Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1925-10-21
JUSTICE ACTS
SWIFTLY IN
ROBBERY CASE
Young Bandit Receives
Bitter Dose Calmly
An Old Offender.
Waupun Gates Clang.

j. w. RadcllHe, alias d. WalSn,
pleaded guilty Saturday morning at
IL o'clock to robbing the Cuba City
State bank just one week to day
and hour before. The specific charge
was "break and enter bank and open
vault" A charge of grand larceny
carrying penalty of one to ten years
was not pressed when Radcliffe
agreed to plead guilty to the first
charge.
Radcliffe Was Extradited
Radcliffe was extradited from Him
OILS and brought to Lancaster by Sher-
| if Livingston last Tuesday morning.
He saw he was "up against it," and
agreed to plead guilty although he
argued with Dist. Atty. Orchard for
quite while for a mitigation of the
charge lodged against him. The dis
trict attorney was adamant, saying
that if Radcliffe refused to plead
guilty he would go to trial on both
charges, implying a sentence of from
Is to 40 years if conviction was made
in each case.
Radcliffe is rs years old. He is well
dressed and man of good address.
Claims to have served in the World
war and to have an honorable dis
charge. Says he has parents living but
is not in touch with them. Claims to
have a wife and child in Chicago.
Claims World War Service
Radcliffe said he left the army af-
ter one year and eight months of SER
vice OF find his old job gone and en-
ployment scarce. He decided there
was something wrong with the sys-
tenn" and entered on life of crime.
Drifting to Los Angeles three or four
years ago, he forged a check and was
given seven years in state prison at
Folsom, Calf After serving two years
and nine months he escaped by leap
ing from a truck while coming in
| from road job. Since then he has
drifted but having no references he
could get no position. Radcliffe says
he swore he would "go straight" after
| leaving Folsom but found he could
get nothing but day labor. He then
stole a car in Milwaukee last summer
and this car was used by him in the
Cuba City job Saturday a week ago.
$3,757 was taken at Cuba City by
Radcliffe who forced the cashier and
girl assistant to get the money from
| the vault for him. This constituted a
1
a technicality," the young man claimed
in regard to entering the vault. He
said he did not enter it but that the
cashier did. Mr.. Orchard told him that
when the cashier was acting under
compulsion, Radcliffe became respon-
sible Just as though he had entered
the vault himself.
at know l acted foolishly and that
there was nothing bright about it,"
the young man said just before he
entered the court room. There is
nothing for me to do but plead guilty"
He took his medicine calmly when the
Judge imposed sentence.
Escaped California Prison
Radcliffe claimed he feared he
would have to go back to California
to serve the balance of his time, fol-
lowing expiration of his Wisconsin
sentence. He said that California had
law imposing a year to life for
prison escapes. "You are sentencing
me to death when you give me Is
years." he told Attorney Orchard. Mr..
Orchard said the young man could be
pardoDed after serving his minimum
time. "I'll be living on another plane
them" was the youths witty rejoin-
der.
The sheriff went to Waupun Satur-
day afternoon with the young man.
So closes a case of swift justice. All
the lost money has been returned and
no one is the loser but the foolish
boy who decided to $50 wrong" as
the easiest way to make living.
A Desperate Character
Radcliffe is an intelligent apepar-
ing young man of good address. He
wears Tor did wear) good clothes and
presents a natty, professional appear
ance. His desperate character is IL
Illustrated by story told by Sheriff
Livingston. At Freeport jail Radcliffe
handed the sheriff there a piece of
paper with a telephone number on 1t.
AS he handed it he dropped it. The
Freeport sheriff foolishly stopped to
pick it up and Radcliffe at once seized
the official and STRONG armed" him,
going through his clothes for a gun.
Had he obtained it he would doubtless
have shot the official. Like most men
who ego wrong" he acts the part of
injured innocence and SENS to feel
that he is a great sufferer. He affects
bravado and told Sheriff Livingston
there was no need to handcuff him as
he could slip his hands through the
cuffs any time he wanted to. Without
L. T.. ,-srr MI