The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1878-11-28
ALLIANCE WITH CRIME.
GOV. HARTRANFT's MANIPULA-
TION OF THE EJACK KEHOE CASE.
intriguing with Murder for Notes.-The GallOWs
as Political Agency.
[phIladelphla Wines Of wednesday.l j


to Lear from the Chief Magistrate Of the State on
so grave subject should be scrCpulously free
from errors Of accusation. His statements that
1.-THE attempt from the first to make political cap
ial out of the (KehOe) case, and to prejudice the
public against the possible favorable action OF
the authorities" that there was uncommon
anx ETY. to push eohcalitles to extremes to secure
(Kehoe's) conviction and execution for crime Of
fifteen years standing" that he preferred to rest
a little longer under the imputation which has
been industriousy circulated since the trial,
rather than erect the gallows in political cam
paign" and that "whatever political advantage
could be gotten from making the pardon or exc
cuton Of a criminal political question, desir-
ed the opposition to wholly enjoy" are most un-
becoming in the chief administrator OF the laws,
because all are wanting in truth. The only per-
sons who have given political consequence to the
case of Kehoe, are Governor Hartranit himself
his trusted and honOred partisan friends who are
proven traders in justice in Hartranfts name,
and the criminals with whom they traded. On
these points we are not left to conjecture. The
sworn imony of John j. slatteTy in the trial Of
Alexander Can bell, in Carbon county, should
have been sufficient Of itself, however lightly
Governor Hartranft may have regarded his SOL
emn oath TO administer the laws to make him
pause and contemplate the pitfall into which he
has fallen. Mr.. Slatterly, merchant Of Tuscs-
rora, Schuylbill county, enjoyed more popular
respect than any other known member of the
Mollie Msgures, and was once the candidate Of
the Den ocIatc party for Associate Judge in his
county. He testified in the Campbell case in 1876,
hpo ~ pra wit duF.
ing the GuberDatorial contest between Hartranft
and Pershng in 1875, to transfer the vote Of the
Mollie Msgures to HarlTanit for a cash consider
alton. Major General Sigfreid, who received his
military commission from Hartrsnft and who
was then and is now the incumbent of the sine
cure but lucrative Office of Inspector of Boilers
by the favor of HartIsnft was communicated
with on the subject, ard he ked delay until he
could confer with parties at Harrisburg. He
promptly visited the State Capital and telegraph
ed the Mollie Mcguire contractors to meet him at
his (sigfreids) home in Pottsville that evening.
AS re quesed, KehOe, slatterly, Henning, Chair.
man of the Republican County Committee, and
Judge Ryon met at Sigfreids house, and the con-
tract for the delivery of the Mollie Mcguire vote
to Hartranft was then and there agreed upon in
detail and some twelve or thirteen hundred dol
lars paid to each of the MOlie Mcguire Leaders,
| Kehoe and Slstterly. Kehoe waR then County
Delegate of the Ancient Order of Hibernians the
highest position in the order in the county. That
Kehoe and his followers did support HartranfE
against Pershing fo- Governor in 1875, is one of
the now undsputed facts of that contest; and that
| Hartranfts friends lost their money by losing
quite an equal number of reputable Republican
votes in the more intelligent and law.abiding
| portions of the county, is abundsntly demon
strated by ian examination of the returns. One
| year thert after, Kehoe was arrested for murder.
| When first arrested, he was hilarious in his def
ance of his acCusers although six distinct muir
ders were laid 10 his charge; but as public opin-
| ion asserted lis sanCtity for the majesty Of law
and the safety of society he learnt that the ma
nipulaton OF juries was ened and that his con-
demnatiol was probable. 1t was then that he
declared bis last reiuge-his one source Of safety
even against the highest Judgment OF the law,
and that refuge was Governor Hartranft Mr..
George Byerly, warden Of the prison. testified in
| the trial of Kehoe that Kehoe declared to him
| that "the old man at Harrisburg (HartTanfD
would not go back on them" Incarcerated in
prison as q murderer, with hix known murders
charged against him, and with conviction regard
ed as inevitable he summoned the Fllghled faith
made doubtless not by Hartranft, and def
ed the law and allthe insirumentalites of justice.
OF these sworn declarations, made in open court
under the severity of the rules of evidence and OF
| or oss. examination in capital trial, Governor
HartraDft had full knowledge for they were pub
lished and commented upon by the public jour
nails at the time, They were the agencies which
invested The case Of Keboe with political inteIet,
and it was the highest and holiest official duty Of
Governor HsItTanft to acquit himself If he could,
by so administering the laws as to defy the impu-
alton of political obligations to the leaders Of
banded murderers. He failed to do so. He exc
cuted the hapless slaves Of the county Delegate,
some of whom were proven to have committed
their crimes in obedience 10 Kehoe's peremptory
orders There was no tremor, no hesitation, no
apology to crime, when they were consigned by
his death warrants to the gallows, nor did he con.
suit the seasons or the ebb flow of politicpl con-
hicts when he measured the numbers Of their
days. They were powerles; they commanded no
follOwing they had no contracts of the past, no
votes for delivery In the future; there were none
to make political capital" out Of their cases. and
they died unwept save by the smltten household
gods of their lowly homes But when the life Of
| Kehoe was to be weighed in the scales Of justice
when he had been convicted before one of the
most impartial and capable Judges Of the State;
| when the full court Of three Judges, learned in
the law, patiently heard the motion for a new
trial and refused It, and when the Supreme Court
unanimously affirmed the judgment Of the lower
Court distinctly declared the verdict TO be in ac-
cord with both the law and the evidence, the
most disgraceful lugglery that blots the admins
tratioD of Justice in Pennsylvania, was played be-
| tween the Board Of Pardons and Governor Hart
ranft to save Kehoe from the penalty of the law.
We speak plainly because Governor Aartrantt has
made It necessary. He had resolved, for reasons
we can not assume to state for him, that Kehoe
should not be executed. His desire to reach
clemency in the case and escape absolute respon-
sibility for It himself was an open secret; and the
m etbod preferred was to delay by every possible
prete ext until he could end his term and thus give
X ehoe over to his successor under the custom,
now a universally respected law, that foGbids one
Go vernon to issue death warrant when his pre-.
deeessoI had opportunity to do 80. The Board Of
Pardons, two of whom were his own confidential
Cabinet officers secretary Quay and Attorney
General Lear) was obedient to his purpose. On
January 7, 1877, the Supreme Court decided that
Kehoe had been legally and justly condemned,
and the counsel Of Kehoe, one OF whom was at
the Kehoe. Stat ttery party at Genl sigfretds home
to barter for Hartranit In 1875 according to Stat
terlys testimony, we'll understood that dely was
safety. They madelno formal enort ior pardon or
com m utstion until after the death Warrsnt had
been issued in March, and then they appeared
with their prayer for hearing 1t was granted,
as they well knew 1t would be; the death warrant
was recalled by Hartranft and the Board OF Par
dons decided by tie vote not to recommend cle-
meuoy, Attorney General Lear then voted with
Secretary McCandless against saving Kehoe, and
ecreta1y Quay and Lieutenant Governor Latts
voted TO commend him to the Executive favor
The fac of the case were Ihel tempeIately stated
by this Journal and the Governor appealed to not
permit the administration of justice to become In
volved in another political struggle, as II wss in
| 1875 Neither AZ that time. nor ~ any time there-
after, did we demand the life Of Kehoe. On the
cont afy we urged the Governor to decide the case
on its merits; and II in his judgment kehoe RAD
been convicted mainly by reason Of his his gem
ersl bad character, or BY The tde Of passion mat