Fergus County Democrat., 1914-07-09
LESLIE BllLlNGSLY AND JACK
FIELDS GO TO PENiTENTiARY
FOR BIJOU BURGLARY.
AYERS LEM|EMT WITH PRISONERS
BiIIingsly Given a Year and Fields
Fourteen Months to Insure Their
Release at Different Times-Court
Gives Offenders Strong Talk.


pleaded guilty % charges of burglary,
after having been caught practically
red-handed in their attempt to roll
the safe out of the Bijou theater box
office and break it open, were SEN
fenced by Judge Roy Ayers yesterday
afternoon, Billingsly being given
year in the penitentiary and Fields
IA months.
Ask for Leniency.
Billingsly's mother came in from
Roy to plead for her wayward boy
and number of citizens called upon
Judge Ayers in chambers to urge that
he show all possible leniency, espe-
cially to the younger of the two de.
PENDANTS.
Following them the officers were
questioned by the court, and when
| court convened there was flock of
young fellows and girls, with whom
the prisoners had associated, in at
| tendance.
Billingslys case was first taken up,
and the defendant stated that he had
no legal reason to offer why sentence
should not be passed upon him.
Some Straight Talk.
"The court has gone into your case
thoroughly" said Judge Ayers. "A
number of people have been to see
me in your behalf, and some have
asked that sentence be suspended and
that you be paroled. That would prove
discouraging to the officers and would
not meet the ends of justice; but |
am going to be as lenient with you
as | can conscientiously. The police
officers believe you have been con-
nected with some other offenses here.
You have been almost raised here and
you saw fit to fall in with the sporting
element, fought few preliminaries
and seem to have decided to get along
without any settled, honest work If
you could have seen your mother in
tears in the court chambers over what
you have brough. yourself to, yu,t
might have thoueh ht twice before ytl
decided to take up with this 81 orting
element and live without honest work,
One year in the penitentiary is the
least penalty l can impose upon you,
and if you behave yourself there you
can get out in seven months. | am
going to write to the authorities to
ask that you be put with the trusty
squad and that you be paroled in
seven months. impose this minimum
sentence in the hope that it may prove
a lesson to you and that you WILL
when you come out, try to be man;
that you will be good citizen"
Fields Portion.
Jack Fields was not in the least
embarrassed when he stood up. He
stated that he was "a years of age
and had been away from home since
he was eight years of age. He re-
counted the several jobs he had work
ed at since coming to Lewistown.
"The police" said Judge Ayers, "be-
lieve they have positive evidence con-
Meeting you with the breaking open of
the laundry safe recently. One of the
men in that iOh ran undor tho hr;doa
hiding in the water there. Next morn
ing your clothes were wet and you
had to get others, while they were dry
ing"
Eyes, was out fishing the day be.
FORE" explained Fields.
Asked whose plan to rob the Bijou
it was, Fields replied that it was
mutual plan. He said he did not sug,
gest it to Billingsly, nor did he en-
courage the later to go in on it.
Il will give you the benefit of the
doubt concluded Judge Ayers. 1T
certainly looks as though you had been
in on some other jobs here. 1t is to
be hoped you will try and be a good
citizen when you get out again. | will
extend the same leniency to you that
l have to Billingsly except that | do
not want you two to get out at the
same time. Further, l shall write to
the prison authorities to see that you
two are kept separated while in the
prison. You will be sentenced to IA
months, in order solely that you may
not come out at the same time, and
shall make the same recommends
tion as to leniency as in Billingsly's
case. It is seldom indeed that l ever
impose a minimum sentence for bur.
glary and l want you two young men
to appreciate that the court is extend