, 1884-02-17
WANTS A PARDON.
A Former Alleged Road Agent, A
Mail Robber. Asks for Execu-
tive Clemency.

dAhlt IkoDbcT. ASKS lot E1cCu-
tive Clemency.
Some years ago, a man by the name
Of Irwin was arrested in Cheyenne by
N. K. Boswell, then sheriff of Albany
where he was tried, convicted, and
''sent over the road" on two charges,
of which we will speak further On.
This man now wants a pardon after
having served about six years in the
penitentiary at Laramie City and a pc
tition has been drawn and is now being
circulated for signatures. 1t has been
signed by many persons at Laramie
City and by some here in Cheyenne,
also by several members of the present
legislature.
connected with the career, trial and
conviction of this man we propose to
mention, not for the purpose OF iniu-
encing any n in regard to signing the
petition for his pardon, but as furnish
ing our readers with a portion Of the
perhaps forgotten history of his case.
We have said that he was arrested on
two charges, but it should be explained
that they both grew out of the same
overt act, viz: that of ''holding upr a
mail coach in the northern portion Of
Albany county and robbing the mail.
This constituted an offense against the
laws of the United States and of
the territory as we'll. He was in
dicted by the United States grand
jury for robbing the mail and
was also indicted under the laws
of the territory for robbery. Irwin
was tried on the latter charge, con
victed and was sentenced to seven
years. imprisonment. Thereafter he
was brought to trial on the more Sc
rious charge of robbing the mail and
on this charge also convicted. In &C.
cordance with the provisions of the
laws Of the United States, he was SEN
fenced to imprisonment for life. This
left him in the peculiar situation OF
being sentenced for life and seven
years over. 1t is from the life sentence
which he now asks the clemency of the
president of the United States, as he
has nearly, If not quite. served out his
seven years. term.
Before his arrest and conviction 1t Is
said on the best Of authority that he
was and had been for some time one Of
the gang of road agents that infested
the Black BILLS, and for proof of this
it is related that On the occasion when
the coach containing Boone May and
another party was assailed by the road
agents near Custer, Irwin was one Of
the number concerned in this affair. 1t
was known that Boone May shot one
of the robbers at the time, but as he
was Immediately dragged away by his
companions in crime, it was supposed
that he was simply wounded,
but after his arrest Irwin ad-
mitted the fact to Sheriff Boswell
that be was n of the gang that made
the attempt to rob the coach at that
time, that the shot which Boone May
fred mortally wounded his robber COM
panion. Toule, and that he dragged
him into a gully close by where the
wounded man Immediately died. After
he had made this confession, and
guided by the description he gave OF
the spot where Toule died, search was
made by Boone May and others and the
body found, just as indicated by Irwin.
Our readers will most of them remem-
Der that the head Of the dead road
agent, after having been cut off, was
brought to Cheyenne in order to get the
reward then offered by the stage com
pany for road agents, either dead or
alive, but for some reason the reward
was eve paid. The head was thrown
out upon the prairie near where the
hospital nov stands, and was for a long
time the subject OF frequent interviews
by the dogs and coyotes. Finally the
head, or rather the skull, was buried,
but the spot where it was inferred is
now unknown.