The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-03-02
Edward Wilson Now Turns Out to
Be One John Evans.
HAD SERVED A TERM AT ST. CLOUD
He Attempts to Deny His Identity
But the Records Are
Shown Him.

When Edward Pierce, the short change
artist, was brought before Judge Cray
yesterday afternoon to receive his sen.
tence he made great show of grief
for the purpose of influencing the court
TO be lenient with him, as the officers
and others believe. He blubbered like q
boy who shirks the punishment that is
Justly his due. Scores of other prison.
ers, for their first offense, and it being
the first time that they had ever faced
a court, have taken their sentences
from Judge Cray in silence and without
display of tears. Pierce got off very
lightly considering his bad record in the
past and his age, which he gave as fif-
tythree. He admitted to the court that
he had been sentenced to penitentiary
in Canada for four years for short
change swindle, and yet he was giver
but half that upon second conviction
Had he been brought before the court
that first sentenced him he would doubt
less have received the limit.
Pierce tried to work the sympathy
racket in the municipal court by telling
how sick his wife was and how he fear.
ed that she was on her death bed and
needed his constant attendance. Yet she
appeared in Mankato several times
since in the bloom of perfect health
seemingly, and has been able to travel
over the country several times at his
behest. As he could not well spring this
story on the court yesterday he claimed
that his own health was bad. Yet the
prison records in Canada show that he
put up this same claim at least ten
years ago, and secured a pardon from
the Canadian prison after serving seven
teen months on the claim that he was
very low with consumption. Yet he
lived to ply his crooked work over the
country, and will doubtless live many
years after his term in the Minnesota
DDS doubtless scores of victims will re-
gret the fact that he was not confined
longer.
Pierce is believed to be one of the
smoothest crooks that ever piled hi;
nefarious trade in the northwest. WheI
on the road he is usually successful il
fleeing the innocents, but if corneret
he tries to settle to avoid prosecution
and when this is not possible he plays
the baby act. People who know of hi
past are not influenced by any Other
feeling than contempt when they OBJ
serve his methods.
When Pierce was arranged yesterday
afternoon, County Attorney Wilson sale
that he desired to state the facts il
the case for the benefit of the court. he
then outlined how Pierce had swindlet
farmer, out of his money on an Omaha
train while it was stopping at the unior
depot He said that Pierce had beer
subsisting for some time by illigitimate
tactics, and this was not the first Of
Tense of which he had been charged anC
convicted.
Pierce then gave his age and sale
that he had no trade. His legitimate
business had been statesmen for the Sin
ger Sewing Machine company in st
Paul. shoe salesman, etc, but his home
2 was in Chicago at present. He had nc
children. He had been convicted of the
short change trick in Canada and sen
fenced for four years, serving seventeen
months. He had been charged will
swindling at Kenwanee, ILL.,, but moi
convicted. He had been married thir
teen years. 81
C.. l.. Beendict spoke in behalf o
Pierce, saying that the law gave thu
court large latitude, the punishment
ranging from a fine of frem 5000 to 50,
600, or imprisonment in the state prison
for from two to five years, or both. Thu
charge amounted to no more than petit
larceny. He referred to the fact of A. A
Buck having embezzled about $2O0O'
and getting five or six years, and argu
ed that in proportion to the amount OBJ
tanned his client should pay fine. HI
said that if all the people who ART
swindling the public are confined in pris
on the prisons would not be large
enough to hold them. He said that in
SiuudIiohS Hdu Dccu puoiiShcu 40 W "e
tempts to bride witnesses in this case
but denied that the defense had any
thing to do with it. He had told Mrs
Pierce that if she could raise the money
the sentence might be fine, and she
had worked hard and done more thar
most women could do and had raised
$275 He asked the court to make this
fine the amount of the punishment. The
defendant was not strong and would
not come out of prison alive if he was
given the limit.
Judge Cray said that he would have
been constrained and glad to impose a
fine if this had been the mans first Of
Tense, or if he had been young man
without worldly experience. The stat
ute throughout recognizes the grave SER
iousness of the offense. The law pro.
vides that where there is second O.