The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1918-03-07
.SOLEM SENT
TO PRISON
JIDGE IMPOSES MAXIMUM PENALTY
Court Expresses Wish that Man, a Con.
ylcted Stacker, Might Be Sent TO
Front Line Trenches

When he assessed the maximum pen
atty Of from five TO 10 years against
Philip Solem. p year old Stacker who
pleaded guilty Monday to The crime Of
placing distractions on the 0.-W. X.
& n. track near Lindsay creek last
FrIAy. an obstruction that, according
to the belief of railway officials. came
wl.bin a narrow margin of wrecking
the lines fast limited train, eastbound.
Judge Wilson Tuesday mcrning ex-
pressed the wish that he might have
been able TO impose a sentence that
you'd carry Solem to the front line
trenches of the firing line.
BY his actioas Solem, who was re-
Gently released from serving a 60 day
Jail sentenre in Portland for failure u
register under the selective draft acr,
has impressed officials who have bon
observing him as having committed his
crime for the purpose of getting pen.
itentiarY sentence and thus escaping
conscription. When arraigned Monday
he made the plea of guilty without
hesitation aIM asked the Judge for a
sentence as quickly as it could be
given.
& In delivering his sentence Judge vii
son scored the young culprit Tor his act
of Friday. A huge bolt wsa placed on
the rail line at a point where the track
parallels the edge of deep current Of
the Columbia. Railroad officials have
expressed the belief that the fast train
would certainly have been wrecked but
for the fortunate discovery of the bolt
by l.. F. Stephens, Western Union line
man. whose motor speede7 was derailed
by the obstruction. If the wreck had
occurred the train would have plunged
into the deep water.
Il cannot conceive, said Judge Will
son 'how one could be guilty of such
an act as you, by your confession 10
officers and your plea here yesterday
admit You may consider it an act Of
Providence that the passenger train
was not wrecked. In that case, many
innocent women and children might
have been killed in a horrible wreck
When you first made plea of guilty,
thus avoiding jury trial and saving
the county the sum of about 500,
| thought of taking this into considera-
ton in sentencing you. But you knew
| that you would inevitably have been
convicted, and Furthermore, having
heard of your irregularity in regard to
the draft act, am made to believe
that it is your one desire to get in q
prison, where you will not have to
serve as a soldier. wish it we're in
my power to send you to the trenches. "
/ Judge Wilson, as he stated, invoked
| for the first time since he has been on
the bench, On amendment to the Grim.
inal code, adopted by the last legislo-
ture, which permits the court to impose
as minimum of indetermnate SEN
tences, in felony cases one half of the
maximum punishment for the same.
The only regret have about your
case, " he stated, "is that am not able
to make your punishment greater. But
| believe that this war will be over be-
fore you are released from the state
penitentiary.
The criminal docket of this term Of
court is one of the heaviest ever ~
corded in Hood Me- county. Follow
ing on the hee4s Of the sentence i'm
posed on young Solem the case of
David Matheny, who is accused of lar
ceny from the dwelling of DR.. T. l..
Eliot, just south of the city, was
called. The case of J. l.. Allen, for
mer minister, who was recently indict-
ed On charge of arson. the state hav.
ing set up that he burned an apartment
house at Cascade Locks for insurance,
follows the Matheny case.
The Davis divorce case win be called
Immediately after the criminal dacket
is completed.
Matheny, found guilty by the jury,
was sentenced to from six months to
three years in the penitentiary.