His Lordship: You knew you were doing something wrong, did you not, and that by doing so you defrauded Toba Singh of money?
Prisoner: Yes, I knew 1 was doing wrong, but I was in debt at the time, T'intended to pay the money back. It was the only way could get it. It was my honest intention to pay it back, His Lordship: And what _havé you to say on the other charges?
Prisoner: Well, on the second charge Marie came to me and asked me if I would sign a document. T did so, not knowing what it was for, or anything. I just did it for the benefit of Murie, His Lordship: Then you must have known that by doing what! Murie asked. you were signing the paper for a dishonest purpose. You knew that it had to do with something not fair and square. Surely you have enough intelligence and education to know that you were doing something: which was "not right. Is not that a cold, hard, brutal fact?
Prisoner: Yes, said he was going to break away from the army and if he was caught be would shoulder the charges, I was. under an. obligation to him. He paid the interest on mooney I borrowed from Toba Singh.
The Assistant Crown Advocate, in answer to his Lovdehip, said that he had little to say ' which would be directly connected with the offences to which the prisoner had pleaded guilty. "He has admitted tem," Mr. Piésstwood said, "put what be has said in extenuation of his obtaining worley from self. the case, and as the accused is not represented, I would ask Your Lordship to take into consideration when passing sentence a further charge to which the prisoner has not pleaded guilty, one of obtaining money from Toba Singh on June 2, with Maurie'
Passing sentence, his Lordship' said that he had listened very carefully to all the prisoner had to say in extenuation of his conduct and wished to add nothing to what had already been said on the matter. "Passing sentence on anyone i very painful matter," his Lordship continued, "for one feels that by doing #0 one may be ruining a man's chances, for life, but one cannot be too sentimental. If people will commit crimes they must be punished, for if you do not punish tham you encourage other people to do likewise. Those may seem hard, evuel words, but that is how it works out in practice.
"These charges to which you have pleaded guilty are not charges which can be extenuated. They are serious charges—the forgery of documents so that fraud could be perpetrated. As to what you have said about getting little or nothing out of the fraud of Murie's, I have' already pointed out to you that) you knew very well you were assisting another man to be dishonest. Last week I had the case jof a man in your service before me. I sentenced him to one year" hard labour. Although T at firs thought that I could not distinguish between your case and his, yet it does seem to me now that to some! extent you were influenced by that man, I think, therefore, I would not be doing wrong if I did di tinguish your cases. But I cannot merely enter a conviction against you and let you go free in view of the extent and variety of these crimes. The least sentence I ca pass upon you is one of six monthe at hard labour, to date from the day of your arrest."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.