Former County Clerk Sentenced for Embezzlement
William P. Fenimore receives the minimum sentence after a jury recommends leniency due to his 'exemplary character'.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
William P. Fenimore, ex-county clerk, was sentenced to the penitentiary today for one year for embezzlement. The court in pronouncing sentence said that in view of the defendant's exemplary character in this community for the last ten years and in compliance with the jury's recommendation that the lightest sentence under the law be imposed, he was impelled to give the minimum penalty. Fenimore was convicted of embezzling $500, an amount that was tendered into court by one of the banks as part payment of taxes. Notice of appeal was taken and stay of proceedings granted.
“In view of the defendant's exemplary character in this community for the last ten years... he was impelled to give the minimum penalty.”
The tension between 'good character' and accountability for public corruption is a persistent theme in civic life, echoing modern debates about justice reform and the treatment of white-collar crime.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.