The Helena independent., 1893-02-25
INNOCENT AND IN PRISON
A Hungarian Betrayed by His Coun-
trymen and Sent to
Deer Lodge.
Through Elk Senator Parberry q
Pardon Is Granted to tho
WronRed Man.
Hs Could Not Understand English, ana
His Alleged Fv:c-r1 ""s i~s
Plea Of Guilty.

Gov. Richards has granted pardon to "A
Hungarian now in the state penitentiary
who seems from all the evidence IN the
case TO 10 the victim of q cruel wrong per-
potrated upon him by two Of his country
men, who have now become conscience
stricken and make affidavit that they were
the means of putting him behind the prison
bars. Last September Andrew Miller, the
wronged man, was convicted in Meagher
county of killing fish III a stream by means
OF giant powder and sent to Deer Lodge for
one year upon his pleading guilty to the
charge. After the trial the two Hungarians
who were with him when the fish were
killed and also at the trial. bought tickets
for Europe under assumed names. The
Hungarian in the penitentiary at Deer
Lodge did not know he had been
convicted. His alleged friends told him he
would be fined and released in a few days.
One OF them acted as interpreter before the
court and entered the plea OF guilty
without the consent or knowledge of the
u blank. he not being able to understand
English and relying solely upon his coun-
trvmen for advice.
Ex-senator Parberry was tho first man
who became familiar with the true inward
ness Of the Huugarian's case and has left
no stone unturned to right the wrong done
the poor man, who does not know yet that
he has been pardoned. The nttidAvits of
the wretches who sent Miller to the peni-
tentiary were procured and in these the
whole story ia told. One of the men con-
fesses that Milles never threw the dynamite
into tho stream. Flom the affidsvits it
appears that Miller and his two alleged
friends were near stream in MeaRher
county and that one Of them had piece of
dynamite about the size OF a peanut With
IL an explosion was caused in the stream
which sent number of fish to the su face.
rhe man who caused the explosion which
killed the fish seems to have become terri
fed when he found that the act was unlaw-
full. Miller was arrested. The only per-
sons with whom he could communicate
were his com panions and in them he placed
a child-like confidence. He knew he was
innocent and had nothing to fear. The
sentence OF the court. as interpreted
to him, was that he would be fined and
kept in custody for few days. Even at
this stage of the proceedings be does not
seem to have awakened to the truth, 30
great was his faith in his coun-
trymen whom he knew, and the
others were strangers whom he could not
| understand. He was taken to the peniten-
! tiary. and as the days went by he began to
inquire. Then HIS version of the story
| reached Ex-senator Parberry, who began
| to investigate with the result that he Sc
! cured the affidavits of Miller's false friends
| telling how they had sent their countrymen
| TO prison. Gov. Richards was 30 strongly
| impressed with tho case as presented by
| Ex-senator PAT berry that there was nc
other conclusion for him to arrive at than
| that an innocent man had been sent to the
penitentiary and lie granted the pardon
| subject to the approval of the state board
of pardone.