Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1914-05-08

sell, on the part of anyone that !
know OF, to inflict a pers onal punish
ment on you or to deprive your
family OF the benefit of your services;
in fact it is regretted know it is Ey
the court and-by probably all con-
cerned-that the necessity uf this ac-
ton has arisen. The case is not to
be compared with that of some young
inexperienced man who made his first
mistake. In your case you are a man
of mature years and very compe-'
tent business man as every Chs knows
you and has had occasion t. have
dealings with you, has found out.
You were entrusted with the funds CT
these several districts. To permit
you, under those circumstances. to
betray that trust-eonvert,t those funds
to your "own/use-af1d 10 escape with
mere nominal punishment would
have the effect of destroying the con-
fidence of the people in the courts
and in the laws. They would say
there would be no justice in the land
if man were permitted to do things
of that kind and escape with nominal
good character, habits and standing i'll
the church and in the community,
while some more humble person
would get the extreme limit of the
law for a comparatively trivial Of
Tense. The object of the law is not
so much punish the offender as it is
to prevent others from committing
like error and like Offenses.
Warning to Others.
$50 far as it's effects on you per-
sonally are concerned, it would make
but little difference whether the
punishment inflicted is an exceeding
ly long term or short one. You
have permitted ycErself, through the
desire for personal gain, to betray
the trust reposed in you by the peo-
pie and thus bring reprOach upon
yourself-your own good name, that
of your family and that Of the church
to which you belong-and that harm
has all been done. No punishment
the court could inflict or remit would
either increase it or take it away. The
only thing that can be done is to
take such steps as will cause others
to stop, when they are put in like
position, and reflect very loag and
seriously before betraying public
trust.
Sentences Cumulative.
.WithCut further comment, in view
of the number OF cases here and the
fact that the minimum penalty will
be a very considerable sentence, the
court will impose the minimum SEN
tence of one year in each Of these
cases to which you have entered your
plea of guilty-cumulative, however.
"YOu have already been convicted
by jury in one case and the jury
saw proper to fix the minimum pun
ishment OF one year.
.'ln each of these cases now, it is
the sentence and judgment OF the
court that you be delivered by the
sheriff to the keeper of the state
peHitentiary and there confined al
hard labor for the period of one
year; this sentence in each case, tx
be cumulative of the others and moi
contemporaneous, making nine year:
in all"
Indicted Last Year.
Russell was indicted in June, 1913
by the grand jury of which J. d
Milaer was foreman of embezzlins
$12,510 of the funds of twelve i'm
provement districts. He was placed
on trial early this year, Attorney:
Kerwin and Rowell being appointed
to defend him. The evidence showed
that the populations of the accused
had extended over a period OF fiv
or six years. The sentence of on
year was affirmed recently by thu
supreme court.
Russell came to Pine Bluff from
Hot Springs in 1906, and was mad
city collector in 1907. He was fin
ancially interested in the Watson
Remedy company, manufacturers o
medicines for stock
EZell Will Filed.
The will of the late John H. Ezell
who died May 8, was filed for pro