The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-11-01
Pathetic Appeals from Unfortunate Women
Who Are Wives of Convicts-The Mail
Service Furnishes Many Offenders.
Points in the Career of Jack Brown, In
Guiding an Incident at Appomattox.
A Hint Which Applicants for Positions in the
Civil Service Will Do Well to Bear in
Mind--0ther Washington News.
AN UNDESIRABLE OFFICE.

The Work Performed by the Pardon Clerk
In the Department of Justice.
Special to the IndianaDolis journal.
WASHINGTON, Oct 3l.--There is probably no
Office in the government so interesting and at
the same time so trying and perplexing as that of
pardon clerk of the Department of Justice. The
pardon clerk comes in contact with all the ap-
peals from unfortunates for pardon, and is daily
called to pass cold judgment upon the most pite-
Gus and heartrending stories, asking for clemen-
cy. The position has for many years been held
by kindhearted gentleman, of considerable age.
and no filter person could be placed to deal with
the class coming before him. To-day the Jour
nal correspondent had an interesting talk with
the pardon clerk, who. although limited in his
recourse to publicity of matters coming under
his supervision, related some pathetic narratives.
''Ihe.most effective appeals received here said
he, come from the poor unfortunate women who
are wives of criminals. Only the bank -wreckers
and criminals of the high classes, employ attor-
neys to bring their cases before the department
The poor fellows send their mothers, and wives,
and sisters here, and their stories are of the
most touching character. A few
days ago distressed wife came
all the way from San Antonio, Tex,
to ask personally for pardon for her husband
He was sent to the penitentiary for FIVE years
for some offense not very serious, and his wife
made an appeal SO touching that it would affect
heart of stone, almost She made her case
very strong, and it touched the Attorney
general, who is very generous, and has high
sense of justice so that he was considering the
matter seriously. Before action was ordered,
of <bn ofEn1 A. -
this man was imprisoned was requested, and an
investiG at on was held in the community whence
he came. 1t was ascertained that the man was
defiant and ugly in prison, and constantly
threatening the administration and the Depart
ment of j 1stice when he got out of there. It
was learned. further, that he had requested his
wife to sell her virtue or commit any crime te
raise money to procure his pardon. When this
state of affairs was learned the consideration of
the case was dismissed in hurry. 1t is only
lamentable that his sentence is not for more than
FIVE years."
"A good many men are convicted under tho
internal renenue and postal laws ON mere tech
nicalites are they not9' 1 asked
YES" replied the official, Il know of man
serving term in the penitentiary for steal
mans case comes to my mind who is
suffering penalty of several years in prison
for selling half pint of whisky. The testimony
in the appeal sent here showed that an enemy
one night called at the unfortunate mans house
and claimed to have serious illness in his fam
lily and asked for half-pint of whisky. The
liquor was furnished him with the statement
that it could not be sold, but would be given to
him gratuitously. The enemy of the owner Of
the liquor insisted that he should take fifty cents
for it, but upon receiving a fat refusal threw
the money down and left the house. 1t was
proved at the trial that the who supplied
the whisky kept the fifty cents, and he was given
a term in the pententiary. The pardon could
not be granted under the circumstances, al
though the greatest of leniency under the rules
in the prison would be exercised"
What class of people are generally convicted
under the United States laws9"
II am sorry to say that they are young men,
mostly. The postal service-that is the post
Offices and the railway mail service-afford the
greatest temptation, it seems, and furnish the
most criminals Quite number of men have
been convicted of stealing letters from the
Louisiana Lottery Company. Railway mail en-
ployes can instantly discover a letter containing
money when their attention is called to the prob
ability of it by the address on the
envelope. | sometimes think that young men
should not be appointed to the postoffice service
because there are so many temptations for them.
1t is astonishing how many people allege ignor-
ance as the cause of their violation of the laws
More than half of the people who are convicted
and sent to the penirentiary, and who appeal for
pardons, state that they did know they were vic.
lating the laws. This is pro@bly true"
"Can criminals in the United States peniten-
iaria adj of IuSt and
the President directly upon the subject of par
donsl
YES" replied the pardon clerk. 'and from
them directly the greatest number of petitions
are received. They have plenty of tir,e to COM
pose pitiful appeals and some of their letters are
very touching. large class of criminals curse
and beg the department in turn"
1t was stated in another room at the Depart
ment of Justice that President Cleveland is very
cautious in the matter of granting pardons, and
that he has granted a very much smaller num-
Der than is usual during the time he has been in
the White House. He considers everything
from legal stand point. While he
is said to have very tender
heart he does not let the stories coming to him
swerve him from justice and right he intrusts
no pardon appeals to any of his subordnates.
He examines all of them personally, and some
of his comments indorsing back to the depart
ment appeals are very terse and pointed. For
instance he sent an appeal back to the depart
ment a few days ago which had been made up
anu ESCOiiAmtuuSu uu Tue REouuu tAds Iio SUI
ject was kleptomaniac; that he inherited the
disease from his mother and she from her
mother; that all of his brothers and sisters were
affected by the disease and that he could no
more help stealing than breathing The Presi-
dent stated that he did not believe in klepto-
mania, especially he did not believe that klep-
tomaniac would commit a premedtated theft
In returning another pardon case to the depart
ment in which, among other arguments it was
stated that the prisoner ought to be pardoned
because his services would be needed in case
soon in which the United States was involved
several hundred thousand dollars WORTH and
that he was an important witness, the President