Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-11-26
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER as, 1909.

Indictment. ami he called their attention
to the fact that any essay at compro-
mise would lay all who might be par
ties to 1t, liable to answer to the law
for compounding felony, whereupon
the members of the delegation with
drew.
Upon appearing in court yesterday,
Mr. May gave notice through his coun-
sci, Mr.. c. w. F. Spencer, that he de-
sired to plead guilty, and waving ar
raisnment, signed the plea in the usu-
al form. With the cons ant Of the So
licitor, he was permitted to add under
the plea, a statement to the effect that
he protested that his shortage was
only $500.
The plea having been duly signed,
Judge Moore asked the prisoner II he
had anything to say why sentence
should not be passed upon him. and She
prisoner replying in the negative, op-
portunity was given to counsel to
speak In his behalf, whereupon, Mr..
Spencer stated that knowledge Of the
shortage became known through the
defendants own confession; that de-
fendant had made himself penniless in
an effort to repair the wrong as far as
possible; that relatives and friends Of
the defendant had begged him to leave
the state, assuring him that IL he would
do so, he would never have been prose-
cuted, and that he had positively de-
clined, stating that he would remain
and take his punishment, that also his
friends, including hundreds Of people,
had raised the amount Of the shortage,
$4,000 and offered to the solicitor to
save the city whole II the solicitor
would drop the prosecution; but the
solicitor had been unable to take that
view Of the case. He went on to say
that the defendant was weak man
physically; that his father and mother
had died Of consumption and he had
a sister suffering from the same dis
ease; that he himself would not be
able to Withstand long imprisonment
Upon these considerations, counsel
begged the leniency Of the court.
Mr.. w. B. Wilson, Sr, speaking in
the same behalf, said that he appeared
not as attorney for the defendant or
for the city council of Rock Hill; but
as the representative of hundreds Of
Rock Hill citizens, who were friends
and sympathizers Of the defendant,
and whom he joined in asking that
the court be as lenient as possible. He
said that he had known Mr.. May from
childhood, and he felt sure that this
case was due to weakness. He said
that the shortage was discovered by
Mr.. May himself, just after an exami-
nation by the Audit company, in which
examination there was found no dis
crepancy, except a hundred dollars,
which was shown to have been merely
an error in addition. He said that the
defendant had done all in his power to
repair his wrong, going even to the
extent Of impoverishing himself and
his wife. He did not have to sell his
house, because 1T was in his wife's
name, and could not have been touch-
ed. He said that Mr.. May was gener-
Gus; that he felt sure that most Of the
money he appropriated had been Civ
en- to others, who needed 1t more, and
while he had no right to do 1t, 1t
showed where the money had gone.
Mr.. Wilson said that the defendant was
very popular in Rock Hill; that ninety
per cent Of the people there were his
friends, and that they would be rejoic-
ed at any leniency that the court
might see proper to show. He said
also that while the city council lad
taken no official action, he was sure
that most Of the members OF that
body would approve the highest sem
tence that the court could impose.
In pronouncing sentence, Judge
Moore told the defendant that In view
of all the circumstances Of the case,
he felt personally that he would like
to be lenient; but there are others to
be considered besides the defendant
and his family; that the offense was
against the law, the people OF South
Carolina, and the punishment should
be made to conform to the offense
for the vindication of the law and as
an example to others. He would there
fore have to give longer sentence
than the defendants friends would
ask, and he fixed the punishment at
three years Imprisonment in the jail Of
York county.
The prisoner sat during the terrible
ordeal in an attitude Of humble sub
mission to the law. There was nothing
Of the bravado about him; but his face
bore evidence Of suffering At one
time during the remarks of Mr.. Spen-
Ger, his eyes filled with tears and he
broke into suppressed sobs; but 9TH
erwIse he sat with calm resignation
through it all. After the sentence sew
eral Of his friends shook hands with
him, and some minutes later at his own
request, he was taken to jail.
There was a good deal Of personal
sympathy for the unfortunate young
man: but with a great many people
this was rather secondary to the
thought of how splendidly the solicitor
and Judge had discharged their duty,
and how completely the law had been
vindicated over the powerful influences
that had been brought to bear In an
effort to suspend its operation.
LOCAL LAcoNlcS.