Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-05-01
INDIANA GOVERNOR |
DECIDES To SERVE
PRISON SENTENCE.
Decides Not to Appeal Case
After Federal Jury Finds
Him Guilty Of Using Mails
in SWind|e -.y.j;.,.

INDIANAPOLIS. Ind, April 29.--
Warren 7. McCray, convicted yes
terday in federal court of using the
mails to defraud, today resigned az
governor of Indiana.
| The resignation becomes effective
| at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning.
Emmett F. Branch, lieutenant gov.
ernor, automatically will become
| governor.
McCray Is to appear tomorrow in
Ieuefal court to receive his sentence
II IS expected he will receive a fern
IN the Atlanta federal prison and
VIII De taken there with other prison.
ers Thursday. - iSo",
ne VIII take no appeal from his
CONVICTION in federal court but will
| De ready to begin serving whatever
sentence is given. him by Judge 4.
o. T 1nde nnma3t ~
lnS the mails in furtherance of a
o4eie 20 oeIraud is a fine of not
10 exceed $1,000 or, IMPRISONMENT
no' 10 exceed five years, or both.
at the discretion Of the court M
| AOniio SulIly on all thlr-
teen counts in the Indictment and
each count is a separate offense
Resignation Solves Problem
| Inc voluntary resignation of Nc.
Gray eliminates a number of nroh.
lens that have confronted officials
since his conviction. Considers HE
discussion had arisen over the legal.
lty OF calling a special session Of the
general assembly to impeach Nc
Cray provided he would not resign.
! Inc resignation was written when
| McCray accompanied by United
States Marshal l.. p. Meredith, visit
ed the state executives office Tues
| day morning after spending the
night in jail. McCray reached the
state house soon after II o'clock.
Employees dropped other work and
bega nclearing up routine business,
preparatory to the governors resig.
nation. In order to clear his desk,
the governor sent out for luncheon,
which he shared with James Noel,
his personal attorney, and several
Others
| Close friends Of the governor were
| closeted with him soon after his ar
rival at the state house. Among
| those who called were Attorney Gen.
eral u. S. Less, Newton Tn Miller,
state fire marshal; Luke Duffy, local
attorney and member of the last
| Indiana house of representatives;
Mr.. Noel, his attorney; John Moor
man, of Knox, Ind, personal friend
! and advisor; Fred Robinson, state
| purchasing agent; Miss Adah Bush,
executive secretary; e. j. Fogarty.
warden at Indiana state prison, and
Bernard Griffey, one of the COVER
| nor's bondSmen.
The governor spent the night In
! the Marion county Jail and was to
remain there until 9 o'clock We'd
nesday morning, when he is to APP
pear before Federal Judge A. B. An
derson to be sentenced.
G. o. p. Chiefs Confer
Republican leaders gathered here
! today to discuss the situation.
A series of conferences were held
by Republican leaders when Me-
Ctay's financial difficulties first be-
came public, and the opinion was
expressed then that impeachment
proceedings would be instituted IL
he was found guilty Of the charges.
The attitude at the present time,
however, is that no immediate action
will be taken, the belief apparently
prevailing that McCray will resign.
| 1t appeared unlikely early today
that Governor McCray would ask
for an appeal. NJ. A. Ryan, one of
! the governors attorneys, gave the
only definite hint that McCray would
not appeal when he said yesterday
| that while he was not sure, he
guessed" that no appeal would bs
| taken.
| Minus P. D. Meredith, United
| States marshal, limited last night
! that McCray would leave with him
! Thursday for Atlanta to begin serv-
| ing whatever sentence was imposed
upon him, thus indicating that fed
eral officials were not expecting the
case to be appealed.
| The governors conviction appar-
emily will have no bearing upon the
| primary election to be held in In
diana May 6. His affairs have been
ignored by the gubernatorial candi.
dates of both major parties and he
has taken no part in the campaign
| for the preferential vote for presi-
dent being waged by supporters OF
President Coolidge and Senator HI.
ram Johnson.
Inaugurated i'm 1921
Warren T. McCray, the first man
ever convicted while holding the of
flee of governor of Indiana, was In
augurated January l, 1921, having
been elected on the Republican ticket.
Previous to making the race for gov
ernor he had participated only slight
ly in politics. Much Of his time had
| been devoted to banking, cattle rails
| ing, and grain dealing.
His business career was begun az
bookkeeper in country bank. Then
| followed a slow climb to fortune. He
went to work at fifteen as book.
! keeper in a kentland, Ind, bank. On
the day Of his majority, he resigned
| and went into the grocery business,
| he was successful and soon turned to
| the grain business. AS rapidly as the
money was forthcoming from one
| grain elevator, he invested it in an.
| other and soon had a chain over the
| northwestern part Of the state.
AS governor, McCray blocked sew.
eral bills attempted by the legisla-
| ture. Among them was a farmers
cooperative marketing bill. He OPP
posed the bill because it fixed no
limit to the amount Of debts mar
keting association might incur, for
the payment Of which the individual
farmer members would have been
liable. The attorney general held that
the bill abridged the constitutional
provision for freedom of contract.
and also permitted a farmer being
imprisoned for debt.
Woman Commissioner