The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1910-04-28
TEN YEARS EACH
FOR P. 0. ROBBERS
Two Notorious Criminals Accept
Their Fate Without Change
of OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
ment Will Not Likely
- Collect Fine.

RICHMOND, VA Special
With sudden and awful celebrity
retributiOn came Thursday after
noon to Eddie Fay and sLittIe
DICK" Harris, the daring criminals
who robbed the pOst-Office of over
$S6,OOO in stamps and money.
Pressed on ali sides by the min
Ions OF the law and confronted
with the certainty of conviction.
they entered a plea OF guilty.
Ten minutes later Judge Wad-
d1ll, sitting I'm the United States
District Court, announced that the
penalty would be ten years i'm the
Atlanta penitentiary and a fine of
$4,000 each.
AS for the fine, ft sounds formi-
dable, but Ii does not appear that
the government has any way of
collecting IL. One is safe i'm sur
missing that Uncle Sam will never
get this money.
Both prisoners took their mcdi-
cine with a stOicism worthy of a
better cause. They were game
to the laSt-in fact, they seemed
bit relieved when all was over.
Only the flush of color which
mantled the cheek Of Fay told of
the mental tumult that was surg
ing within him.
As for Little Dick he stood
the ordeal without quiver-
chall<y white and immoveable as
usual.
The indictment To which the ac-
cused pied guilty contained five
counts, touching various phases of
the crime. Judge WaddiI. to
whom the whole business went
Tor arbitrament after the omen
confession of Fay and Harris,
sentenced the prisoners on only
two countS-the third and the
fifth.
The third count charges forci-
bly, breaking into the postofIice
and the fifth charges the stealing
and purloining of money and
property OF the United States.
For the first mentioned ofTenSe
the maximum penalty Is five
years Imprisonment and a fine of
$1,000; for second the maximum
penalty Is five years and a pen
atty of $1,000.
Summing things up, Judge
Waddill said:
The judgment Is that You he
imprisoned for the full maximum
term prescribed by these two
counts and the payment of 5000
fines each The ofTenses I'm the
other counts are so nearly con-
nected with these two that i sus-
pend sentence, believing as do,
that the fullest punishment that
can be properly imposed Is ten
years and $4,000"
They Never WINGED.
Neither OF the two men standiu
)efore the bar of justice, in the pre-:
nee Of nearly 500 people, vince
when they heard these dreadful word
Tor did they blush with shame whe
he judge added somewhat Jelly: "Th
ourt feels that IL is i'm no way T,
ponsible for the leniency OF the la
n connection with the offenSes ind
ated'
That was a polite way of sayin
hat the court would have been eve
everer than il was had il seen il
way clear to penalize the accused an
urther.
Up to the time Fay and Harris er
cred their plea of guilty. which too
great many by surprise. they di
lot utter a word to anybody, but s.
'azing into vacancy.
But once their cry of "peccaVi'' ba
'een uttered, a great strain SCENE
o leave their minds and three mir
ties later they were cOmparativel
heerful.
Certainly Eddie Fay's eyes were n,
S moist as when he first landed Z
he Byrd Street Station in Richmon
or did Little Dick" with all n
allor, wear the hunted look that ha
marked his features at that time.
The tension following the plea {
uilty was considerably relieved 4
,awyer Smith, who asked that tn
wo men might be allowed to RENAL
n Richmond for forty weight hours {
east, before their removal to Atlant;
his concession the court willingly a
owed. Mr. Smith said he desired [
ak with his clients.
a few minutes later the accuse
-ere led away by postoffice inspeC
ors and United States marshals an
her the crowd gradually dispersed.
Truly the throng, eager though
1as With curiosity, was awestrucl
Everything had come with the sud
enness of a bolt from the blue.
The law. indeed, had moved wit
readful swiftness. but it didn't com
DO swiftly for Fay and Harris.
Once they had made up their mind:
hey knew exactly what they wishe
D do.
Decision of character and unfalter
lg courage of a certain sort marke
hese men to the last. Ignominiou
S was their position and scathing a
ad been the brief utterances of tn
curt there was something admira bl