The Pen for Petty Theft
Two young men are sentenced to the state penitentiary for stealing an overcoat and rubbers from a church in Endicott.
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.
For burglarizing a church at Endicott two years ago, R. L. Davis and F. M. Dickson, two young Colfax men, will have to spend a year in the state penitentiary. Judge Chadwick sentenced them Tuesday afternoon following their trial at Colfax. Davis is only 21 years of age and Dickson a year older. The men entered the Endicott church on a Sunday night and stole a number of rubbers, an overcoat, and an umbrella that had been left there by members. They were brought to the penitentiary yesterday by Deputy Sheriff Nessly.
“The men entered the Endicott church on a Sunday night and stole a number of rubbers, an overcoat, an umbrella.”
A year in prison for stealing an umbrella and an overcoat highlights the extreme nature of early 20th-century sentencing for petty property crimes. Today, these individuals might face community service or probation, illustrating a massive shift in how we prioritize judicial resources.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.