Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-05-21
JAMES TURIN PARD0NFo.
An Innocent Man Serving over six
Years of IA Life Sentence

y
arrived in this city, his old home. on
Friday morning last, writes Cleve~
land correspondent TO the New York
Sun, having been pardoned on Thurs
day by Gov. Hoadly. For twelve
years prior to 1879 Tmpin was resi-
dent of the Eighteenth ward of this
city, working industriously at his
trade as a shoemaker His wife died,
leaving him a daughter, Jennie, to his
care. Deprived of a mothers watch
fulneSs, Jennie became hayward, and
in spite of her fathers efforts, fell into
bad company, frequenting notorious
resort known as the London house,
kept by a woman known by the
police as Mother" Davis. Tarpin
finally sent his daughter to New York,
where her aunt tried to reform her,
but failed, and her father as a last
resort, threatened to send her TO the
state reform school in Toledo. One
night in December, in 1873, Turpin
found Jennie in company with man
of low character named McCaiferty
and took her home. After chastising
her he locked her up in her room.
She made a rope OF the bedclothing,
lowered herself from the second story
window, and took refuge with Mother
Davis.
Jennie had mistaken idea that her
father had a large sum of money in
possession which his wife, Jennie's
mother, had willed to the daughter.
AT Mother Davis's conspiracy was
Matched to get rid of Turpin and OBJ
tain possession of this money. In
January, 1879, Turpin was arrested
on charge of incest preferred by his
daughter, Jennie, then only 16 years
of age. He was indicted, tried, and
convicted, solely on her testimony.
The trial was stubbornly contested,
and lasted nearly two weeks. John
9. Hutchins and r. j. Blandin, now
on the bench in this county, prosecut-
ed, and Martin a. Foran, now con-
gresham, and A. j. Williams, now
senator from this city, defended Tur-
pin. On the first ballot the jury
stood nine for conviction and three
for acqmttal. Jadge McMath admin
lstered the only sentence possible
under the law, Imprisonment at hard
hard labor in the penitenhary for life.
An appeal was taken TO the district
court, but when the case was reached
there was nothing but the wrapper
which had inclosed the papers in the
case could be found. The contents
had been lost or stolen. II was inn
possible to duplicate them, and there
was no other recourse.
On March 18, 1879, Turpin entered
the penitentiary as a life prisoner.
lie was. "a poor man, and not till 1881
were there any definite steps taken
toward a pardon. Then Attorney j.
j. Kelly began the collection of a
mass Of evidence, which, accompani>
ed by strong petitions, he presented
to GOV. Foster in 1882. The docu-
meats were plgeonholed. A year later
Kelly received the affidavit of Mother
Davis, who has since died, in which
she swore that she had persuaded Jen-
ME Turpin to make the charge against
her father, that Turpin was innocent,
and that she would do all in her
power to secure his release. Another
affidavit was received from a party,
also since deceaeed; also aflidavits
from jurors, who swore that, in the
light of the newly discovered evidence,
they were satisfied of Turpin's limo
|cence These were presented to Gov.
Hoadly. Suddenly this accumulated
mass of evidence disappeared from
the pardon clerks office, and the most
diligent search failed to reveal it. The
documents were replaced as far as
possible, and Attorney Kelly made
affidavit as to the contents of the
Others.
Some time after Turpn's convie-
ton his daughter, Jennie, married
man in Akron, Summit county, whose
name could never be ascertained, and
the pair subsequently removed to
Stark county. Long afterward she
wrote a penitent letter TO Pat Barrett,
an old friend of her fathers in Cleve-
land, and then a guard in the peni-
Tertiary at Columbus, saying that her
father was innocent of the crime of
which he had been convicted, adding
that if 50 so was sent to her, with
which TO pay a lawyer for drawing
the papers, she would make an afli~
davit to that effect. She said her
husband opposed her course, because
she would thereby render herself
liable to charge of perjury, and so
she signed the fictitious name Of MRS.
John Z. Smith, Canton, 0. A money
order for $40 was sent to that address,
but as she could not identify herself 10
the postofIice authorities as MRS.
Smith, the order was returned. With
the aid Of the Canton police and let
ter carriers a search was made for
MRS. Smith" but it proved futile
Marriage license records in Akron
we're examined unsuccessfully, and
further efforts Of search prosecuted in
adjoining towns in Stark and Summit
couLties. Once she was reported in
Cleveland, but the most dilligent in
qairy failed to reveal her where
abouts
All these facts were presented to
Gov Hoadly, and on Wednesday the
Cuyah0ga delegation in the legis-
lature, Atty. Gen. Lawrence, and
other Cuyahogans besieged the COVER
nor. who examined the case critically.
He then visited TUrpin in the peni-