The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-05-28
GIVEN THEIR BITS
Prisoners Receive Their Sen
fences in District Court.
Notorious Cleo Bennett Is Given
Five Years.
ALL PLEAD GUILTY.
The Other Ben Butler Hears
His Fate.
Wesley DOtsOn Fails to Appear
on Time.
ALL PLEAD GUILTY.

This was sort of a field day for
criminals in the district court, and it
came as sort of relief after the
monotonous grind of civil cases which
have been occupying the attention of
the court for the past few weeks An
uneven Is criminal cases. involving a
variety of crimes from arson down to
petit larceny, were on the assignment
OF the court for today, and number
OF them We're disposed of without trial
through the willingness of the accused
to plead guilty to crimes of a lesser
degree than those which were charged
and winch pleas were acceptable to the
court and the county attorney.
Cleo Bennett Gets Five Years.
Cleo Bennett came in for the heaviest
sentence. On her plea of guilty to at
tempted arson Judge Dana imposed the
lndeterminate sentence provided by law
for this crime which is Imprisonment
in the states penitentiary for a term
of not less than five years or more
than ten years and half. Cleo was
accused of arson for setting fire in
the city Jail on April Is with the hopes
of causing such confusion that she
might have an opportunity to escape
The fire was discovered almost as soon
as it was started and did but little dam
age.
A month in Jail seems to have
worked wonders for Cleo At the time
of her arrest she was a haggard and
eInacldIeQ woman, made SO by the
excessive use of drugs. 1t was thought |
that she was insane but a commission
appointed to examine her mental con-
dition found her to be sane and only |
subject to erratic actions when she
was under the influence of narcotics |
When she came in the court room this |
morning she looked a different wo-
man from what she did a month age. |
Her dress was neat and she has gained |
perceptibly in flesh.
Its the best thing in the world |
that ever happened to me- said Cleo |
referring to her incarceration to Mrs. |
in the court room, "you have made a |
woman of me- Cleo would have been |
pleased with liberty but greeted her |
sentence with cant be helped" shrug |
of the shoulders.
One Year for Ben Butler.
Ben Butler, a negro, who was ac-
cused of burglary and larceny for |
a lot of groceries from the |
store of Roose Brothers on April IS, |
received the next heaviest sentence. |
burglary and was sentenced by Judge |
Dan to an indeterminate term in the |
states penitentiary of not less ethan
one year or more than five years But |
Ter il believed to have been respon- |
sible for number of other burglaries |
that happened about the time he was |
for breaking into the Roose
store.
n NAOIit41 III OS-ll IOf Scales.
To Norman Scales, a negro youth
who was accused of being an accessory |
to the holdup and robbery of Thomas
McDevitt on January 81, when |
couple of women named Laura Nc
Gruder and Lena Wisdom touched him !
for $100.5O, was given sentence by |
Judge Dana of one month in Jail and |
to pay a fine of 500 and the costs in |
the case and to stand committed until
this money was paid or worked out
A plea of guilty to petit larceny was
accepted from Scales. He had moth
ing to do with the actual robbery but
was given some of the money by the |
women. The McGruder woman is al
ready doing a ''bit'' in the pen for this
crime, and the Wisdom girl is serving |
a six months jail sentence for her
share in the transaction.
Wesley Dotson Was Missing.
When the case against Wesley Dotson,
who is charged with the larceny of $50. so |
worth of brass castings from the Santa
Fe shops was called. Dotson did not re-
spond for arraignment. Judge Dana
thereupon declared his bail bond to the
amount of $500 forfeited. This bond was
furnished by John Hoffman and Heit-
man will have to produce Dotson ir
court within a few days or he will be
out $500.
The assignment of the other cases on
the criminal calendar was Tearranged by |
Judge Dana and they will come up for
trial beginning this afternoon and COLI
tinuinR tomorrow and Friday as there
will be no session of the court on Me-
mortal day.