Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1883-04-15
SWEET LIBERTY.
A Lifs's Imprisonment Changed to
Freedom.
A Witness FlimsY Story Falls to Pieces
and William Bean is Freed
From a Life Sentence.

Yesterday morning William Bean was q
prisoner in THE penitentiary at Mounds
Vile. duly working away his life without
4 ray OF hope, and helpleSsly enclosed in
the walls from which death alone could re-
lease MIN. odsy he is free man. Alter
seven years OF his term for life had passed.
he again walks o.; into the bright sunlight
and free air, his own man. About 10 clock,
Yesterday morning he was called from MS
labor OF broom making and summoned 10
the office. There a gentleman asked him
bow he would like to see old Hardy county
again. Tears filled his eyes and he could
not answer and then 10 his Joy ana surprise
he was handed the
GoyEENOR'S PARDON.
He could only burst into tears ani turn
away 20 hide his feelings Later in the
day be was discharged from the inStitu.
ton.
For nearly six months back GOV. Jack,
son has been examining the pipsrs in
Bean ) case and reading the petitions which
poured in, asking his pardon. After a
thorough examination, His ENCellenCy
came to the conclusion that Bean was an
innocent man, and accordingly, he ordered
pardon 70 issue rs stated. The case is a
singular one anu the salient points are full
Of inter est.
the ACCONPLICE's STORY.
About seven years rgo, in the dead OF
winter, the body OF q man by the name OF
Wilburn was found in the rocky deliles OF
the mountains of Hardy county. bullet
hole through his head told of the method OF
the death, and the entire body was satur-
ated with it's own blood For time the
affair was enyelOyed in mystery, but nnll.
IN Bean wss arrested for the murder, tried
and convicted and sentenced 70 lie i'm
prisOnment in the Peuiteltiary. The wit
ness upon whose testimony the YER
dict was reached was a man named
OsSes He claimed To have
been at Beans house the night before the
BODY was discovered. having passed the
night there About midnight Beans woke
him az 4 told nim 10 come on. IL was a
bitterly cold night. but he got out Of bed
without wax ng ais bedfellOS, dressed him.
self and passing through room costain.
ing several s,enpPrS, Joined Bean outside.
Bean then said he wanted him 10 help hide
the corpse O; a man he Beam had Gi!le3,
on psin OF death If he refused. He went
aud the two carried Wii0Urn'S body a mile
and q half up a rocky gorge, to the place
where it WAS found Tney then returned
10 bed and slept until morning.
WOULDN'T HOLD WATER.
This WIS Oaks story. ana on this the
verdict al guilty was found. BdC the
story was literally picked TO pieces, AID i;
became sprlra"t the: many Of the state
ments were physical impOS,i5iiitleS. Two
men could never have carried the body the
distance stated over the rough ground ami
up the det.e in The time given. Wneu
found the body WAS lying WITH the head
up hill. and the blood had been found on
the body, rs il would naturally be expect
ed. Where Dukes said the shooting had
been done, the body he said, laid bead
down bill, and no blood was found there and
there was no blood in the hair. The dtren-
ton Of the bali "a evidenced by the wound,
could never have Ueen tired Is OIkeS
claimed, and everything went 20 show that
Wilbur was shot just where found AMI
that Oskes' story was made oi SaO,e cloth.
Further, he could never nave gotten out
ard back to bed on that bitter night with
Oui having awakened somebody.
There were hundred other minor pOjn;S,
all showing that the story was untrue Oh
which Bean was convicted, and, backed by
the numerous responsible petitions, in
duCrd the Executive To issue his pardon.