The Caucasian., 1913-07-29
PRISONERS SENTENCED.
Andrew Bunch Given Fifteen Years.
w. c. Lanning Seven Years-A
Crowd in Court-Judge Lands
Remarks.

Monday was sentence day, as had
been announced, and there was
crowd in the court room antlclpat-
ing the sentencing Of Andrew
Bunch, who murdered his wife, and
w. C. Laning for embezzlement.
! The first prisoner called to the
bar of justice was Henry Clay, ne
gro, shooting with intent to kill, was
assigned to three years servitude in
the pen Clay's intended victim is
Nick Vaccaro, an Italian, who bare
| ly escaped with his life.
Glen Lovely, a white man, for
stealing motor boat valued at $500,
one year in the pen for larceny and
| 80 days on the Parish Farm after
having served his term in the pen.
| Lovely is from Michigan.
Henry Thomas, negro, two counts
for burglary and larceny, two for
larceny; aggregated penalties eight
years in the pen, and at the end of
the penitentiary term, if alive, he
will have to go to the Parish Farm
for thirty days.
Shin Button, negro, ten years in
the pen for lying in wait and shoot
| ing at white man; intent was rob
| berry. Was recommended to the
mercy of the court by the trial jury.
The court announced that it could
i not understand why the jury had
suggested mercy. 1t was a mystery
which the judge could not solve.
i Andrew Bunch, convicted of man.
/ slaughter, had been indicted -or
| murder. In addressing the prisoner
i Judge Land remarked: "You have
/ been convicted by a jury OF the
crime of manslaughter; in the opin-
| ion of the court you are guilty OF
Il murder. It is also the opinion OF the
j court that when you married the
woman for whose death you were
:. tried, you knew all about her char
i acter. The newspapers have been
!, leommenting upon the failure of jul
ries to do their duty in such cases
human life is entirely too cheap IN
j IGaddo Parish. Only the eloquence OF
I your attorneyDsaved you from
verdict Of guilty Of murder as
charged-he swept them off theil
feet" Sentence was then passed
+ Bunch being fined 81 and ordered te
i be imprisoned at hard labor in the
Z State penitentiary for the full term
9 of fifteen years, to date from III
generation therein.
5 The last prisoner upon whom
j, sentence was passed was w. G. Ian
+ ing. AS he stood facing the judgt
e the spectators were all attention
e When asked if he had anything t
/ say his reply was moving OF nj
: head meaning no. Then Judge Lane
addressing the prisoner said: mi
S Laning, you have been convicted o
: the. crime of embezzlement; there
d was absolutely no question as t
{, your guilt. You were the head OF tn
# Pelican Fire Insurance Company
j and had associated with you som
alof the best people in this section. Il
81 the case in which the jury foun'
S you guilty you got $500 from
ii woman, widow with two littl
Isl children to support practically a
the money she had. You deposite'
that money in bank to your ow7
]. personal credit and drew it out TO
your own use. The testimony show
that not a dollar of that money wa
ever received by the fire insuranc
VI ,Icompany, to which it belonged. Th
a testimony also shows, in this case
. that you not only defrauded the in
81 surance company, but that you ais
" defrauded the widow from Whor
ee the money was received and tht
q you cheated your partner, Shugar
in the fiscal agency Of the concer
you were promoting. 1t is consle
9 cred by the court that you serve tn
= full term of seven years in the Stat
!, penitentiary at Baton Rouge,
date from the day of your incarcel
1ol alton therein
,lI Apparently Laning was unmove
in He. resumed his seat beside his wit
IN who had been at his side through
or out his trial. Mrs. Lanlng was vi
al IDLY affected to tears which she r
III pressed, as she spoke encouraging
,p. to her husband.
nd It has been intimated that nun
a Der Of citizens, among whom we
ladies sympathizing wi
il Mrs. Laning, had requested Jud
heI Land to leniency and a number
tel parties had also approached Jud
nd Land for clemency in behalf
erl Bunch, but Judge Land was not d
ut tered in his duty It is unnecessa
C. TO review how Bunch murdered /