The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1911-09-28
SEES VALUE OF Prison Term
Prisoner at the Bar Disco Irses on the
Value of Punishment in Making it
Possible for Him to Get Straighten-
ed Out.

"The sentence of criminal for
crime is essential and I am inclined
to believe in many cases beneficial"
cit is obvious that the state must
be able to protect its citizens against
the man who is inclined to do wrong,
but do not regard it necessary that
this punishment should be vindictive."
"The man who has troubles of his
own has no reason to believe that this
gives him q license to make troubles
for others, but it is human nature to
| do so.
After a man has been knocking
round the country without anything to
guide him until he is wreck, there is
nothing better for him than to send
him to corrective institution where
he may be able to get his bearings and
make a new start
81 feel today that I am willing to
welcome punishment because it will
give me a chance to get started right
and forget the past.
| These are truisms from the life story
of John P. Moulton of Norwich, Conn,
and were part of a short address which
he made to Judge Randall in the NUM-
cipal court where he was arraigned on
Thursday afternoon charged with hav-
ing uttered a forged check. The sent
epce Of Moulton was one of the most
remarkable incidents ever known in the
municipal court. Twenty-eight years
of age and a former Harvard man,
Moulton brought the philosophy of
| Sophocles to bear on his condition and
his talk before the bar of Justice was
one that caused the other men in the
court room to think Of pleasing ap-
pearance and of decidedly attractive
address, Moulton told what appeared
to be a clean story.
He told of his early life in the clas-
sic surroundings of Harverhin, Mass,
of his life as student at Harvard,
of business successes and Of domestic
troubles which resulted in his losing
his wife. He admitted that he had
not been able to locate his wife since
last April and that he was wavering
as to whether he was sorry or glad
that he had lost her. He told of over
drawing his bank account and then of
how he had gone farther and drawn
checks on banks where he had no
funds. He declared that the check ut
tered in Kenosha was the first abso-
lutely forged check that he had ever
passed Then he gave the court his
ideas of the philosophy of punish
ment and the ultimate end sought by
the state in sending men to corrective
institutions. He admitted that this
was not the first time he had been ar
rested and stated that he had faced
court and served Jail sentence be-
fore coming west. He declared, how
ever, that this was the first time he
had ever been arrested charged with
crime.
| The court indicated that he might
fix his own sentence. "Well,' con-
tinued Moulton, ~ believe that [
might be able to get squared about
with six months at the state prison
and I dislike. the idea of going to a
state prison, but my examination Of
the laws of the state has shown me
that IL is impossible for the court to
do anything but send me to the state
prison and the smallest sentence must
be year.
| The court then gave him the mini
mum sentence under the law and ex-
pressed the hope that the man with
Lsuch talents would be able to be re-
leased in the shortest possible time
under the regulations of the institu-
| tion.
| Moulton after the painful incident
was over very graeiously thanked Asst.
District Attorney Clarkson and Judge
Randall and with warm hand shakings
started off for his little corrective" ~
journey.