The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-12-06
CRIMINALS MUST SERVE ONE
THOUSAND YEARS AS RESULT
OF ARMSTRONG; SENTENCES
His Four-Year Term on Crinli-
nal Bench Establishes a
Remarkable Record.
Hold-up Men and Night Burg
lars Get Limit Regardless
of Previous Records.

The announcement that Judge
George G.. Armstrong will relinquish
the criminal and probate divisions OF
the district court to Judge Lewis, and
will. after the first of the year. hear
only civil cases. brings to a close one
Of the most remarkable records ever.
made upon the criminal bench OF
Utah. Many we'll informed persons be-
lieve the sentences imposed by him on
the criminals convicted of offenses
against the community have done
more TO restrain crime within his ju-
risdiction than any other one thing.
a review Of his career on the GRIM
inal bench of the Third judicial dis
trict for the past four years shows
that his rulings during the trial of
criminal cases have been fair and i'm
partial and have tended. if anything
10 favor the prisoners before him, but
when the jury had found them guilty
Of a criminal act, Judge Armstrong
imposed sentence according to the
strict letter of the law, without fear
or favor. Mercy has not been lacking
in his sentences. but the good of the
community has been his first consid-
Grafton. and he has made Salt Lake
terror to the burglars. highwaymen
and second-story men who for a time
found easy picking in this locality.
During the fall of 1907 and the spring
of sos Salt Lake was infested with
hold-ups TO such a degree that no man
felt safe in going to his home along
The residence streets after dark. His
sentences upon those highwaymen
caught and brought before him were
in many cases the maximum penalty
provided by the statutes. II mattered
not 10 him whether the rObber had Sc
cured 20 cents or So OOO If he was
proved guilty of the crime of highway
robbery he received the limit of the
law. Inside of three months the city
was cleared of highwaymen and the
streets which had been a peril TO the
hOme-going citizen became as safe at
midnight as at monday. Judge Arm
strong's demeanor upon the bench has
been characterized by a courtesy to the
attorneys appearing before him and to
the prisoners much greater than usual
In fact. he isl never so courteous as
when about TO sentence some criminal
to the I'LL penalty of the law. He is
q firm Cpholder of the traditions of the
bench and viii tolerate no breach of
that ettiqut with which custom has
dignified his position, yet he is mind
that etiquette with which custom has
there is not a member of the bar. of
Salt Lake who does not feel that his
client viii receive fair and impartial
trial before Judge Armstrong, and that
he Will receive his full deserts, wheth-
er innocent or guilty.
During the four years from Jan. l.
1905, up to the present time Judge
Armstrong has sentenced 80 criminals
TO prison or death During that time
2S3 cases have been dismissed either
through the proved innocence of the
\
Jail sentences imposed aggregate 1.0OS
years and ten months. To this must
be added the sentences imposed on
criminals who were under age and who
were sent to the state reform school
These sentences win aggregate about
fifty years, making a total Jail sentence
for the criminals convicted before
Judge Armstrong of LOSS years, ten
months.
There were more criminals convicted
of burglary than Of any other crime. /
their number being 104. They were
given an aggregate sentence OF 353
years and two months. or approx
mately three years and six months
apiece.
Sixty-two men were convicted of
grand larceny and, taken collectively, /
were sentenced TO serve 120 years and |
six months, OF an average OF about two !
cars each
The men convicted Of robbery num- |
bered but twenty-siX. yet they must !
serve a combined sentence of 279 years |
and six months. or an average of over |
thirteen years apiece.
Ten boys and girls We're sentenced |
for incorrigibility and sent TO the re-
form school for periods ranging from |
one to six years. according to their |
ages and behavior. There We're nine !
cases of forgery where a conviction /
was secured, and the sentences total /
thirty-three years and six months I
Fourteen men We're convicted OF as-l
sault with intent to commit murder or /
assault with Il deadly weapon. their !
sentences range from thirty days in the |
county jail TO twenty years in the |
states prison. an aggregate of seven |
ty-three years and eleven months.
There were four cases Of attempted 1
criminal assault. four cases of petit |
larceny. two cases OF embezzlement |
four cases of statutory Offenses. one /