The Greeley tribune., 1912-06-13

and who has been under II charges
Of perjury, bribery, forgery, Monday
morning came into court and plead
ed guilty to one OF the brioery
charges. On recommendation o.
tie district attorney Judge Neli
Graham imposed the minimum sent
ence of from one to two years IN
the penitentiary at Canon CITY. one
consideration was that Sheely re-
turned to the county $26, ,dSO.oO.
The plea Of guilty came as
climax to many sensational court
procedures since the grand jury De-
xan its work last September. Wnen
the present term OF court opened II
au,eared "a though the attorneys
for Sheely expected to exhaust every
subterfuge and technicality known
in the Law. They indicated that they
would fight to finish, but as the
various appearances In court con.
yincingly demonstrated that District
Attorney Carlson and his assistants
had accumulated an overwhelming
mass Of, evidence, the plea OF guilty
was not unexpected by many In
close touch with the case.
SORDID STORY TOLD
There was nothing spectacular
about the proceedings. Nspassfon-
ately and without reservation former
County Commissioners E. j. Estes
and II. w. Devinny and former
Clerk OF the Board Frank G. Peter.
sen took the witness stand and re.
cited their shame before the crowd
that sat hushed and awed at the
s.secfacle Of the men they had
known, trusted and elected TO non
orable Offices, telling of how they
had robbed the people through con-
nivery with the bridge builder.
The testimony Of the witnesses
presented to the court after Attor-
ney o. n. Hilton had Withdrawn tfe
former plea of not guilty for the
defendant, was interesting tnfornAa-
ton to many taxpayers who sat with
hated breath as District Attorney
Carlson asked them questions.
PETERSEN KNEW OF DEAL
County Clerk Luther WAS the first
witness, his testimony being largely
technical and merely paving the
way for those to come. There WAS
a stir in the court room vixen Frank
G. Petersen, former clerk OF the
board, who resigned in March and
later returned to the county $oOO
he had received from Sheely, took
the stand. He told Of how Sheeiy
had said to him when he entered
the order for the LaSalle bridge
contract to go to Sbeely. There's
a good bunch in that for you
too" In March Of last year he
got $3.50 and in May Of the same
year $3.50 more.
-v0lnty conzsif1s1dlef Wl0 was sent-
enced o the penitentiary for fOrg-
cry, was called to the stand. The
former bOnOred citizen looked the
humiliation he must have felt when
he told Of the secret agreement that
he had with SEeely and DeVinny
whereby the three were to form
triumvirate to rob the county. He
got 81 400 out of the I4aSalle bridge
deal. which WAS the only one In
yOlved in the particular bribery
charge to which Slaeely pleaded
guilty.
ESTES MADE AGREEMENT
Estes told of his meeting with
Sheely in the early summer OF 1908,
when he agreed to q proposition
whereby he aud DeVinny were to
divide 10 per cent Of ali the con-
tracts awarded to Sheely. One In
tefestin9 bit Of testimony WAS to the
eject that SEeely had shown him
how he made out his own certified
checks when he submitted bids. This
was done. he said, by the aid Of .
stamp Sheeay had The money on
the LASalle bridge contract he got
In an envelope March 1, 1911, At
his home in Greeley.
County Clerk Luther was called
again to state the amount paid for
the LASalle bridge was 8.S1O. so.
DEVINNY WAS I'm"
DeVinny confirmed the testimony
OF Estes regarding the secret agree
ment with Sheely and said that MAY
1, 1911, he had received $500 in an
envelope.
d. X. Wyatt, Of Ault, one Of the
members Of the grand Jury which
returned the indictments against
the commissioners, told Of checking
up the books OF SIleely, which show.
ed a profit Of $23,014.84 on the
IaSalle bridge.
Following the testimony Carlson
asked that sentence be imposed and
Mr.. Hilton was on his feet instantly
y '-e'' - A.s1cH1AA AOh - Stay III SCuVS-1Ics
Judge Graham Overruled the motion
and Carlson then recommended to
the court that the sentence he made
to carry the minimum Of one year
under the statute, the court to fix
the maximum penalty.
SHELLY SAYS NOTHING
In passing the sentence Judge
Graham asked the prisoner IL he
had anything to say, to which Sheely
replied that he had not. The judge
then said that he would take into
consideration the plea Of guilty,
thereby saving the county enormous
expense, and the restitution of
money wrongfully obtained, also the
recommendation Of tie district at
torney who had worked up the case
to q plea Of guilty.
After more objections on the
part Of Sheely's attorneys it de-
veaopeti that there was an agree