The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-10-31
Incidents In His Life Before the
Tidal Wave Swept Him
Into Fame.
Better Index to Ills Character
Than His Career Before
the People.
What the Elk Presidents Former Lawyer
Associates Say About His Methods
In the Court Room.
Written for THE HELENA IspEpEspEsr.l

IL imperfeetly told, IL al all, and this is
that which more. perhaps. than any other
tells the impartial and simple story of the
man "a he ia or was. 1t 10 the evidence Of
his intimates, unconsoiously and anscdotally
relating what manner of man was their
friend before the coming of that tidal
wave which swept him from them to fame,
and. perchanoe, to that apotheosis Of en-
dsavor where blu ms the bright light which
falls upon a throne.
The folk lore Of q country indicates bot
ter than the historian it's mental character
i~stios, and what may be appropriately
called the folk lore of a man is a better in
dex to his character than volumes of saus-
tic blame or fulsome panegyric.
Grover Cleveland has HIS folk lore. It
has been the province of the writer Of this
articlelto gather together these fragmentary
testimonials OF men who were OF old his dear
est disciples and present them as q whole.
They concern the man IA he was. and must
be found amusing since they are absolutely
authentic and hail from brother lawyers in
Buffalo who were the lifelong friends and
associates of the present democratic stand
ard bearer and ex-pfesident.
Franklin D.. Locke. chairman of the Erie
county provisional committee, through
whose efforts largely was brought about the
famous Anti Snappsrs'" May convention
and who fought the Sheehan-H Hill men tooth
and nail at every point until the final
coalition following the Chicago convention,
has this story to toll:
II have known Grover Cleveland a great
many years, and l could, / suppose. tell
many anecdotes of him.. The leading one
in my mind, however. concerns the case Of
a man named Flanagan, whom he saved
from death on the gallows. Flanagan,
while drunk. had killed his landlord. be-
lieve they were both creatures of low in
t%elligenoe. the one u stevedore, the other a
parasite of steyedores who boarded the
~workinRmen and charged them for their
living all they earned to the uttermost far
thing. Grover Cleveland was so identified
with the case that l never hear the name of
Flanagan mentioned but l think of this
Flanagan and how Cleveland saved his neck
from the hangman's moose. Certainly, if
Providence ever interfered in mundane af-
fairs it interfered this time to save this
wretched Irishman. / think the year was
was 1881 or 1882, and the man in question
had been sentenced to death. He had been
defended by the lats Ammi Cutter and the
late H.. h. Greene. and the jury had con-
demned him. He was to have been executed
on a I iday. The preceding Wednesday
night a man who boarded Mt the Tiff house
heard certain lawyers discussing the case,
and heard them say that had Flanagan
been a man of means he would never have
been convicted of murder in the first de-
gree. This wealthy man had occasional
St eaks of kindness and generosity, and
the wo.ds fled his blood. He left his din
ner and proceeded to look the master up.
He came that very evening to my house
md got me to interest myself in the matter.
l went with him and saw Mr.. Cutter, Flana-
Gan's lawyer, and got what light on the
subject could be obtained from him. He
stated his sincere conviction that the de-
gree should have been the second and not
the first of cr%irninallty, as generalization
or anything like generalization had not
been even imperfectly proven. When we
left the LAWYERS honse my friend said, Il
won't see this man die without an effort.
We must write a dispatch TO Gov. Cornell
Mind you, this was Wednesday night, and
the execution was fixed for Friday morn
ing, aud time was precious.
I'VE framed a telegram asking the gov
ernor for a respite on the ground OF evil
dence newly discovered that Flanagan was
not guilty of murder in the first degree. /
signed 1t and 30 did he. but that was not
enough. He insisted on invoking official
interference, and we hunted mp Grover
Sl6V5lHIlu, mayor Ol VIC ClLys anu ROb ulm
to sign it, too. That WAS his first connec-
ton with the famous Flanagan case. From
him we went to Willard Powers Fillmore.
son of the ex- president, who also signed the
telegram, and it was sent. 1t resulted in
the obtaining of a respite for two weeks.
but the executive WIS followed
quite promptly by an order from Gov. Cor
nell, addressed to Grover Cleveland, COM
handing him and the other subscribers
to the telegram to show cause at once be-
fore him at Albany why suoh a telegram
had been sent, and appointing a very early
day for a hearing. We all four went to
Albany and appeared at the stipulated time.
Mr.. Cleveland told me afterward that his
appearance at that time was his first in the
executive chamber or even in the capitol at
Albany.
"And it was he who made the argument to
save Flanagan's neck, and saved it, too.
Cleveland had a hard Judge to plead before.
Cornell was very disagreeable and made
every effort to accentuate his position
against the application and the people
who wore before him in its behalf, and Mr..
cleveland kept his temper marvellously
and concluded his argument without a
break. 1t was one OF the ablest efforts !
ever heard.
its conclusion the governor bowed us
coldly out. Rnd We left with very little con-
fdence of success resulting from our mis-
sion, but very enthusiastic over the able ar
gument we had heard and which we felt
would have prevailed with a fair-mindsd
executive.
And, as it subsequently proved, it did.
As we left the capitol MIR. Cleveland said;
We'll, gentlemen, | guess we are beaten
but we have done our best and we cannot
blame ourselves, whatever happens.
I'VE felt sure Flanagan would hang.
"On the last day of the two weeks. al
hope of respite abandoned, Ammi Gutter
Flanagan's lawyer. went to the prisoner &c
tell him to entertain no more hope. but te
Or pare for the worst. Then Flanagan
made n remark which Cleveland afterward
made famous by repetition. 1t is pratty
hard to have to get ready again after / wal
all readied up before. Ii Id not the mert
fear of dying that bothers me, but the dis
grace to my family, and so help me God
sir. zone of them wero ever hanged before
not on either side, sirp But the
poor fellow didn't have to die after all
Another weeks respite came as the eleventh
hour, and after that the communication So
imprisonment for life. because Flanagan, i
vas shown, had harbored no resentment
against his victim, and WAS hopelessly drunl
when he did the killing.
II never saw Grover Cleveland SO pleaset
as when he heard the news. He couldn',
have been happier if no had made $4,000
and $4,000 was q pot of money to him IL
those days.
"He christenei the rescue party 'Th,
Flanagan Guards Now q peculiar fact
and | ain done: The frat time he was eve
in the executive chamber wns in the Flana,
mr. -nz.l k-.A 49,. Ah.-l