Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1894-09-22
SHADOW OF The GALLOWSj
Seven Years Under Sentence Of
Death.
A South Dakotan's Crimina Career-Tor
Love of an Iowa Girl w. III. Loom
ard started on the Wrong
Path Early in Life.

YANKToN, 5. D., Sept. 15.-Under
sentence of death for seven years is an
unusual occurrence in a mans life, es-
p~ecially when that man was innocent,
yet this is one of the events in the life
of n man not yet "a years of age, "a resi-
dem of South Dakota. w. IA. Leonard,
alias w. IA. Johnson, was born in Clay
county, Missouri, the home of the
James brothers, and like many Mis-
souri, boys he thought the deeds of dar-
ing enacted by them examples that
ought I o be followed. When IS years
OF age he went to Iowa, fell in love,
proposed marriage and was refused I'M
til lie could provide IA home for his
future wife. In reciting his story to a
reporter he said that his fancy for
this girl led him to commit his
first crime. In order to provide the
necessary mean with which to COM
mence housekeeping he stole a span Of
horses and sold them. Before the we'd
ding occurred, however. he was mr..
rested, tried, convicted and sen fenced
to three years in the Iowa peniten-
tiary. After serving ont his time he
came 10 Elk Point, this state, where he
resided with "a family who had raised
him IN Missouri, and who had moved
north during his Incarceration In the
state prison. In 1883 he came to Yank-
ton and engaged IL team TO go to a
neighboriug town in Nebraska. lie
did mt Ettn M hfS iatnnAa9 ,Iagt,,.
ton, but kept on moving west. He
was finally overtaken and brought
back to lankton, where he wa in
dicted. He laid in Jail here from April
10 November Of hat year, why he was
released upon his recognizance,
the state not caring to assume the eX-
pense of a trial.
lie then went to Missouri where he
again stole horses, and where he was
again captured, tried and sentenced to
five years in the peuitentiary at Jeifer-
son City. lie was here thrown in con-
tact with many noted criminals. 1t
was from one of these convicts that he
learned the details OF "A robbery com
mitted on IA Santa Fe train near Gar
den City, Kas., in July, 1883. At the
time of the commission of this railroad
robbery, IN which the express messen-
ger was killed, Leonard was confined
in he lankton county jail.
believing he could possibly regain
his liberty he conceived the idea of
coniessing TO participation in the Sante
Fe robbery, having fully posted him
self as TO details. The scheme worked
to per.e ton. The Kansas authorities
wanted him. ana they wanted him bad.
Governor humphreys issued n requisi-
ton and the state of Missouri gave up
the prisoner. He was taken to Gar
den City where he was indicted for
murder, contrary to his expectations.
He was tried, found guilty and SEN
fenced to be hanged. Witnesses were
found who positively identified him as
n OF the robbers. and one man testi-
he'd that Leonard was the man who
shot him ana inflicted "a dangerous
wound. Leonard tried to prove an alibi,
but he had no money and no friends,
and the day OF execution was fixed. A
Catholic priest who came to give him
consolation heard his story and sent to
lankton for the jailer who had charge
ot Leonard here. lie arrived at Garden
City and without a moments hesitation
identified Leonard out of 900 convicts
who had been drawn up in line for his
inspection. Governor Humphreys then
deferred the execution from time to
time, being artiauy-eonvinesd that
Leonard was wrongfully convicted.
Governor Lewelling was inaugurated,
and additional evidence from Yankton
having been produced, Leonard was
pardoned, after being under sentence of
death for nearly seven years. Leonard
says he will publish n book, devoted to
his trial and conviction upon circum-
s~tantial evidence, AM his narrow es-
cape from death in Il community where
he was tried by public sentiment rather
than positive evidence.