his father
would have been glad to have given him
any kind of an educati he would have
asked. And the defendant himself, by
his appearance, and by what can learn
concerning him, is All exceptionally
intelligent young man, and could have
made out of himself any thing he desir-
ed; he could have made career for
himself that would have been respect
able, and perhaps even something more
than that.
rIoHi CAREFUL lHFt SoiSdClOn OF Une
life of this young man l find that he
has been a bad boy, almost from the
beginning. 1t seems that he has taken
upon himself the intention and purpose
of doing the very things that he ought
not to have done. Time and time and
time again, in almost every manner
conceivable, he has done wicked, bad
and cruel things, that have brought
through all these years disgrace upon
himself and his family.
Why he should do this is the great,
inexplicable question, why he should
do this and continue to do it year after
year. When you approach a question
of that kind the wisdom and the OK
perience of the ages do not seem to
find satisfactory answer for it. This
young man has had the opportunity Of
building for himself home. do not
care how bad man,is, or how deeply
he has sunken in disgrace and wicked.
ness and crime, at the bottom of his
heart, in his sober moments, he must
know that the best thing on earth is a
home. This young man took to him