The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1906-04-19

AHC IoSuiI VI ZIG 1Te0ES.6dyIiUE ITl6i
at Savannah is another laundering dec
laration as to how much better 1t pays
John F. Gaynor were contractors, who
were In too much hurry to get rich.
They had been undoubtedly playing all
manner of sharp practices in the execu-
ton Of their contracts before they
launched out upon their gigantic scheme
of robbery in connection with the
United States Engineer whose duty 1t
was to supervise them and hold them
to strict accountability to the United
States. He was corruptly negligent in
his duty, and shared in the division Of
the profits OF his own wrong doing. For
this he has lost his commission in the
United States Army: served a term of
five years in the penitentiary: has been
put to enormous expense defending his
case; has lost very much, if not all, of
his ill-gotten gains, and is branded for
life as unfit for association with honor
able, decent men. In q purely none
tary way, and without counting in the
worse than death to most men, he is
out of pocket a great many dollars in
the loss Of salary and opportunities for
the future. He can never be employed
in any way that will suit his education
and talents, because, careless as men
may be about morals, the worst Of them
will not associate themselves in any
Kind nf hI1Sinocc with yrhn In -
been branded as a felon.
The jury at Savannah unanimously
declared Greene and Gaynor guilty of
conspiracy against the Government, pre-
senting false claims and embezzlement.
The penalty for this is imprisonment in
the penitentiary. which may extend to
Ii years, and fine of $4,000. The
least punishment that can be inflicted
under the findings of the jury is two
years in the penitentiary and a fine Of
$1,000. Greene's and Gaynor's legal
troubles began with their Indictment
Dec. 9, 1899, or seven years ago. They
fed to Canada, and for years main
tanned a costly fight in the courts to
prevent extradition. They also forfeit
ed their bail of $4,000. They have
thus lost up to this moment, at least,
seven of the most profitable years OF
their lives, four Of which were spent in
Canada, and during which time more
honest contractors have been making
large sums of money in the profitable
execution Of legitimate undertakings.
Greene and Gaynor have been before
the courts six full years. with legal pro-
ceedings in New York, Savannah, Mon
treal, Quebec and London. at a cost
100000 for the United States. Even
If. which is unlikely. they manage to
escape the penitentiary, the record up
to this time will show that they could
have much better executed their con-
tracts with the Government at q loss
they got away with an amount far i'm
excess Of the plunderings of any other
contractors in the history of the United
States, they were, instead of being ex-
ceedingly smart and cunning, consum-
mate fools to have done as they did
Honesty would have paid them incom-
parably better than the most successful
fraud.
Judge Speer has sentenced the pris-
oners to serve four years in the Federal
Prison at Atlanta, Ga, and to pay each
a fine Of $575, 1890, the amount they
are charged with having embezzled
Upon one Indictment the sentence was
Tn
indictments four years. but the court
directed that the sentences be served
concurrently, which reduced the term
TO four years. Thus, with the allowance
Of three months off each year during
which the behavior Of the prisoners may
be good, the sentence would be reduced
to three years.
The fine need not be paid if, on COM
pleting the sentence, the prisoners make
affidavit that they are not possessed of
more than $40. In lieu of paying the
fine they then may serve 80 days longer.
Counsel for the prisoners announce that
an appeal will be taken
In imposing the sentence Judge Speer
reminded the prisoners that they had
been found guilty of these heinous
charges by a jury of plain, clear
sighted, honest Americans. OF that Jury
there was perhaps not 4 man who could
rot trace his ancestry to q Revolution
airy patriot. Their verdict was the bcst
answer to the oft-repeated assertion
that no maA worth a million dollars
could be convicted by jury. Every
legal technicaiity that could nc invoked
had been brought to bear to sage them.
Notwithstanding the gravity of the Of
lenses, it was not deemed necessary to
impose the extreme penalty Os cunluli.-
tive sentences, which would aggregate
II years imprisonment and s59,.7433O
in fines. He would measure the pun
ishment by that imposed by his broth
cr officers upon Carter, and you'll rec
ognize that both of the prisoners were
elderly men who had been i'm prison
for more than a year.
Losses Mt Franklin and Gettysburg.
Editor National Tribune: Could you
publish in The National Tribune a short