Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1914-03-25
Say, Jedge!" interrupted Inness

Certainly, if you wish to do so. -
said his honor with an indulgent
smile
} Wall then, Mr.. Harmon, do you
know who made yew?"
t "Ya'as, | dew retorted the at
: torney with the same drawl that In
ness had spoken with and in exactly
the same tone Aaron, / allow"
There was d laugh in the court
room at this, in which even Mrs.
Badleigh Joined and his honor was
: seen TO smile; but the next moment
h Mr.. Frank Inness came into his own
| with an exclamation that had a slim
/ ulating influence upon everyone in
| the room.
wall naow!" he said, I'VE dew
, read in the good book that Aaron
, once made calf but who'd a
J thought the tarnal critter had agot
| in here?"
: This unexpected deliverance upon
, the part of Mr.. Inness was greete j
: with uproarious laughter in which
: everybody joined, but none more
/ heartily than the prosecuting attor-
/ ney-than whom few were better
able to appreciate a real jest even
5 though it might be at his own eX-
pense, and this jeu d'esprit appeal
> ed to his fine sense of humor as some
, dignified sensible remark would not
have done. When quiet was restor-
ed he turned to the witness and sad
t with great good humor-
well, Frank, l guess l will not
: ask you any more questions, you are
altogether too much for me; you
4 may go now"
2 A brief consultation was then
held between the two attorneys
whereat it was agreed to drop the
D case against Jesse Badleigh. Also, on
e account of his youth, and the dan
: gerous illness of his mother, who
was a widow, it was agreed, with
the consent of Killum and Dressam
not to prosecute the prime mover,
> James Cobb, for his great offense
Jesse and his mother having already
r declared that such would be their de-
I sire.
! 1t was therefore settled that the
, Justice should be requested to Sc
4 verely reprimend James Cobb upon
his confession of the wrong he had
done Jesse Badleigh and with that
4 no further proceedings were to be
q taken against him.
!, Justice Barthell proceeded at once
), to1administer a reprimand to the boy
n which he was likely to remember as
o long as he lived. 1t was stern cas-
h tigation, but it was spoken with g
O gentleness and an impressivenes:
r that deeply touched every person who
9 heard it.
J. He spoke of the seriousness of the
q crime of robbery, and although il
this instance it was petty larceny, il
was a violation of the laws of Goo
and man, and an offense that wa.
punishable by Imprisonment in tn,
!. county Jail.
:. He dwelt particularly on the grav
ity of the crime of perjury, of which
the culprit had been notoriousl,
guilty, which he declared was ;
or Gin In ,;cl
ment. He laid great stress on tn
heartlessness of seeking to destro
the reputation of an innocent per
son, and that person a school-mat
who had never given him cause TO
;. such wickedness, such pitiless cruel
= ty.
He declared that in all his expert
ence on the bench, which covere
many years, he had never before me
with such a distressful instance O
depravity in one so young. II
could only account for it on the hyI
othesis that the boy had no just con
g ception of the gravity of his offenst
anu tiitu Hc tdlheu W the DOy l.
a such kind fatherly way, shown
u him what the consequences must be
he persisted in such course, tina
n not only James Cobb himself but tn
le spectators were greatly stirred, an
1T when he finally brought his words t
IS close with an appeal to the fine
ID feelings of the boy, calling his atten
ton to the great opportunities tn
Of country offered to every willin
worker, finishing with a referenc
W to the duty he owed to society, an
10 especially to his poor sick mothe
who was wearing her life away TO
n him and at that moment sufferin
m what none but loving mothe
c. could endure or suffer, the boy brok
lie down and wept as If his heart woul
le break, nor was he alone in this soft
lie ness, for nearly every eye in tn
ly room was a fountain of tears. TIL
le case OF the State of Iowa VS.. Jess
it Badleigh was dismissed and tn
m court was adjourned.