The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-04-16
ROWBOTTOM IS
FOUND GUILTY.
YEAR IN PEN
EX-CongreSSman to Serve
Time and Pay Fine of
$4,000.
SOLD PoSTOFFICE JOBS
Jury ConViCts Evansville
Man on Four Counts:
Out Two Hours.
BY BEN STERN
Times STAFF Corrcspondent

EVANSVILLE, Ind, April Is
Harry E. Rowbottom, who still APP
parently believes in Santa Claus,
looked at the governments table,
loaded with evidence and sur
rounded by prosecutors.
Il lust thought I'd better keep my
mouth shut and perhaps / would
get an easy break
That, he explained today is the
reason for his failure to charge on
the witness stand that Jim Watson
and his postoffice inspectors framed
and entrapped me
Gone is the debOnair air which he
wore six years ago when he left
Evansville to represent the First dis
trict in congress, and gone is his
cOck5urenCss, for he will go to
Indianapolis Monday TO leave with
other convicted men for the federal
penitentiary at LcavenWorth, to
which he has been sentenced for one
wear and one day and fined $4,000
for selling postodice appointments.
Guilty of Job Selling
A federal jury in Evansville
declared Wednesday night that the
three-time congressman, defeated for
reelection last fall, was guilty on
four counts Of bartering postof1ce
appointments.
And although his attorneys made
an eloquent plea for probation on
the ground that he is a sufferer
from diabetes and has the mind of
boy Judge Charles E. Woodward,
after severe castigation declared
that ROWbottom must serve one year
and one day and be fined $4,000 on
each count. running cOncurrently,
the payment Of $4,000 constituting
the payment Of the entire fine as
sessed.
Respect for public Office is
lessened if it may be bought and
sold declared Judge Woodward, in
denying the plea Of Rowbottom's at
torneys that he be placed on proba-
ton.
Onense Held Grave
The odonse of which this de-
PENDANT has been found guilty is
grave The court can not condone
this fragrant and cynical barter and
sale of public Offices, as disclosed by
the evidence in this case.
L do not deem it necessary to i'm
pose the extreme penalty, but the
sentence must be of such nature as
to deter other congressman from
such practices"
In expressing the governments
opposition to placing Rowbottom
under probation, George r Jeffrey,
federal district attorney, who acted
as chief prosecutor, declared:
The defense attorneys say there
is no reason why we should hold
this defendant up for an example.
Yet there is a reason. In the or
binary course of American Justice
we can not refuse to prosecute a
high public official and the court
can not refuse to send him to the
penitentiary.
Must Pay for Betrayal
Eve must impress on the official
who is placed in a high Office of
honor and trust that if he betray
that trust he must suffer for the
betrayal. That man must go to
prison
Nugent Dodds, special assistant
attorney general, making his first
talk during the trial pointed out
that this was a particularly grave
and serious ofTense.
He later declared that he never
before had heard of a congressman
being prosecuted for the sale of
postofflce appointments and that all
official Washington was watching
progress of the trial
Defense attorneys pointed out. in
asking for mitigation Of sentence,
that the giyer Of a bride is equally
guilty with the taker
The defendant is like a boy, not
mature, as we imagine q member
of congress to be" declared Defense
Counsel Philip Gould, Evansville.
And Raymond Springer Corners
VILE. associate defense counsel, in
IN his plea, said: Although Row.
bottom is 46 in age mentally he
mas not grown with his years. He
has the mentality Of high school
freshman
Guilty on Four Counts
Specifically. RoUbottom was
found guilty by the jury, which
was out two hours, on the follow
ing four Of the eight counts
l. That he agreed 10 accept $3.50
from Walter G. Aver, Rockport, to
appoint his Son, Gresham Aver. as
rural route carrier,
2. That he did receive this money.
8, That he indirectly received $500
for procuring and aiding TO pro-
cure postmastership at Dale for
S. Grant johnson of Dale.
4. That he unlawfully received
the money for this appointment
from Otto A. Weilbrenner, who act
ed as his agent