The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1893-02-18
S0UTHDAkOTA'S PAROLE Law.
A LoophoIe Through Which the
Guilty Escape.
Prisoners Guilty Of the Most Heinous
Crimes Liberated in squads..crim.
nals Sc Fvse Almost as Fast
as They Are Convicted.

Sioux FALLS, S. D., Feb. 16.-The
present agitation at the state capital
for the repeal or modification of the
present parole law has led to an inspec,
tion OF the books at the state prison
here, and this inspection makes it cvi.
dent that the law has been greatly
abused. The board in its reports has
never vet announced the full number
OF convicts released on parole. The
facts are that from June 4, 1890, to No
vember 80, 1890, ss convicts were re.
leased on parole. From the date last
named until June 80, 1892, 30 more
were released. Since that time 1s more
have b en- paroled, making "a in all.
The public had been led to believe that
not over forty conyicts had been pa
rolled under this law.
The law is a good one,' said one
who ought to know, today, sbut it has
been woefully abused. No matter
what the canvict's behavior has been
no matter how serious his crime was,
he can regain his liberty If he has in
fuential friends. onceheard Warden
Kanouse say to the board of charities
and corrections: In passing on this
case. remember, gentlemen, that the
request is signed by n state senator
The convict was released. One day I
heard " member remark: i guess we
can turn out the prisoners as fast as
the courts can send them here Dur-
ing the scarcity of harvest hands last
year the convicts were released that they
might work at cheap rates for friends
Of the board. One member of the board
took one for his own use.n
The gentleman who stated the above
had la list of some of the convicts
paroled, and had tried to keep trace of
their present whereabouts Some of
the cases will be eyeopeners for the
people of the state. 1t was generally
understood that only those who were
guilty of minor crimes were paroled,
but no facts were available, as the
officials deemed it inexpedient to give
for publication the names and offenses
of paroled convicts. The fact is that OF
twenty-six paroles Of which your infor-
mant had memorandum, there We're
ten convicted fsr manslaughter, ole
for intent to kilr and one for an abors
ton and the average sentence was fol
nine years and three months He men
toned several cases: Jennie Bigelow
and James Lohr conspired to kill
the farmers s.best man. in the
Black Hills. They succeeded and
each was sent to the penitentiary fol
fourteen years Their terms would
not expire until July, 1899. Lonr lef,
the state rs soon as he was paroled and
Miss Bigelow is now said to be keeping
house of ill-fame in the Black Hills
NJ. Dunden, sentenced from the Biacp
Hills for manslaughter for twenty-fou,
years, is now out of the state. His.
term does not expire until 1898. Will
lam Dickey. sentenced from Yankton
for manslaughter, was paroled and IL
now on the Pacific coast. Frank
Grison, whose term for manslaughtef
expires in 1899, left the state within
ten hours after he was released on
parole Only one of those paroled for
manslaughter has remained within the
jurisdiction OF the prison officials. The
case of Levi Wallis, of Bon Hommc
county is another evidence of the abuse
of this lax. He was sentenced by
Judge Edgerton to twenty-five and one.
half years imprisonment for an afro.
eious rape His term would expire in
May. 1901. He was paroled, at once
left the state and his present wherea-
bouts nre not known OF the
twenty-six paroled, of whom have Is
list, but eight remained within the
jurisdiction Of the prison. In none OF
the cases is there on file the scratch of
a pen from the presiding Judge, from
the jury or the attorneys. The crime
is not investigated. It is question OF
having a political pull--and that's all
there is to it.