Jasper County Democrat, Volume 18, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 April 1915 — DONN ROBERTS GETS SIX YEARS [ARTICLE]

DONN ROBERTS GETS SIX YEARS

And Is Fined $2,000 —Other Terre Haute Gangsters Sentenced in Federal Court. Donn M. Roberts, mayor of Terre Haute, was given the heaviest penalty by Judge Anderson of the federal court at Indianapolis Monday in passing sentence on the 116 Terre Haute gangsters recently convicted or pleading guilty to election fraud conspiracies in the last election in that city. Ten of those pleading guilty were fined $lO each and sentenced to six months in jail; one was given a fine of $1 and six months in jail; twentyfour were fined $lO each and four months in jail; sixteen were fined $lO each and three months in jail; thirty-one were fined $1 each and 60 days in jail; three were fined SIOO each and one day in jail; sentence was suspended in the case of four, and withheld in the case of four others. Those sentenced to the federal prison at Ft. Leavenworth are: Six Years, $2,000 Fine—Donn M. Roberts, mayor. Five Years, SI,OOO Fine—Eli H. Redman, judge Vigo circuit court; Dennis Shea, sheriff of Vigo county. Three Years, SSOO Fine—Edward Driscoll, assistant city engineer; Geo. Ehrenhardt, member board of public works; Harry s. Montgomery, chairman board of public works; Thomas Smith, judge city court. Two Years, SIOO Fine—William Crockett, superintendent city crematory; John E. Green, election inspector; Lewis Nunley, assistant city engineer; Hilton Redman, attorney and political worker; Elmer E. Talbott, city controller. Year and a Day, SIOO Fine — Alexander Aczel, election worker; Arthur Gillis, undertaker and election clerk; Charles Houghton, custodian city hall; John Masselink, city sealer; Joseph O’Mara, street commissioner; George Sovern, saloon keeper; Joseph Straus, election worker; Maurice Walsh, treasurer democratic county committee. Year and a .Day, $1 Fine —John Edward Holler, former chief of police. Roberts and several others of the above number will appeal to the U. S. circuit court of appeals, but Sovern, Masselink, Gillis ana Straus Aid the court that they would not appeal, and said they wanted to begin serving their sentences as soon as they could arrange their business and family affairs. The court gave each of them their commitment papers under a promise that they would go to Ft. Leavenworth and surrender themselves to the prison authorities not later than next Sunday at 12:30. o’clock p. m. , -