Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1914-11-27
SAMMONS GUILTY
OF ROBBING THE
POSTOFFICE SAFE
Jury in the Federal Court Returns
Verdict Against Former Sheriff
of Buffalo County.
COLONEL IN NATIONAL GUARD
Package Disappeared Last Christmas
and Contained Money from an
Omaha to Kearney Bank.
GIVES NOTICE OF AN APPEAL
Is Found Guilty on Four of the Five
= Counts Charged.
JURY rs INSTRUCTED on ONE
Sealed Verdict IL Returned After
Four Hours of DeIiBcratiOn and
is Read in the Morning In
open Court.
Jury IS INSTRUCTED on ONE


Walter Sammons was found guilty on
four counts out of five by jury in fed
eral court yesterday on the charge
of having robbed the Kesrney postoffice
Of a 5000 registered package of cur
rency last Christmas. Sammons is a
colonel in the Nebraska National Guard
and was sheriff of Buffalo county for
two terms.
The jury reached it's verdict after be-
ing out only four hours. most of which
time was consumed in organizing and
then going to supper. Shortly after 3
o'clock Wednesday evening the jurymen
reached a verdict. sealed 1t and took 1t
to bed with them. 1t was brought into
court this morning, signed by G. B.
Nikodemus, the foreman.
The five counts on which Sammons had
been indicted were practically the same,
merely covering the robbery of the Kear-
ney pestoffice last Christmas night and
the theft\ of the currency package
ON the third count to the effect that
Sammons had abstracted currency from
q mail package, the Judge instructed a
verdict of mot guilty" no matter what
the verdict might be on the other counts,
as there had been no evidence concerning
abstraction of any money from the stolen
package.
AS the verdict was read, sammons did
not bat an eye or show any evidence of
the shock which the adverse outcome of
the case must mean to him. especially on
Thanksgiving day. Senator Norris Brown
of his counsel was with him and an
nounced that a motion for a new trial
-, 90 f,tdo xnytu hn nadn ut
once, and that II a new trial is denied,
the case will be appealed. December
was set as the time for hearing. the
motion.
The penalty for the offense is a fine
of not more than 5000, or imprisonment
ipr not more than five years. or both,
Sentence nannot be pronounced untll the
motion is disposed Of.
Expected AcquittaI.
1t is known that the verdict OF guilty
must have been severe surprise to
Sammons. for as he entered the court
room to attend the opening of the YER
dict he had smillngly remarked in an
swer to a question;
I'm feeling mighty good have been
expecting to be acquitted, and the short
time taken by the jury in reaching a
NefuCI ieduS me 10 Jnlnk snail 90
free"
With the steely nerye that has char
acterized his presence ever since the
trial began Sammons accepted the YER
dict without q word and did not even
make any unusual move. His pretty
wife and little girl were not in court
smith BACK Home.
Neither was Delbert Smith, the former
Kearney postoffice clerk, whose. confes-
sion was the chief basis of the prosecu.-
tion of Sammons. Smith returned to
Kearney. with his wife, Wednesday
night to W up his affairs preparatory
to appearing in court next month to ar
swer for his share in the robbery He
confessed that he loaned his postoffioe
keys and gave the safe combination TO
Sammops, whom, he alleged. had ac-
tually committed the crime.
Smith has sold his little home, and he
spent the summer working from day
light to dusk raising potatoes and gar
den truck on irrigated land which Kear-
ney business men staked him to. He
raised roe, bushels OF potatoes. / 500
bushels OF tomatoes, 500 bushels of
onions and much other vegetables.
He Is said to be anxious TO atone for
his part In the robbery and is ready
and willing to go to prison IL so SEN
fenced. A large majority Of the people
at Kearney believe his story. 1t is said
Thirty normal students there have Of
fered to board with Mrs. smith all win
ter. in order 10 help her make living.
If Smith is sent to prison.