The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1913-06-27
YERGER SENTENCED;
COTTON IS ATTACHED
FORMER SECRETARY OF PRISON
BOARD GETS TEN YEARS.
Enters Plea of Guilty-Writ of Attach
ment Would Seize 1873 Bales Of
Cotton Recently Sold From
Prison Farm.

Jackson.-The unexpected happened in
the circuit court room Monday, when
former Secretary Lawrence Yerger OF
the penitentiary board was arraigned in
open court and sentenced to the peni-
Tertiary. Shortly before 4 o'clock Judge
Henry called out. THE state against
Lawrence Yerger."
Before five minutes had expired the
court. after a brief statement Of facts,
pronounced sentence of 10 years in the
state penitentiary at hard labor upon
the young man who stood before him,
who two months ago was the handspring
OF the penitentiary departments official
machinery.
1t was an intensely dramatic moment
when, after the calling of this case,
Lawrence, accompanied by Judge Mon
roe McClurg and Sheriff Middleton,
emerged from the witness room at the
rear of the main courtroom and stood
up before the bar.
Read the indictment, Mr.. District
Attorney" directed the court, where
upon Mr.. HOWE read the formal doeu-
ment charging Lawrence Yerger ''un-
lawfully, f%eloniously and with intent to
defraud did take, steal and embezzle the
sum of $~29,339.79, the property of the
state of Mississippi"
"Whs do you say to the Indictment"
queried the court.
Guilty" was the laconlc response ut
tered in slightly faltcring tones SO low
as to be inaudrble 10 feet distant.
q. at becomes my painful duty, and l
assure you no more painful duty has
confronted me during my official career,
to pronounce the sentence of the law.
You have been guilty of not only steal
ing public money, but with betrayal of
a trust committed to you, and of the
two the last named is the worst o~ffense.
You bear a proud and honorable name,
which has stood for all that is good aud
virtuous for upwards of so years, and
for that name, more than for your own,
my duty is painful in the extreme
With this preface the court stated
that the extreme penalty provided for
conviction of ENLIGHTENMENT is 20 years
Imprisonment. As Yerger had pleaded
guilty and saved. the burden OF a costly
trial, the sentence of the court was that
he be committed to the penitentiary for
q term of 10 years.
Yerger was at once taken charge If
by Sheriff Middleton, and in another
hour was on his way to Rankin Farm.
Thus in one month and 90 days from
the date of his arrest the chapter in the
penitentiary fraud story, in which he
was the central figure, was closed. Other
members of the family and relatives, as
well as chosen friends, were with him
until the last. He had alreaty taken
his farewell of the little wife and baby
girl at the cozy home near the capitol
and expressed a desire to be removed
with as little delay as possible.
a request for a writ of attachment, to
secure possession OF LIES bales of cot
ton purchased recently from the Missis-
sippi State Prison Farm by Boyce &
Co., a Memphis cotton firm, and now
on the docks at New Orleans awaiting
export, was filed by Attorney-Generu
Collins in chancery court. The request
was filed at the instance of Gov. Brewer,
who in an open letter to the attorney
general, charged hat Boyce & Co. had
made enormous profits in cotton pur-
chased from the state farm through the
fraudulent manipulation Of weights.
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