The record-union., 1893-03-29
EXECUTIVE CLEMENCY.
Governor Markham Commutes Sen
tences of Three Prisoners.
William Metcalfe, E. B. Canman and
Clarence L. Caslsey Made
Happy.

William Metcalfe, who was sentenced
by the Superior Court of Sutter County to
pay fine of $780, or the alternative OF
80 days in the Sutter County Jail, for
contempt of court for disobedience of a
writ of injunction in relation to hydrau-
lie mining, has had his sentence COM
muted by Governor Markham to a fine of
$50, or as an alternative to serve l25 days
in the Sutter County Jail. The Governor
says:
The petitioner was prosecuted by the
State Mining Debris Association, which
association, by w. T. Phipps, its man
ager, recommended that he be released,
on the ground that he had been an up
right, conscientious man in his conduct
and dealings heretofore; that he did not
understand that he was acting in viola
ton of the injunction Heretofore placed
upon him; that he is poor man, has a
family to support, and that be is per-
haps of the age of GO years. Hon. Z. A.
Davis, who sentenced him, adds, in addi-
tion to other reasons, that he performed
valuable service during the high water
that threatened flooding of Yuba City, and
volunteered to prevent the washing away
OF its levees, which, had they been
broken, would have been terrible Ca
lalnlty, resulting IN the loss OF llte."
AN ARSON CONVICT.
The Governor has commuted the SEN
tence of Clarence ). Caskey, convicted
and sentenced in May, 1883, in San Fran
cisco, to serve fifteen years for arson, to
seven and halt years. The Governor
says:
THE State Board of Prison Directors
recommend that the sentence be COM
muted, on the ground that prior to the
commission of the crime for which he was
convicted, petitioner lived a life of recti-
tude and that this was his first erin .,
that his conduct has been uniformly good
and praiseworthy, and his repentance is
apparently genuine and sincere; that he
has rendered the courts of this State Valu-
able services in assisting in the conviction
OF criminals, which could never have
been effected without his services as will
appear from the statements OF the District
Attorney who prosecuted him, the Oh ef
OF Police and Captain of the detective
force, all OF whom say in addition that his
sentence was excessive, and that he sas
been sufficiently punished for the crime
which he committed, which latter opinion
Is concurred in by the Judge OF the Su-
perior Court who sentenced him. His
petition is signed by citizens of San Fran
cisco and of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, his
former home, and fourteen Captains Of
ships, he having been a sailor prior to the
commission OF InlS crime"
SATURDAY HIS LAST DAY.
+. B. Canman, sentenced by the Su-
perior Court of humboldt County to San
Quentin for twenty-one years on March
15, 1888, for murder of the second degree
will be released on the first day of April
next. The Governor gives as MS reasons
for committing the sentence the follow
ing:
The Board of Prison Directors have
unanimously recommended that the SEN
tence be commuted on the ground that
alter thorough investigation they find
that prior to the commission OF this Of
Tense he had always been known as an
honest, upright and hardworking man;
that the deceased was known in the com
munlty as dangerous man, and that the
following new evidence has been pro-
duced and placed before them, which evil
dence would probably have affected the
verdict of the jury, had it been before
them at the time: That the day before
the commission of the homicide the de-
ceased had endeavored to purchase long
knife of L. Fiegenbaum. stating that he
would stick it into the petitioners heart.
That he was also a man of violent
disposition and was regarded in the COM
munity as dangerous man who was
given to fighting, and threatened the
lives of many persons. On the evening
before the homicide he said, BY God.
there is man in this town who will not
Felt.
That the statement in the petition is
substantiated by Hon. Frank McGowan,
who appeared before the board, and is to
the effect that the defendant was obliged
to fire the fatal shot in order to preserve
his own life, and his conduct While in
prison has been excellent"