The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-01-15
CLOSE BOSSED HIM.
Another Instance of the Peculiar
Ascendancy Fred Close
SEEMED HOLD OYER G0Y.LEWELLING.

GOV. LevveIling Refused to Pardon the
Murderer of an InOfrensive Meth
Odist Minister, but Fred Close Is
sued the Pardon.
Since the Populist administration has
passed away, some startling things are
coming to light.
One of the first discoveries was mace
a few minutes after the executive ONCE
was turned over to Governor Morrill, ana
his employees yesterday noon
In the public pardon record opposite
the date of Decem Der z, 1894, appears
statement Of the fact, that John B. 1rue'
who has been serving a life sentence IN
the penitentiary for the murder OF rev.
Samuel Woolpert a Methodist minister,
had been pardOned.
This is q remarkable discovery in as
much as there are on file in the governor
Office protests from over 800 individuals
against the pardon or cOmmutatlon Oh
True's sentences. 100,
The records show that on April 70, 1894,
Governor LewelIing refused to pardon
True. which makes the discovery that
the pardon had been granted still more
remarkable.
The crime for which True was sent to
the penitentiary was this Rev. Samuel
Woolpert pastor of the NJ. E. church at
Wakefield, Clay county. left his home on
the morning of November l, 1917, to
drive to Topeka.
A few days afterwards his dead body
was found by the road side near Wamego
and an investigation showed that his
team had been sold in Wamego by
man who afterwards proved to be John
B. True.
True was arrested and was brought to
Topeka for trial.
Jndge John T. Morton was the presid-
ing Judge of the Shawnee county dis
trict court at that time and when True
was taken into court he entered a plea
of guilty of murder in the second degree.
In pronouncing his sentence Judge
Morton is shown by the record of this
case to have said: SIN passing this sem
tence I do not give any hope of pardon,
as your crime has been one of the most
unprovoked and inhuman that has ever
come under my observation as a Judge
and you will probably not leave the
prison until you come out feet first"
1t was May 27, 1879, that True was
sentenced to the penitentiary for life,
and since that time repeated efforts have
been made on the part of his family and
relatives to secure his pardon.
When it became known that an appli-
CdllOH udQ D00Q udu0 LOT LH0 DdE0Ou, tu6
people of Clay and Pottawatomie coun-
ties filed protests against the pardon.
One protest from Clay county con-
tanned 100 signatures, two from Potta-
watOmie contained the signatures of 119
persons each, and a protest with 149 sig
natures is on file from Miami county,
Indiana
Many of the signers of the protests were
county officials who were familiar with
the history of the crime.
The murdered man was a prominent
minister in the Methodist church, and
many of the most prominent people in
his church entered their protests against
the pardon.
1t is but due the man who is now free
and is said to be at his boyhood home il
Kentucky, to say that the applications
for his pardon were numerous, there be
ing on file no less than six letters asking
for the pardon signed by Judge John T
Morton, who pronounced the sentence
upon the prisoner.
The prison officials petitioned for the
pardon, SAYING True was an exemplary
prisoner and should be released.
The final entry in the case made on the
petition for the pardon shows that the
pardon was issued on the 18th of Deem
Der by mot Governor Lewelling, who had
refused the pardon last ApriI) but by
Fred j. Close, private secretary.