The Daily Alaska empire., 1945-05-05
CLEO WILKINS
 GETS } YEARS
 IMPRISONMENT
Same Sentence for All in Trunk Case-WiICox
 Is ParOIed

1 Patricia Wilkins, who as Cleo
 Patricia Wilkins was the center of
 all eyes in crowded Seattle court
 room a few short weeks ago when
 she appeared as star witness against
 former United States Attorney
 Lynn J. Gemmill, played another
 leading role in courtroom scene here yesterday afternoon-but a
 role little to her liking.
 Jauntily- -attired, young, pert, per
 sonable, she posed tense before the
 bar in U. s. District Court, await ! ing condemnation on the charge
 of grand larceny, to which she had
 pleaded guilty while her at torney, William A. Holzheimer, i former prosecutor, made an im- 1 passioned plea for the courts len iency.
 T know I did wrong; I'm ter
 ribly sorry" were her only words.
 Then her slim form still
 erect, she heard the pronounce ment of her sentence; To serve
 three years in Federal Penitentiary.
 There was a rueful, half-smile
 on the face of Patricia Wilkins, ad-
 mitted prostitute and thief, as she ! turned to take her place in the
 lineup of condemned prisoners.
 In his plea for leniency, Attor-
 ney Holzheimer stressed his clients
 action in pleading guilty and ap-
 bearing before the Grand Jury to
 assist the Government in breaking j the case. That such action deserves 1 consideration is recognized and helps to form a strong bulwark against crime, he pointed out, then 1 continued:
 There is no record against this
 girl except immoral conduct; she is
 a young girl who got off to a wrong start. She should have a helping hand to turn back from her path.
 The life she has led is not a
 pleasant one, at best. Only 25
 years old, she should have a
 chance!
 i Judge George F. Alexander, how
 ever, found no appeal for sympathy
 in her conduct In his remarks
 before passing sentence, he stated T have investigated this case . very thoroughly" She is the one who concocted the scheme in the first place then insisted on finishing the job after it had been interrupted. "She said nothing until the Wilcox girl told. Then : possibly, she saw a chance" to save herself or at least minimize the penalty-by saying me too" Sylvia Wilcox, companion of Pa tricia Wilkins and two soldiers in the theft of a trunk containing an estimated S12,000 from a Sitka : house of ill-fame, was afforded the leniency of the court. She too was sentenced to serve three years in prison, but her sentence was sus- pended and she was parolled to the United States Marshal, on copdi- tion that she live decent life. The robust-appearing Mrs. Will : COX created major disturbance of the courts solemnity when she tainted, toppling to the floor be- fore the bar as she stood awaiting judgement. Sobbing, she remained seated after recovering conscious ness, while her sentence was de- : livered.
 Also sentenced to three years in prison were Herbert William Hayes and Eugene L. Twisdale, the two soldiers involved in the Sitka trunk case. All four of the conspirators had pleaded guilty to the grand larceny charges.
 l: In passing judgment on the two phasized that no attempt at resti- : tuition had been made and that it is the duty of the court to pro- tect the public from just such offenses. In answer to Hayes plea that he would be dishonorably dis !: charged from the Army-a severe penalty in itself, Hayes declared the judge said: You went into this with your eyes wide open" ]: In explanation of the clemency accorded Sylvia Wilcox, Judge AL
 exander agreed with Counsel M. E. NHo,,ooI, tI,ot cl,o ,,,o- ...+ -..,;I4.. 4 =