The sun., 1916-12-06
DENIES EASY
BERTH FOR RAINES
Correction Commissioner Says
No "Outside Influence"
Aided Swindler.
NO ONE IN NJ FIXED
Admits Man Court dashed Did
Spend a Few Days in
WOrkhOuse.

Why Jacob Lewis Raines. a convicted
I'VE boys'' swlndler. who was sent to
the workhouse for thirty days by the
Court Of Special Sessions. turned up In
he Tombs doing light h~ousework." In
stead OF the more strenuous routine on
Blackwell's Island, was explained by
Burdette q. Lewis. Commissioned of
Correction. yesterday.
The Commissioner said that Raircs.
who actually did spend a few days In
the w%orkhousc. was transferred back to
the Tombs in accordance with the rules
of the department. He denied that n
Outside influence had earned Raincs
an easy berth In the Tombs, when the
court had severely censured him and
ordered him sent to the workhouse for
punishment.
There Is nothing wrong In the fact
that Raines ID In the Tombs." said the
Commissioner. mo one has been liked
and there has been no breach OF disci-
pl,nc by any official OF the department
! resent very much the imputation In
some OF tho newspapers that Raines has
been receiving any special privileges
He has not but have ordered an In
vcs,igation, SO that there will be no
doub, left In the minds Of the public"
From the time that Raines was taken
into custody as a result OF the combined
efforts of THE Sun. World and Tribune
there has been All atmosphere OF outside
influence injected into the case. His trial
In the Court Of Special Sessions was
postponed four times. Af1davits were
submitted by his counsel that thc'de-
PENDANT was seriously Ill In Philadelphia
Tries Patience Of Court.
Even when the patience Of the court
had been exhausted and he was ordered
to appear or have his $1,000 ball for
feited. he failed to show IN at 10 o'c!oc.
or the morning Of November ~. At ].
o'clock a telegram dated Philadelphia
was received from him stating mat M
was on his way.
When the Afternoon session OF the cour'
was called. Charles Edward Joseplhs. hi
! counsel, pleaded guilty for him.. ant
Raine even then attempted to cvade 'h'
formality OF standing at the bar like thu
| prisoners. This was demanded b. th'
| court. ON the day Of sentence Joseph:
made a plea for %lenciency. presenting fo'
his grounds the illness OF the defendant
wife, together with the fact that jacob
Lift. a wealthy Philadelphia merchant
! stood ready to give Raines a life job an
take him forever cut OF the jurisdiction
OF the state II the court would suspend
sentence.
James I. Russell. a probationary on!
Ger. who had been instructed TO investi
gate his record and report to the court OF
| the day Raines was sentenced. was give
a history of Raines's fraudulent transac
tions which the three newspapers ha'
gathered. After hearing this record. Pre-
siding Justice Salmon talked to the pris
oncr severely and said that he must b
punished.
Plea for Clemency Needed.
The court acccded to the plea for elem
cncy out Of sympathy for Raines's famil
and ordered him sent to the workhous'
Justice Salmon in court characterize
his Offences as "very serious and sa,
that 4, was evident he a planned HI
operations with craft and cunning.
Following the campaign on behaf c
Raines Is the undlsputed fact tina
he was taken from the w~orkhouse
few days after his Incarceration an
placed in the Tombs! which Lewis d'
clarcs was nothing more thai "A matte
Of department routine.
THE Sun learned yesterday froi
Frank Smith. chief Clerk of the Cou'
of Special Sessions. that he had hee
approached since the conviction. Sm't
was asked II il was not possible to ha,
the six days Raincs spent In the rom
awaiting sentence deducted from h
thirty days punishment.
Raincs has been annoying tho cd
torial calm Of New York and Fhi,adc
, phia ncwspa pers for years. WIN III
|, ,urblng regularity public men would ca
, IN the offices and ask about that don
ton for the boys" Raine was fleet
/, foo, and wily I'm mind. In almost eve