The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-05-05
lR|aREY NANISPARDON
O'TEIL SENTENCED FOR LIFE
korvss Nearly Ten Years and Then an
Assembly Committee Finds That He
Never Committed the Crime Of which
He was Convicted.


He was Convicted.
This year. az for many years past. Pat
rick #. Dennahey, who is serving life
sentence In Cranston prison for the muir
der Of George ii. Favor in September,
1877. has sent to the governor petition
for pardon. which is now under consider
alton. In speaking OF this matter this
morning a member OF the general assem-
bly, recalled the case of man who was
tried, convicted and sentenced TO life
imprisonment, and actually served nearly
ten years in the old prison on the cove
lands before IL was found that he was
innocent. Then pardon followed.
Camp Stevens was the name given TO
the training ground at this time. and the
Eleventh aud Twelfth Rhode Island
regiments were encamped on them, walt
Ing for summons to 90 to the front in
On the 14th of October some OF the sol
diers OF the two regiments engaged In a
football game and an alteration took
place in which some citizens joined. A
Newport company took n hand and q
desperate fighte sued. Kni YES and mis-
siles OF all kinds were used. Josiah
Simmons received bayonet stab in the
later.
James O'Neil was arrested in Westerly
"a year afteYward aud charged with
he crime. He was tried In 1868 at the
September term OF the supreme court
II was reported that when he was taken
into custody he declared that he knew
that he Was wanted for killing man In
Providence. Suspicion having fallen
upon him It did not seem to be much
work to prove him guilty.
Said He Was Innocent.
O'Neil, when the verdict was returned,
said: IL never raised my hand against
this man. ! belonged to the United
States army, and am deserter from the
100th Pennsylvania regiment. / was
wounded at the battle OF Cedar Noun
tain and was G rried to the hospital.
thence TO Washington. and was later
brought to Portsmouth Grove, where you
will ind my name recorded as James
O'Neil, Ward No. 25. and / WAS there
when tho murder was committed. A
companion and myself put on citizens
clothing aud went on spree, and
stopped at u boarding house on Canal
street While lounging on the commo
enlist for the bounty. He did
enlist and received S275. / saw him
have 1t on the camp a. Dexter Parade
ground. He wanted to give me s. OF 1t.
BY mistake he handed me 500 aud kept
the s. A respectable gentleman who
You are very honest fellow re-
turned tho 500 and kept the S5.
The regiment went of the same
day. and went back to
Portsmouth grove, and was put In the
guard house for ~runking away, and
finally got leave to go in my regiment.
md when deserted from my regiment
in Virginia last winter there was snow
on the ground. never told any of this
to my counsel before. All this can be
verified"
Sentenced for Life.
Curiously enough nothing to this effect
was brought out during the trial aud
the statement was made by the prisoner
only when the jury had returned ver
dict of guilty. The story seemed to
make an impression on tue court, for
sentence was suspended 30 that time
might be given to investigate the truth
of the prisoners statement.
Nothing appears to have been done in
this direction, however, for after remain
ing In few months O'Neil was again
brought before the court and sentence of
life imprisonment pronounced. O'Neil
vas , forgotten .n. Tor years s when , Governor
O'Neil's friends ia Eagland urging him
to set the prisoner &C liberty, and promis-
ing that should he do 90 they would pay
the expenses Of his return 70 his native
country and that O'Neil would not again
give trouble in America.
Even this letter gave no intim alton
that O'Neil' was an innocent man. II
was turned over to Governor Burnside
when he assumed Office and later he re-
ceived q letter from n sister OF the pris-
oner then living ia Philadelphia, pathet
lcally urging him to pardon her brothe
Inn hnf hn hal
INVITED the crime for which he was suffer
ing. Other people became interested la
the matter aud Henry Il. Whitman n
was engaged to look after the interests
of O'Ncil. A special committee of the
senate was appointed to investigate the
matter. aud before 1t witnesses who had
seen the affray on the training grounds
established beyond question that O'Neil
was not there at the time and that the
stabbing was done by a man named
Reynolds, who had rushed In TO protecS
his brother from the onslaught Of
crowd OF angry soldiers.
Committee Pronounce Him Innocent.
The committee made recon menda-
tion in accor lance with the facts aud 80,
after serving nearly ten years for crime
he never committed O'Neil was set at
liberty and nothing has been heard from
him since.
Probably the reason that O'Neil did
not earlier make an effort to establish
his innocence was that he was bounty
Jumper. and had deserted from different
regiments no less tnan four ii mes. He
feared that should IL he, in order to
prove himself not a murderer, he would
be compelled to prove himself deserter,
with the probability OF being su mmarily
shot.
Don't miss the Slaughter Sale now going on at
lhA RGoda Ialand Shaa "a wcsfr siors u