The Wilmington daily Republican., 1891-06-23
JERSEYS CONVICTS.
A Hundred Of Them Looking to
the Board Of Pardons
TO LOOSE THE FETTERs THAT BIND,

The Case of Libbic Garrabrant, Who
Has Served Twenty-Five Years of o
Life Sentence for Poisoning Her
Husband-wiIliamH Haddock's Plea
for Mercy.
TRENTON, June GA tremend Gus
amount of extra work is imposed upon
the court of pardons by the new law,
authorizing it to grant tickets of leave
to convicts in the several prisons Of the
state. The big penal institution here
contains close to thousand prisoners,
and fully third of them are seeking
their release, now that way Of getting
out-without breaking out-has been
established, The prisoners application
to court for parole must show, among a
lot of other things. that somebody in the
state will employ the convict imme-
diately he is set free, and that the con-
vict will obey tho rule which requires
him to report to the authorities period
ically concerning his whereabouts, con-
dition, etc.
The court of pardons will meet today,
when nearly hundred of the applica-
tions for parole have to be considered.
Many Of the cases are really meritor-
ious, notably those of Libbie Cara
brant and William Haddock.
Libbie Garrabrant's Plea.
For the pardon Of the former men and
women have been working for years.
She is a middle aged woman now. While
n girl in her teens she poisoned her hlis-
band and was sent to the state prison
for life. Since then she has been out
side the walls of the prison only once,
and then to testify in the impeachment
case Of ex-Keeper Laverty. 1t is said
that she was pretty girl, and her his
tory contains no record of any crime
save the one she is suffering SO terribly
for. She has been prisoner close on to
a quarter of century, and in all that
time has not broken u prison rule. She
was wild creature when they brought
her to prison. Now she is a silent, sad,
devout woman. No one knows where
She would 90 if released; but no one
doubts that tho remainder of her days
would be spent blamelessly.
The Case of william Haddock.
William Haddock killed man last
year. He had never even injured fly
before. He was intoxicated at the time,
aud had drifted into bad company. His
quarrel. In self defense Haddock
threw fiat iron at him, and the man
died from his injuries. Haddock got
five years for the crime. He was the
foreman in The State Gazette composing
room for twenty years, and will proba-
bly, go back to his position if the efforts
Of his friends to secure his release are
successful. Haddock is not yet so, but
since his trouble has become old and
broken. There was never murder in his
heart, and he has suffered all that man
of keen sensibility endures in his position.
Prison Keeper Patterson will recon-
mend the granting of Haddock's petit
ton.
Among the other applicants for par
don is Horace Van Nest, the only sur
vivor of the band of Plainfeld fire bugs.
He was given five years in November,
1888. His brother, Lewis Van Nest,
who was sentenced at the same time,
was pardoned after serving thirteen
months, and one of the bugs died in
prison. Horace Van Nest still protests
his innocence, and, as he has a strong
petition, is hoping for favorable action
by the court.