Norwich bulletin., 1918-05-24
CRIMINAL COURT
 OVER TO JUNE 5
But One Small Case Ready for Trial
 This Week.

The May term of the criminal su- perior court, which opened on Tues day at New London with Judge put over to Tuesday, June ,, after the session of the court in New London%on Thursday.
 A number of matters were disposed of, but there was only one small case ready for trial, so that Judge Greene decided to put all business over for week.
 ScapIen Goes to Jail.
 Walter Scaplen of New London, 19 years old, was sentenced to year in jail on the charge of stealing a Ford automobile belonging to Fred L. Bailey Of Lisbon more than a year 1 ago. Scaplen pleaded guilty to the | charge when he was put to plea on Tuesday morning.
 l In asking for sentence State At l torney Hull told Judge Greene that l Scaplen was one of a gang of 12 or Ia 1 boys ranging in age from Is years to 1 23 that had terrorized the neighbor- 1 hood for several months with their l thefts and burglaries. The members 1 of the gang had broken into and bur 1 glarized many places in New London and Windham counties and Rhode Isl- and. State Attorney Hull was con- vinced that Scaplen was guilty of at l least a dozen or fifteen crimes. Ordi- 1 narily he would say that the boy 1 should be sent to the reformatory, but he was certain that he would be there l but short time when he would es- l cape He did not like to urge a state l prison sentence, but he thought he should be sent to jail for as long as possible.
 l Public Defender Allyn L. Brown of ] Norwich stated to the court that the influence that Scaplen's father had had upon the boy was not what it should have been, and he thought that the 1 reformatory was the place for him, where he could be out of doors, and ] the institution would be more helpful 1 to him than the jail.
 1 State Attorney Hull opposed the l sending of Scaplen to the reformatory. He declared that Scaplen was one of l the leaders of the gang of young l burglars and that he had planned many of the crimes which they had perpetrated. He reiterated that Scap- len was clever and made a good ap- pearance and that he was convinced l that the reformatory would not only not be of any benefit to him but that Scaplen would nave a bad influence
 
 tion.
 Judge Greene felt that under the | circumstances jail was the place for l Scaplen and he sentenced him to one year.
 Several of Scaplen's gang were rounded up more than year ago and tried. Louis Peltier was sentenced to state prison and another boy named
 Tooker is now in jail. Scaplen evad-
 ed the authorities at that time and
 made his escape and it was not until a short time ago that he was arrested while visiting at his home.
 Jailed for Liquor Theft.
 John C. McDonough of New London who pleaded guilty to breaking and entering P. T. McCaffrey's saloon or
 Bank street on April 29 and stealing
 three quarts of liquor, was sentenced l to one year in jail.
 Adultery Charge NoIled.
 The case against Leo Champagne oi l Norwich, charged with adultery wisf
 Ida Holmes Jan. T. was nolled on the
 recommendation of the state attorney The case against the woman had beer previously nolled Before granting tht : nolle, Judge Greene stated that tht impression should not be allowed tC : prevail that adultery is a slight of fense. State Attorney Hull stated tha he thought the circumstances in tht
 case warranted inasmuch as Cham ,, pegne had been in jail since Jan. and that the charge against him coult be proven only at great cost.
 Case Against Rose NolIed.
 In the case against William Rose O Colchester. State Attorney Hull de clared that the state had no case ant
 he recommended a nolle. which wa,
 granted Rose was charged witt
 breaking into woodchopper's shed il
 Colchester last December. The stat i, attorney stated that Rose was half : witted and he was satisfied that tn charge was brought against him be 1 cause of a disposition to get rid o , him around Colchester