As a fitting climax to the trial, otherwise famous as it had been rendered by the tragic events that had so closely preceded it, James Barker and Jasper Smith were arrested for perjury immediately on leaving the witness stand. The Grand Jury being in session they were indicted at once, and finding that any defense would be useless, both entered a plea of guilty. James Barker was sentenced to three years’ and Jasper Smith to two years’ imprisonment at hard labor at Detroit. Consequent upon the arrest of the defendant’s witnesses for perjury originated a good story on Colonel Blair. Jim McClung, Smith’s pal, had been confined in default of bond in the jail at Jackson as a witness. When James Barker and Jasper Smith were arrested they sent for Colonel Blair, who went to the jail to visit them. On entering, Colonel Blair found Jim McClung playing a game of solitaire in the hall of the jail. Jim is wholly illiterate, but was possessed of a good deal of droll wit that made him an entertaining witness. The following conversation ensued between Colonel Blair and Jim McClung: _Col. B._--“Good morning, Jim. How are you this morning?” _Jim McC._--“Only tolerbul, Colonel--not feelin’ very well. How are you?” _Col. B._--“First rate, Jim, but I am not surprised that you are not feeling very well. I don’t see how a man can feel very well who has (alluding to his testimony against Smith) put his friend in prison, as you have done.” _Jim McC._--“Well, now, Colonel, look here. Before you come into this case there warn’t but one of my friends in prison, and now you have been a foolin’ with the case sence last spring and you’ve got three of ’em in. How is that? Eh?” The joke was on the gifted and brilliant attorney. He had been powerless to stem the tide which swept his client and witnesses alike into the prisoner’s cell. On the eighteenth day of November, 1890, Rube Smith was brought before the bar of the Court by the marshal, and asked by the venerable Judge presiding if he had anything to say as to why the judgment of the law should not be pronounced upon him for the crime of which he stood convicted. The prisoner replied he had nothing further to say, whereupon Judge Hill addressed him as follows: “Mr. Reuben Smith, the crime of which you stand convicted, and for which it becomes my duty as presiding Judge of the Court to pronounce against you the penalty of the law, which is confinement at hard labor in the penitentiary for the remainder of your natural life, is that of forcibly and violently robbing the United States mail. This crime is the highest crime known to the law of the United States, save that of murder and treason, and is punished with the severest penalty save that of death. The reason therefor is that the robber usually engages in robbery with the determination to murder his victims if necessary to carry out his purpose.