Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 August 1912 — Bridge Grafter Likely to Be Released Soon. [ARTICLE]

Bridge Grafter Likely to Be Released Soon.

H. B. Darling of Laporte and Thomas A. Daily of Indianapolis were in o Rensselaer a short time Thursday afternoon investigating the Bader bridge graft matter. Mr. Darling had written different ones here that they would be here some time Tuesday, and it was on this authority that The Democrat stated they were here when it went to press Tuesday afternoon. Judging from their remarks here the “investigation” of the Bader matter is merely a subterfuge of Governor Marshall to share the responsibility' of turning Bader loose before the expiration of -his minimum sentence. The “case” was evidently prejudged, and while they did not question the man’s guilt in the least, ther intimated that they thought he ought to be, turned loose on account of his family, and he will possibly be a free man ere these lines are read. It is always customary in applications for parole before the expiration of the minimum sentence, for the petition to be signed by the judge, prosecuting attorney, and usually all of the jurors hearing the ease, but in this instance neither the judge nor the prosecutor would place their names on the petition nor, so far as The Democrat has been able to learn, did a single juror do so." The way of the transgressor is hard, and it is always rhe family of a convicted person who suffers most. The Democrat deeply* sympathizes with Mr. Bader’s family in their troubles, but if our laws and the verdict of juries and courts are to be so easily set aside because of our sympathies, where will be at soon? Tom McCoy was compelled to serve out, not only his minimum sentence but the maximum sentence as well. His poor old father and mother both died while he was occupying a felon’s cell. Yet he had to serve out his full sentence. And his offense was no so henious as that of Bader in swindling the people of the entire county and endangering the lives of people who use the bridges he put up here, for, if it was neccessray to make theste bridges as heavy as the specifications called for, they are certainly unsafe when cut down 30 to 40 per cent, which by undisputed evidence was the case in every bridge he erected here. \ Had it not been for Bader’s unprecedented “pull” with our small calibered governor we would hear but little of any sympathy for his family. The sympathy expressed in moSt cases of this kind is simply a cloak used to cover the “pull.” j There are six other indictments pending in- the Jasper circuit court against Mr. Bader for like offenses. ! What i£ anything will o be done in these cases remains to be seen,* but it is very probable they will be dismissed. There is no use in spending more good money to get convictions and then have the whole thing made a farce of by those higher up who may be clothed with a little brief authority.