The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-10-13
REALISTIC INFERNO
PAINTED BY JUDGE
Life Imprisonment, Accord.
ing to Jurist, Is Worst
of All Punishment.
DEATH HORROR OUTCOME
SENTENCED MURDERER OF WON.
AN WHO PROTECTED HIS WIFE
FROM WHITE SLAVERY SEES
PICTURE OF LIFE TORTURE.

Chicago. Oct. 13.-Life imprison-
ment in the penitentiary was declared
by Judge Marcus Kavanagh to be
more terrible punishment than hang
ing. The jurist In remarkable opin-
ion handed down In sentencing Joseph
Welcome to life Imprisonment for muir.
der, contrasted death with the tortur-
ed soul OF life convict In his solitary
cell and told the prisoner that 1t Is not
correct to regard the death penalty as
the most severe punishment that can
be inflicted.
Welcome pleaded guilty to having
murdered Mrs. Mary Mclean, March
22, 1910, in a boarding house she con-
Quoted at 1144 West Monroe street.
The prisoner changed his plea from
mot guilty" after eight jurors were
chosen.
ID was shown that he forced his wife
to become white slave and shot
her for refusing to give him money.
Mrs. Mclean was shot and killed
while attempting to save Mrs. Wei
come.
Judge Pictures Penalty.
In sentencing Welcome Judge Kava-
nagh said:
Welcome, you committed a terrible
crime. Your punishment Is to be more
terrible still.
You compelled your own wife to
make public commerce OF her soul for
your gain. When she sought to escape
you shot her. 1t wasn't your fault she
lived. and you. In fact then killed an
other woman who was making her
clearly, useful way In the world. You
could hardly get twelve men in the
jury box who would not inflict the
death penalty upon you, yet 1t is the
policy OF the law to regard plea Of
guilty as In some measure of itself a
mitigation.
THE instructive unreasoning horror
Of mankind regards death DIS a severe
punishment. This idea Is not correct.
You are now to receive u sterner pun.
ishment. Your victim died but once.
You will die a hundred times: you
will suffer more the day you put on
your prison clothes than she did in
her death. After that there will be
only the hopeless. painful years from
day to day. from month to month,
stretching out forever and In agony.
Wiped From HumanIty's Slate.
"You will be wiped out OF human
knowledge: even your name will be
taken from you: henceforth you will
he known by a number. You will not
be permitted to lift hand or whisper
u word: you will have no right except
the right to mere existence.
in four or five years the eternal
solitude and silence will begin to
crush In upon you like an iron weight.
You hear that street car bell ringing
In the street as 1t passes now. You
will remember II In after years as the
most exquisite music. 1t will mean
hurrying crowds that 90 where they
like and do as they please: 1t will
mean the greatest OF all pleasures
freedom.
"You can only dream of 1t by day
and by night. and your dream will be
torture unspeakable. In the summer
you will guess that there are cool riv.
ers running somewhere under green
trees, and you will long for the sight
OF even green leaf with an aching
you never thought you could exper-
fence.
Beyond the Pale Of Happiness.
an a few weeks the holidays with
their lights and festivities and happi-
ness will be here. and many Christ.
mas will roll over you in your iron
cage and high stone wall. but you will
never hear a child laugh again.
you are so elated now at the
thought OF saving your life that you
don't realize all this. want you and
tho others here in the courtroom to
understand II. You aren't sorry yet
for your crime: you have only a great
self pity. There will be few worse
men than you in that great prison.
but I may say, the law has taken its
full and ample revenge upon You"