New-York tribune., 1912-03-01
TO PROBE FARM COLONY
Case Will Be Placed Before
Richmond County Grand Jury.
GROWS OUT OF SCALDING
Third Man Pleads Guilty to
Causing Death of Paralytic
and Gets Two Years.

Tho third Of the three men indicted for
.he killing Of Harry Williams. the aged
..~aIv+ic whom they scalded TO death IT
,ho New York City Farm Colony at Cas-
,letnn. Staten Island. on January 9. pleaded
,,i]tv TO manslaughter in the first degree
before Justice Benedict in the supreme
court yesterday.
The defendant. Adolph Rahm, alias Harry
sinclair. interposed the plea of guilty. after
=. had withdrawn his plea of not guilty, al
the end Of tho Peoples case. which was
prosecuted by Albert c. Each. 1t was not
until The Tribune laid bare the facts In the
case that the horrible death Of Williams
bacame known 10 the authorities.
District Attorney Each then addressed
.bc coyrt. calling attention 10 the peculiar
str,osphere which perya6ed the case from
the very beginning. He spoke of the hur-
ried burial OF the slain man on a death
certificate bearing no physicians name in
tho farm colony's cemetery.
II was not until three days later" said
the District Attorney, that I learned of
the horrible death OF the OLD man, and
caused the body TO be eXhumed. Then, for
th. first tine, an autopsy was performed.
.howing conclusively that Williams had
3ied of burns within all hour after he had
oesn given the fatal bath.
.Sirc. the first of the three prisoners
pleaded guilty and was sentenced TO twelve
wears IN sing Sing my most important wit
ness in the case. Thomas O'Keefe, has dis
sopeared from the farm colony, where he
xss an inmate. Another of my witnesses,
CAPTAIN James Thomas, a veteran Of the
the British government. from whom two Of
the slayers stole pension voucher. which
thew cashed. thus enabling them to fee 10
New York aftor their crime. has been ad-
judged insane He is said 10 be suffering
from senile denentia.'
Nr Each said he thought this strange,
because there were more than three hum
6red men at the farm colony suffering from
the same malady, yet no action has been
taken ir their cases. At this point John
Martin q member Of the Board of Educa-
ton and chairman Of the visiting commit
.ee or the state Charities Aid Association.
asked permission 10 address the court
Your honor said Mr. Martin, "wo of
the committee. which consists OF num-
Der Of the leading men and women of
Staten Island. are Mortified by the facts
revealed in this case by the District At
rorney. After listening 10 the evidence in
this case : am sure that some persons edu-
Gated and we'll 10 DO il they did not at
tempt 70 hush up this crime. AT least did
rot take steps 10 punish IT,"
George s. Parsons, counsel for the de-
.Tendant. then made a strong plea for Glenn
encv fo- his client saying he had aided
The state IN its prosecution Of his confed-
crates I'm the killing Of Williams. Mr.. Each
said the statement was true, and Mr.. Mar
Tin also urged clemency.
Nr Martin said Rahm was little more
than TOOL for Harry Charlton now serv-
ing twelve Years sentence in Sing Sing,
and he said II was disgrace to the city
of New York that man like Charlton
should Be uut I'm charge of the city's poor
~ the CITY farm colony or anywhere else
The civ Of New York was psrticeps
crin;nis IN this crime" declared Mr.. Mar
IN There should be paid help. not con-
yic' heir. m the eleemosynary institutions
Of this state II IS q shame that things are
otherwise"
Justice Bened'ct. after directing District
Attornev Each 10 lay the entire case Of the
CITY Farm Colony before the March grand
Jury for a thorough investigation SEN
tened Rahm 70 two years IN Sing Sing.
One q the witnesses for the People was
The convict Charlton. whose real name is
Waters on the stand he said that un-
printable conditions prevailed AZ the city
Farm COLONY.