The Detroit times., 1909-12-21
TESTIMONY IN THE
KELLY CASE GOES
To PROSECUTOR
Alleged Attempt of Attorney To Have
Witness Commit Perjury Will Be
Called To Attention of the
Circuit Court.
Frank Merritt, Who Faxed Alibi
Sent To Prison-Ten Years For
Keyes, Five For Thompson.

Long terms In prison were the
handed three offenders In the record
er's court Tuesday morning. The un
fortunates are Richard Keyes. con
yicted OF forgery partly on the strength
of bad record; Earl Thompson. who
pleaded guilty To a blgamy charge. and
Frank Merritt, who confessed that he
committed perjury In swearing to an
alibi for Martin Beye, now on parole
after having been found guilty OF a
serious offense.
Merritts case was the subject of a
searching inquiry by Judge Connolly,
In his confession, Merritt implicated
William F. Kelly attorney for Beye,
and Frank Barnes. former deputy
sherif, as the men who had persuaded
him To swear that Beye had roomed
with him the night OF the alleged
crime, which involved a woman. and
10 come TO court In his working
clothes that he might make a better
Impression with the jury. With refer
ence TO Attorney Kelly. Judge Con
molly directed the clerk 10 transmit 10
the prosecuting attorney and the
Wayne circuit court a transcript OF the
stenographer's minutes taken in the
Investigation OF Merritt's story, that
they may take such action as they
deem necessary" This foreshadows
possible disbarment proceedings.
In sentencing Merritt to Jackson
prison for not less than one year, with
the recommendation that he serve 10
months, Judge Connolly told the de-
fendant that his offense was all the
more grave because OF the fact that he
comes OF a good family That q man
Of his intelligence and training should
lend himself to such a low plot TO
defeat justice was most reprehensible,
he declared Merritt took his sentence
quietly He is 81 years old.
Richard Keyes Is well remembered
'as the star witness for the people i'll
the murder trial Of Michael Burkhardt
for shooting Robert Barrows. He was
parrows' companion on the night OF
the tragedy. which occurred when Bar
rows found his wife with Burkhardt
in a house on Lafayette boulevard.
Keyes has most unsavory police
record. having been arrested on sew
eral occasions on forgery charges.
lust before his conviction before
Judge Connolly for uttering and pub
fishing a forged order for $lO.5O he
had been acquitted Of similar charge
in Judge Phelan's court by means OF
q clever alibi.
Because OF his record, Judge Con-
molly sentenced Keyes to Jackson for
not less than five years with the rec
ommendation that he be required to
serve 10 years. The maximum penalty
for the ofYense Is IA years.
I'VE have no room In this commun-
ity for professional crooks such as
YOU" said the court.
Keves insisted that he had been
wrongly convicted. but his plea carried
no weight with the Judge.
Earl Thompson, II was charged. mad
contracted a bigamous marriage with
q young Detroit girl. One OF his wives
he placed in a disorderly resort ana
lived Off her earnings.
"You are too vile TO talk TO-" Judge
Connolly said to him. "As warning
70 others OF your ilk that the white
slave traffic will not be tolerated In
this community the sentence OF the
court rs that you be confined In the
state prison In Marquette for not less
than 21.2 years and that you be de-
tained for the full period OF five years
the maximum fixed by law Thomp-
son is % years old.