Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1895-03-07

WAS CozENS GUILTY.
Story OF the Crime for Which He
Suffered u Years

Suffered u Years
Governor Altgeld's pardon Of VIII
liam Cozens, who has been serving Il
life sentence in the penltentiary az
Joliet, has tsllled to memory a we'll
night forgotten chapter in the criminal
history of Champaign county. The
criane Cor which Cozens WAS sent to
prison was one Of the beast provoked,
most c0ld-hlooded and malicious that
Is reported IN the Annals OF eastern
Illinois, ard II HAS been for many
Years tine consensus Of opinion THAT
ihe READ culplit waS mon punished
In the person OF Cozens In all hi.
man probability the facts of the ira
gedy will never I've known, and cunse
quently there will always be doubt
as TO whether or NOT Cozens has been
punished for another's crime. BE THAT
as II may, however he was beyond
question a participant i'm the tragedy
The story Of the crime, which oc-
CURED In 1872, is about MS follows,
Willie Harrison, Il i6.ycar old boy who
lived In Champaign. and who, by THE
way, was an exceedingly attractive and
popular youth, went hunting in the
woods which at that time surrounded
Champaign and Jlrbana on the north.
VIII" night came and he did not put
in appearance AT home his parents.
fearing some accident had befallen
1.I nj
carried on for three days before his
body was found II was discovered
near a log covered with leaves, and
with shotgun wound In THE back of
the head Young Harrison's gun
which was very valuable one, was
missing, and it looked MS IL he had
been killed for 1t. The case was for
some time shroudcd In mystery, but
at the end of seven weeks suspicion
had been directed SO strongly toward
John White. n worthless character 0f
JIr'bana, that he was arrested on some
trivial Charge for the sole purpose Of
preventing his leaving the country.
The sweating process was res0lted 10,
and vt resulted in Whites c0IlfeSslng
10 having been mn accomplice In the
murder. In which he satd William
Cozens was the principal Cozeis wGs
Immediately arrested and lie tIld fhe
same story In general deball, except
THAT die made himself an aocoTnplice
and White the real murderer.
According to their stories, tfey met
.young Harrison in the woods ncar
where the body was found and stopped
to brave a chat with him. having pre-
viously planned to kin him In order
TO get his gun. During the conve1isa-
tion one OF them took the gun To eX.
anime 1t. The other attracted Har.
itson's attention 80 that the one with
the gum could get a chance DO draw a
bead on him" As soon as he got the
opportunity he let 90 one barrel and
Harrison was killed by shot from
his own gun. I'he murdcreIS CON.
ccaled the body, took The gun and hid
It in log. and frequently between
the time Of the murder and their an
rest used 1t In hunting. They were
tried together and their evidence
showed them TO be such coolblooded
mirdelers THAT THE jury did not take
long in fixing their penalties Mt death
by hanging. They had been sentenced
and the scnffdld had been erected
when the supreme court granted them
separate tria1ls ON the re-tnIal White
was let off with twenty Ave years In
the penitcntiauy and, though Cozens
was but seventeen years old, he was
given life sentence.
For years it has been tho general
opinion that Cozens was NOT the real
culprit. and consequently several prom
inent citizens OF Champaign and tt1e
bana have interested themselves In his
behalf, with the result Of having se-
cured his pardon. III lis said the lar
gest petition that has ever been adj
dressed to fine chief executive Of Hill
nois was tlie one which was sent 10
Governor Fifer asking him ~ pardon
Cozens. Ii was signed by something
like 1850 persons
White served his time, which was
shortened for good behavior. and his
present whereabouts Is fBot known.
Until recently nc had n brother living
| in Urbana but he committed suicide
some three weeks ago, Cozens has
served tiweuty-one years, has been q
very tractable prisoner, and has for
! years been foreman in the Shoe man
nfacturing department. The action of
Governor Alleged IN pardoning him
meets with approval
/