Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1912-01-22
WEBSTER GIVEN
LIFE SENTENCE
immortality Led to Murder
and Now to Imprisonment
in Penitentiary
HEART OF MOTHERS BROKEN
Judge Deems Punishment of
Young Physician More Sc.
we're Than Death.

Oregon, H., Jan. 22.-Dr. Harry El-
gin Webster, who confessed to the
murder of his wife, Bessie Kent Web
ster, today was sentenced to life i'm
prisonment in the Joliet penitentiary
by Judge Farrand in the county cir
cult court.
A Scathing Sentence.
Oregon, ILL.,, Jan 22.-Dr. Harry E.
Webster, of Chicago. today was SEN
fenced to life Imprisonment by Judge
Richard S. Farrand, for the murder
of Bessie Kent Webster, last Octo-
ber.
In pronouncing sentence, the court
reviewed the crime and declared that
no greater continuing punishment
could be inflicted on a young. intelli-
gent man than to imprison him for
life"
No Mitigation of Offense.
The court said: Harry f. Web
ster, on the twelfth day Of this month,
the anniversary of your bigamous
marriage with Bessie Kent, you enter
ed plea of guilty to the charge of
murder. 1t then became the duty of
the court to hear and consider such
testimony as might be offered in miti-
cation or aggravation of the crime
committed. None was offered that
would in the least mitigate the offense.
Your attorneys have spoken their last
words in your behalf, and it only re-
mains for the court to impose your
sentence
Hearts of Two Mothers Broken.
During the progress of your hear
ing two mothers sat before is. The
heart of one was bleeding as memory
recalled the suffering and death of
her daughter. The heart of the other
was wrung in agony because of the
acts of her living son. Which of the
two was suffering the greater grief
only mothers who have been in the
dark valley of gloom and despair can
answer All this has come because
% your cruel act Surely it causes
one to think deeply of the tragedy of
life and the mystery and sorrow OF
death.
A Cruel and Cowardly Crime.
"The crime Of which you plead gull
ty was cruel and eowardly one. I'm,
der the name of husband, you beguiled
Bessie Kent to lonely spot where in
childhood days you had pacsed yolr
hours of pleasure, and there in the
quietude you took her life. The brain
that conceived and the hand that in.
flicted that mortal wound was trained
and skilled in the use of the knife.
With one blow the weapon penetrated
vital part, and almost in an instant
her life went out; and l believe that
while the warm blood was still flow
ing from the gaping wound, you de-
nuded her person and allowed her
body to lie on the cold ground and
the fall rains to beat on it during the
long days and lonely nights for two
weeks until by accident the body was
found in desolate ravine--her bed OF
death-which you selected for her.
Debauched Sweet Pure Girl.
I'm your bill of divorce which was
dismissed as a fraud and imposition
on the court, you sought to blacken
the character of the dead. Aside from
the language in the bill, so filed, there
is not scintilla of evidence in the
record justifying the conclusion that
Bessie Kent was other than a sweet,
pure girl up to the time you put your
debauching hands on her.
1T is the sentence of this court
that you be imprisoned in the peni-
tertiary at Joliet, for and during yoIr
natural life, the first day of that i'm
prisonment to be in solitary confine-
ment, the balance of the time at hard
labor, and that you pay the costs of
prosecution"