The daily sentinel., 1908-10-08
EFFORT TO SAVE
HIM FROM PRISON
Can Aged Defendant be Sentenced When Ac-
cusers Refuse to Appear Against Him?
Can he Change His Plea?

Should Peter Stevenson. the aged
man, held in the county Jail since
last April on the charge of having
criminal relations with the young
daughter of John Lescano. go to the
penitentiary, when it is a fact that
neither the girl. her father nor any
other member of the family will ap-
pear in the court against the old
man whom they caused to be put in
prison on such a heinous charge?
This is a question that a good
many people have asked since read
ing in The Sentinel yesterday of the
failure of the LesCanos to respect the
summons served ono them to appear
in court and prosecute the man
against whom they had made such
terrible complaint.
The Old man, without friends
without money and with but little
knowledge of the law, put at a dis
advantage by bad hearing and down
cast over his condition. entered pleas
of guilty to the two counts in the
Indictment against him when he
stood before the bar of the court yes
-terday.
As The Sentinel stated yesterday.
had Stevenson entered pleas of not
guilty. he would probably have been
IL lift hldu lOudAs dS lIlt
was and is absolutely unable to make
out case against him with every i'm
portant witness missing.
Can Stevenson change his plea of
guilty to not guilty? was asked many
times yesterday and today. 1t is be-
lieved by many lawyers that he can.
In which case the prosecution will
have to make out case against him.
and, failing to do so, the old man
will go free.
If the court makes the plea of
guilty stand. the old man Will, in all
probability, be sentenced to long
term in the state penitentiary.
Late yesterday afternoon two or
three citizens who had known the
old man while he was employed as
n clerk in "A local hotel and who
knew that he did his work well. was
accommodating gentlemanly in his
actions at the hostelry and on the
| streets, and had never during his
/ residence here been known to be
guilty of an unbecoming act until
/ he was arrested on this charge, de-
termined to give the old man a
chance to prove his rights in the
case. and arranged for the services
of lawyer The effort to make a
change in the plea will be made to.
/ udN OF tomorrow.
Last night at the Jail the aged
man declared that he entered the
pleas of guilty because he had been
given to understand that he would
be convicted whichever way he
1 pleaded, and that. if he entered a
| plea of guilty, he would get of with
Il lighter sentence than would be
the case If he entered plea OF not
guilty.
He took this advice. having no at
torney and no means with which to
employ one to advise him before the
court called him before the bar.
of course. had Stevenson entered
"A plea of not guilty and asked foI
a trial. Judge Shackleford would
have appointed an attorney to defend
him.
The old man stated that he gave
the greater part of his earnings dur
ing the year that he worked at the
hotel in this city to the Lescano fam
lily. and this is known to be true. He
not only gave money to the girl
whom he is charged with harming
but he gave money to other members
of the family time and again, ac-
cording to reliable reports lie