Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1878-03-16
TwO.TwO
An Interesting EpistIe from n state
Institution.


The folio wing letter, received by
District Attorney Merrill, we publish
for several reasons Partly because
Johnny, during his ~sojourn on the
Base Range, acquired a peculiar and
not an enviable notoriety. and for the
reason that it is an interesting subject;
the re~asonings of a criminal on his
crimes and peccadillos. That he is a
plausible fellow the letter bears evil
dence, but Of that we will let the reader
judge by its perusal:
STATE PRISON, Carson, March 10.
Geo. w. Merrill. Prosecuting AttoT-
neg, Eureka County: l take the liberty
OF addressing you to inform you that
/ expect to have my case brought be-
fore the Board of Pardonsthis summer
or fall, and ] ask you in all kindness
not to demonstrate against my chances
of regainlng my liberty. In regard to
my behavior while awaiting trial, /
consider an ex PLANTATION necessary, and
l will endeavor to the best of my abil-
ity to show you what prompted me to
eSca pc the first time. | was a stranger
in Eureka, and without money or in
huential friends to assist me, and l was
we'll aware after my arrest on such a
charge, that even if / WAS acquitted
there would be many who would lock
upon me with Cistrust. l weighed all
of my chances carefully, and l saw the
opportunity to escape without doing
the Sheriff or his deputy any bodily
harm. and l took advantage of the cir.
cumstances. | will here remark that
il 1 could not have regained my liberty
without doing them injury, that 1
would not have undertaken it.
After l had been recaptured and
brought back, / realized hat / was
in a bad fix; that ever If | vas acquit
ted on the charge of larceny, l would
have to serve a term in the State
Prison for jail-breaking; so l again
e~ndeavored to escape, succeeded, and
was again recaptured, and l assure
you, on the honor OF a man, that my
flight was not prompted by a con-
seriousness of guilt, but by a feeling CT
my utter inability to counteract the
circumstantial chain of evidence with
which / was surrounded. Taking all
OF the incidents of The case into con-
sideration, the value of the alleged lar.
ceny, the sworn statement OF Steler,
the jeweler, as to the value of the prop
erty when it was new, the close maj
gin between grand and petit larceny,
where, if l had been given the bene-
fit of the doubt, it would not have
been more than a county Jail otfense,
the amount of prejudice that was natu.
rally formed against me by my many at
tempts to escape, and my trial taking
place as it did-whlle public feeling
was so much against me-and that by
the time my petition is presented to
the Board of Pardons / will have
served n year or more in the State
Prison; and, although l stoutly de-
clare my innocence of the crime of
which 1 was convicted. even if in your
mind you consider HE guilty, l ask
you, in all sincerity, If you do not
think the demands of justice have
been satisfied by the time 1 shall have
served, and that the interests of society
would not require further punish
ment in my case?
Hoping you will take a merciful
view of it, and, assuring you that
whatever may be said about me pro or
on. l appreciate a favor and never
forget a friend. Anxiously awaiting
an answer, l remain yours,
Very respectfully,
JOHN HAMILTON.
Address: John Hamilton, Carson
City, Nevada (care General q. G. Bat
terman).
p. S.-Excuse penmanship; facilities