Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-11
Arthur Rand Goes to Prison for
Thirty.Five Years
FOR ASSAULT AND ROBBERY
Taken to Baltimore by tho Sheriff to
Serve HIS Term.
WAS IN NERVOUS CONDITION
Feared Lynch Law While Occupying
Cell in Jail-Excitement
Soon Subsidies.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
PRINCE FREDERICK. Md. May IL
AS anticipated In a dispatch to The Sun
day Star Arthur Rand. alias John Jones'
alias John Holden colored. who was con-
vcted Saturday evening of charge OF
having feloniously assaulted Mrs. Mary
Buggie Ward, was given a penitentary
sentence. He was given the limit OF the
law-twenty-one years-in the assault case
and was sentenced to ten and four years,
respectively. on the two charges OF steal
ing the check for so and the horse just
after he committed the assault. Sheriff
Meade hurried him away shortly after
sentence was imposed in order to reach
the Baltimore penitentiary this afternoon
Should no trouble be experienced he will
arrive in Baltimore before O'Clock and
will be delivered to the warden OF the
state prison to serve the sentences, ag-
gregating thirty-five years.
| When Judge Briscoe ordered court ad-
| journed Saturday without imposing SEN
| tence it was generally believed he did so
| because he feared the imposition of q
prison sentence might excite the residents
of the county and cause lynching. 1t
was announced Saturday that the prisoner
would be arraigned on the indictments
| for stealing the check from Mrs. Ward.
4
| from the firm of Walter Brown 4 Co.
commission merchants In Washington.
and also for stealing the horse upon
| which he rode far Hunting town.
| There were many persons. however. who
still believed the death penalty would be
| imposed and that the other cases would
not be tried. When court convened this
morning. however. States Attorney Par
ran called the two larceny cases to the
| attention of the court Counsel for the
prisoner responded by informing the court
that a plea OF guilty would be filed in
each case.
The prelimnaries were soon over and
| Judge Briscoe announced that he was
| ready to impose sentence.
In disposing of the case the judge took
occasion to say that the legislature mad
made the matter of punishment discre-
tionary with the court. and he thought
which the extreme penalty of the law
death-shOuld not be imposed. The court
reviewed the testimony Of the several
witnesses who had been called in the
| case. both for the state and defendant.
and imposed sentence as stated.
| Mrs. Ward in Washington.
Mrs. Ward let here Saturday night
shortly after she was informed of the
| verdict. She went to the house Of friends
near Mount Harmony. not far from the
| scene % the assault. and remained until
| Yesterday morning. when she returned to
Washington. Before leaving here. 1t is
reported. Mrs. Ward declared she had
! directed her attorneys. Wells & Wells. TO
| dispose OF her farm. She said she would
| not return to ii again unless it were for
the purpose of entering civ! snit against
/ persons who had said evil things about
| her. 1t is the intention Of Mrs. Ward
| to move 10 California later in the season
and reside there the remainder o. her
| life
There demonstration of ap-
provaI or disapproval when the foreman
| of the jury announced tile verdict. but
some of the more excited ones did use
the word lynch while the prisoner was
! being returned 10 the county jail-a two
room frame structure. Sheriff Meade
hurried Rand to the little prison and had
| the armed guards remain on duty to pre-
vent trouble. Small groups of men stood
about the village discussing the affair
| until they were driven to cover by the
storm. and the excitement subsidized.
Fears "Judge Lynch"
1t was explained TO Rand that the law
provided a penalty Of death or as much
as twen y-one years In the penitentiary,
and he EXPIRE sed the hope that the Judge
would give him a penitentiary sentence.
He said he was vet a young man. and
that even II he were given sentence Of
| twenty-One years he would be young
! enough to go to work when released.
! Rand seemed to fear the vengeance OF
| Judge Lynch" more than he did that OF
| the statutory law and has been nervous
and anxious about such fate ever since
he reached the county Jail. Despite this.
| however. he had good appetite.
Big Crowd in Court.
During Saturday afternoon. while the
trial was in progress, the courtroom was
crowded to sufrocation. only about one
fourth of the persons in town being able
| to gain access to the building. Others
were packed at the entrance to the build
ing. while still others INDUCED in horse
racing on the public road.
Arthur Rand has expressed himself as
| being anxious to return to North Caro-
lima. He came away from there while
| he was serving sentence OF five years
| for burglary committed at the house of
Mr.. Prince. where he had been trusted
servant. His father. Charles Rand lives
at Garner near Rand Mills. about ten
miles from Raleigh. After he had been
sent to prison for robbing the house in
Raleigh lie was made trusty and one
dcy early in December he thought he
would pay visit to the house Of his sis
ter. 4 taste Of free air made him feel
| that The did not want TO return to cap
| tivity. and he made his way to the Chesa-
peake bay. working on an oyster boat be-
fore he reached the lower end Of Calvert
| county.
| IT waS New Year day when he reached
the neighborhOod Of Mount Harmony. and
was employed 10 work on the farm of
Mrs. Ward. At the preliminary hearing
| Mrs. Ward offered to get a rope to be
used to hang the prisoner. but Sheriff
Meade and the two magistrates promptly
informed her that she should pay no at
tention TO those who had made the sug
| gestion to her