Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 38, Number 77, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 June 1906 — TOM TAKES HIS MEDICINE. [ARTICLE]

TOM TAKES HIS MEDICINE.

Tuesday at 1:30 p. m. the McCoy lawyers, after having been, as they claimed, working on their motion for a new trial since Saturday, and having the court reporter working her head off writing up parts of the record-, and themselves binding and blowing around about having plenty of cards up their sleeves to stave off sentence till September, at least, came into court «nd withdrew their motion for a new trial, and Judge Farber then proceeded to pass sentence. The-sentence, which the law prescribes in cases of bank ■embezzlement, 'was a fine of twice the amount proved to have been! ■embezzled, which in this case made the fine $96, -and imprisonment in the state prison in Michigan city tfor an indeterminate period of from one to three'years. The Judge had no power ; to pass any difierent sentence this. Under its provisions Tom-must serve at least one year, and-after that time he cau be paroled -atany time by the Board of Pardons, their notions usually being influenced by the record, and also by the gravity otfj the offense. In this case while be will-no-doubt be a model prisoner, it is searedy likely that he will be paroled'much before his three years are qp,i!ess the good time all good prisoners are entitled to. In withdrawing their motion for a new trial his-attorneys lay down <eom pletely, and abandoned all intent to appeal to the Supreme Count. Tom-seemed to be folly repentant; and all his fight and bravado ibas left him. Seme time before the sen tease-was pronounced he called Mose Leopold into a private iroom' where<he denied all the sanguinary threats .he was alleged to have, made in-ease he was fonnd gnilty, i -said he cherished no animosity against Mose for his part in -the' prosecution,nor for the peoplelhere; .also that he now saw that he had made the mistake of his life when | he led |bo doubt by the advice of grasping and selfish attorneys and of unscrnpaloas Lafayette relatives, ihe- concluded to leave Rensselaer And .go baek on his solemn and -oft ■repeated (promises to turn aver -everything to his creditors. Turn .cried * bitterly daring this talk wiifflb Mr iLeopold. . A fact of iinterest in this eonmect ion, now just become known, is ithat Tom’s lawyers, knowing the -ho}w*leßßuess of his case, advised j •him four or five weeks ago, to with . djs vr bis plea of„guilty and to enter: -one-of guilty and throw himself ou the mercy of the court, but Torn refused to listen to, that suggestion. As to the eiiect «if the fine which is part .of the sentence, attorneys tseein tohold different opinions. It carries .with it a judgment for the ■costs in tike case, except for court and jury, and had there been no prison sentence, Tom .could have been kept in White county’s damp and ramshackle jail until he laid out doe and-casts at $1 per day. unless the amount was paid. Bat whether ibis jailing experience will apply after the prison sentence is finished, is a matter on which the lawyers hold different opinions. Probably if Tom continues prop erly repentant, no cue would desire to eufore the jail sentence, anyhow. As soon as seatones was pronounced Tom was placed in charge at the sheriff of White county aid in hie care went to Lafayette in the afternoon, to op his affairs and bid good bye to bis friends, with the understanding that he would ha taken to Michigan City on Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning.