Keough Sent to State Prison

by Laurel | May 19th, 2010

May 19, 1900

For a Term of 7.5 years, Imposed as a Minimum Penalty — Appeal for Further Delay not Regarded.

A sentence of not less that 7.5 years, and not to exceed 10 years in the state prison was yesterday imposed on James C. Keough, the former tax collector of Holyoke, who last December pleased guilty to one of the 20 indictments against him for embezzlement. Judge Maynard awarded the sentence, after hearing the statements of District Attorney Gardner and Robert C. Cooley, who appeared for Keough and considering the request of the latter for a further delay in the case, owing to the unsettled state of the Keough bankruptcy proceedings. The sentence carries with it one day of solitary confinement. The remainder of the time to be spent at hard labor. Considering the year that Keough has spent in the local jail the term of his punishment will in realty be 5.5 years as the minimum. The Keough case came up just after noon. District Attorney Gardner in calling up the case spoke of Mr. Keough’s incumbency of the office of tax collector in Holyoke for several years and his embezzlement of large sums of money from the amounts collected. He said in preparing the evidence in the case the commonwealth had encountered many difficulties in view of the fact that the affairs of the office were in a very tangled state and the books in bad shape. It was difficult to find any six months when any stated sum of money was taken, though it could be seen that a large amount had disappeared during that period. In order to prepare the case an expert was employed on the books and it cost a large sum to prepare the case for trial. When the case had been prepared Keough had pleaded guilty to one indictment charging the embezzlement of $30,000. The penalty for the crime was according to the statutes from 7 to 10 years. Mr. Gardner said that in view of the large amount of money embezzled by the defendant, which was more rather than less than the amount charged in the indictment, he believed he could with propriety suggest that not less than the maximum penalty be imposed, And now, inasmuch as the law now provided for a minimum limit of a sentence, he believed tat should not be the least possible.

From The Springfield Republican.

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