John Gipe

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The Case of Young Gipe

1874 Rape trial of John Gipe (b. ABT 1860)

Last Monday afternoon the case of Young Gipe, held for an attempt to commit rape on a young lady at, or near Buda, came up for a hearing in the Circuit Court.

Gipe, through his counsel, John Scott, waived his right to a jury trial, and left the case to the Judge for his decision.

The testimony in the case, on the part of the prosecution, was substantially as published in The Tribune at the time--the mother of the defandant was called on the part of the defense, and testified that the defendant was "kind o' simple," and that his head had been affected by a blow received from his father some years ago, and that he was not as smart as the rest of the children. But, judging from the looks of the mother and a daughter that accompanied her, we were inclined to the opinion expressed by a lawyer, present during the trial, that he thought the father must have stuck the whole family.

During the trial, the fact was developed that a few hours previous to the committing of the assault, Gipe, who is about fifteen, had drank half a gallon of hard cider, on a wager, with a neighboring boy, who was visiting at his house.

Judge Leland, in passing the sentence, remarked that the prisoner, who is not by any means a vicious looking boy, was evidently of weak intellect, and strong otherwise, that it was a question in his mind whether his intellect unaffected by the influence of the cider, was strong enough to control his desires, but that in connection with the cider, or under the influence of it, his intellect was evidently unable to control him for the time being, and hence the assault.

Testimony showed that Gipe, when brought before the Justice of the Peace, directly after having committed the assault, was in flowing spirits, and seemed to take a very humorous view of what he had done, and talked of it very freely, but his residence in jail since, had evidently caused him to look on the matter in a different light, and before the Court, he was all but dumb.

We feel that we would we derelict of our duty, did we let this occasion pass without a word of warning to our brethren of the quill, in the Republican office. We invite their serious attention to the matter, and would most earnestly urge them, in view of the recent misfortune which has befallen poor Gipe, and in view of the former sad experience of the Herald editor, to immediately foreswear the use of hard cider. We abjure you, brethren, in as much as you value your good name, and fear the State's prison, to at once eschew both sweet and hard cider.

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