The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1911-05-11
TWO SOUTH CAROLINANS FIGURE IN
TRIAL At WASHINGTON
4YEARS EACR IN LEAvENWORTH
Federal Prison for James Is. Knotts
and Alton A. Armstrong, Who
Plead Guilty. Two Years for
Woman.
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oTanSeDurS county, South Carolina,
and Alton a. Armstrong, of Water
town, S. D., each aged 90 years,
were to-day sentenced to four years
each in the Federal penitentiary at
Leavenworth, Kan, by Judge
Wright, in Criminal Court No. 1, Of
the District of Columbia. after they
had pleaded guilty to working the
badger" game on Charles Rosen-
thai, a well-known merchant of this
city.
The woman in the case, Flossie
Bennett, the supposed wife of James
Bailey Knots, received sentence
of two years in the penitentiary at
Lansing, Kan. She gave her age as
49,
Benjamin II. Knots, who at first
pleaded guilty of completely in the
badger scheme by which RoSen-
thai was lured to the woman's
apartments, attempted afterwards to
palliate his offence by claiming that
he had merely furnished the others
the money by which the apartment
was rented and fitted with electric
lights and photographing apparatus.
The jury found Benjamin Knots
guilty, but recommended him to the
courts mercy.
New Trial Asked
Counsel for the defence gave no.
tice of motion for a new trial,
whereupon the bail of Benjamin
Knots was increased to 81, 900 and
he was remanded until il should be
furnished.
Cross examination and testimony
In rebuttal was very damaging t.
Benjamin Knots, who claims that
he had no knowledge of the alleged
blackmailing scheme, nnd replying
to his plea that he thought his
brother and Armstrong were engag-
ed only in experiments in electricity,
another woman, a friend of Flossie
Bennett, testified that Benjamin
Knots had approached her and Of
fered her $4,000 to assist in the
badger" business, declaring that
the game could be worked with ease
who would pay big money to escape,
and this woman's testimony was
corroborated by that of women
friends, who claimed to have over
heard the conversation.
Girl Tells of Plans
tlossie Bennett was attired in Il
baby blue" coat suit and wore
Jaunty straw hat trimmed in rib
bons of the same blue, of which col
or also was the crown Of the hat.
She answered questions put to her
in q straightforward manner.
When counsel had made their
pleas and read numerous letters and
kilograms to the court, showing the
previous good records of the three
men and urging leniency in the mat
ter of punishment, Justice Wright
called on Flossie Bennett to explain
the inception of the plan
The young woman, who, while
only nineteen years old, has been
married and left her husband in
Michigan, told of making the ac-
quaintance of Bailey Knots and
Armstrong.
She said the two boys talked over
the scheme to work the badger"
game by taking photographs of a
victim whom she was to lure to her
apartments. She consented to the
proposition, she said, and went to
Rockville and was married to Bal
ley, as she called him. She declared
Benjamin Knots had never dis
cussed the proposition with her or
In her presence, and said that she
was unaware that he was in the
scheme until he accompanied Arm
strong when the latter rushed into
her bedroom after Bailey had
threatened Rosenthal and tied the
latter to a chair.
The court then called on Benja-
the to his brother, in which Bailey
told him his scheme was all ready,
and that he needed the money on
ly to put it into operation This
brought out the douHG of the guilt
of Benjamin Knots, and the jury
was called into the, box, and the
trial of Benjamin Knots proceeded
The father, who is seventy-four
years old and who has not visited
Washington since he came to attend
the Inauguration of Abraham Lin
coin, told the court that his son,
benjamin is his only support and
farms for him the plantation where
they live in South Carolina
He said neither OF his boys had
ever been in trouble before, and
that the cause of Baileys downfall
was the coming of a green country
boy to large city and falling in
with evil companions. Young Bal
ley, he said, had been leader in
church work and a member of the
Y. M. c. A., but had been ruined
by the glare of the city.
Good Character at Home.
Attorney Wolfe for the Knots
told of his acquaintance with them
and of the high character which
they bore in South Carolina He
stated that word had reached the
old parents that their baby boy"
for whom they had made many sac
riftces to send him here to complete
his education, had fallen among
bad companions. They dispatched
the elder brother to bring the
boy home. When Benjamin reached
here counsel said; he got on spree
and had guilty knowledge of the
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