A Case of Bad Checks and Regret
M. O. Sinderude is sentenced to prison after passing a worthless check at a local business, citing intoxication as his defense.
M. O. Sinderude was sentenced yesterday by Judge Huston to serve six months in the penitentiary at Walla Walla for attempting to obtain money under false pretenses. Sinderude recently purchased a bill of goods from D. M. Hoffman Co., offering in payment a $10 check on the Puget Sound Savings bank. It was found that he had no account there and his arrest followed. His excuse to the judge was that he was drunk when the crime was committed.
“His excuse to the judge was that he was drunk when the crime was committed.”
This reflects the era's blunt approach to petty crime, where judicial sentencing was swift and often focused on moral failings rather than systemic issues. The 'Walla Walla pen' remains a shorthand in regional history for the state's center of incarceration.
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