CRIMINAL COURT
Crowley Signal April 15, 1899
Monday was the opening day of the criminal term of curt, and
a large number of people were about the court house. District Attorney Lee
Garland and Judge Dupre arrived Sunday and were on hand to early Monday
morning. While there are not a great many cases to come up before the term; yet
a number of those to be tried are of especial interests to many in the parish.
Chas Brown accused of embezzling $2000 from Green &
Shoemaker, also of other crooked dealing had entered a plea sometime ago of not
guilty. He had expected to make a fight, but the feeling of the general public
was so intense, that after talking with friends and being shown the uselessness
of any fight on the case, he came into court Monday morning and withdrew his
former plea on not guilty and entered a plea of guilty.
The case of Wm Riley, accused with cutting with intent to
murder, was tried this morning and given to the jury about two o’clock. The
affaire took place in Prairie Hayes last July, when Riley made an assault upon
Joe Pechell.
The following arraignments were made Monday morning:
- J. Danders, larceny, entered a plea of not guilty. Bond fixed at $100.
- Herbert Baptist, refusing to work on public roads, entered a
plea of not guilty, bond fixed at $50.
- Dupe LeBlanc, refusing to work on public roads, entered a
plea of not guilty, bond fixed at $50.
- Nat Sinnet entered a plea of guilty to the charge of now
working on public roads. He has been in jail twenty days, not furnished bond,
and he was sentenced to twenty-four hours more in jail.
- Gerasin Meche was fined $25 and costs or thirty days in jail
for violating the Sunday law.
A jury was empaneled Tuesday in the case of the
Miller-Morris Canal Co. vs. L.A. Bergeron et al, and ordered to return on June
19 to resume the trial of the case.
The jury was drawn for the week was finally discharged, as
was also the one drawn for the week beginning July 17th, and the
clerk ordered to notify them of their discharge.
- In the case of Felix Roy, tried Monday for abduction, the
district attorney abandoned the case after hearing the evidence for the
prosecution, and the judge ordered the jury to acquit the prisoner.
Only two days was consumed in trying felonies, after an
interval of five months. It is a striking illustration of the decrease of crime
in this parish.
- Chas. Brown came up for sentence before Judge Dupre
Wednesday, having changed his plea of not guilty to guilty. The charge against
him was that of embezzlement, for which the limit of seven years in the
penitentiary. He was given three years. This is considered a light sentence,
and with the “good time” allowed, will enable him to finish the time in about
two years and five or six months.
- John Thomas who attempted to steal money from F. Walker on
the streets a couple of weeks ago, was brought up and pleaded guilty. He was
given a sentence of five years.
