The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-27
HILL AND BERESF0RD IN LUCK
THE TWO NOTED CONvICTs PAR
DoNED BY THE GOVERNOR

Executive CIemency Extended on the
Ground That They Have Suffered
Enough-Hin in for Five Years and
Beresford for SiN-Each Had
About n Year More to Serve-The
Sensational stories of Their Ca
reers Reviewed.
Atlanta. Ga, Dec. 26-Gov. Atkinson to-
day pardoned Harry Hill and Lord
Beresford, the two noted prisoners, who
have figured so extensively in the news
papers and the executive office for the past
three years.
The orders setting the men at liberty
were issued this afternoon. They will be
at once transmitted TO the camps at Kra-
mer Wilcox county, where LORD Beres-
ford is confined and Smithonia, Ogie-
thorpe county, where Hill is doing serv-
ice and the men restored to freedom.
Both men were pardoned on the ground
that they have suffered sufficiently for
the. offenses committed.
Hill was in for five years for forgery,
and had a little over year yet to serve
Beresford's sentence was six years, also
for forgery, and he had about the same
length of time yet to serve.
In the case of the bogus lord, there was
a doubt as to whether he ever should have
been convicted of forgery. His offense
appeared to be cheating and swindling only
and in view of his exceptionally good
conduct and the requests for his pardon,
which the governor says were more nu-
merous than for that of any person dur
ing his experience in the executive Of
flee, despite the fact that he was a stran-
ger in strange land when convicted, he
was given the benefit of the doubt.
The governor says he is satisfied the
pardon of Hill will meet the approval OF
q majority of the people of the state.
The Hill and Beres4ord cases are tamil
lar to the public. Both will go down in
the annals Of the state as among the most
sensational on record. The incidents lead
ing up to the trials of both were dramatic
and both trials were, at the time, the SEN
sation of the state. Since the men were
sent to the penitentiary the efforts that
have been made to secure their liberty
have been without parallel. The final eli
max in this direction was when the leg
islature, at its recent session, unanimous
ly passed a resolution calling upon the
governor to pardon the men. IT is be-
lieved that it was this action which final
~ induced Gov. Atkinson to set them
free. he had remained deaf to the recon-
mendations of the pardon committee of
the last general assembly, and to the petit
tons of citizens and officials, which had
been piled up before him. During the
first year of his first term he formally
refused to grant pardon to either.
Hills case was worked by his family
and friends, he being a member of one
of the most influential families of Mid
die Georgia. Although repeatedly falling
TO secure his release they never gave up,
but kept adding to the pressure in the
executive office,
Beresford, however was a total stranger
when he came to Georgia, and had no one
to work for his pardon on the outside of
the prison walls. He found time to do it
himseI, however, from within, and his
success is, therefore, due to his own per-
sonai activity In bringing influences to
bear through correspondence.
Harry Hill was for years a conductor
on the Georgia railroad. Brought up in
afiiuence, he had no aptitude for business,
and ranroadlng was about all he could
DO When he ran through with his fortune.
He was a remarkably handsome young
fellow, and was well liked by everybody
Some months before the exposure of his
analrs he opened up a wholesale whisky
house in Atlanta. In furthering this BUSH
ness he discounted a number of notes
bearing the name of Mrs. Fannie Lowry
Porter, the wife of President J. II. Porter
OF the Merchants Bank. These notes
finally caused Hills arrest He denied
that the signatures were forged, but
GAINED that he had authority to sign
Mrs. Porters name, she being in fact a
silent partner in the whisky business,
which ne was managing. Upon the trial
II appeared that Mrs. Porter had assisted
him in financial matters on account of her
friendship for his family, but she did not
give him authority to sign the notes. Hill
was convicted after highly dramatic
ana sensational trial, which packed the
court house while II was in progress. One
OF the documents introduced In evidence
was a letter written by him from Chi
cago, where he went when he took fight,
to his former attorney, John w. Echols, In
which he said he might have done wrong
IN signing Mrs. Porters name. He, how
ever, declared that this letter was gotten
out of him by Echols, who was in the
pay of the prosecution, to convict him
with. Echols was later made counsel for
the prosecution. Mrs. Porter's family
heretofore strenuously opposed all efforts
TO have Hill pardoned.
Lord" Beresford-or Sidney I.ascelles-
cut wide swath in society in Rome uI
to the day of his disgrace. He represent {.
ed himself to be an Englis nobleman, anc
was in negotiation with Col. ID. b. Ham.l
ton for the purchase of the Etna iron fur
mace, which Col. Hamilton owned. 1t wa:
TO be sold for S1,000O00, pretty good trade
The bogus lord was wined and dined al
great rate, and incidentally broke severa
hearts among the fair sex of Rome socie
". One day ne was suddenly called e
New York, and asked to have check OF
his London bankers cashed. 1t was TO
$1,000 but Col Hamilton, with a miliioI
as his guest did not hesitate. The checl
was returned IN. c. and after a ION;
legal fight Beresford was hunted down
and landed in the Georgia penitentiary
he nag married wealthy young lady o
New York. Miss Lillienthal. She cam
back 10 Georgia with him, and remaine
in Rome near his prison for a year, whicl
he spent m the county jail. She was de
voted to the bogus lord almost to the last
a Few months ago she secured a divorce
on account of the shady conduct of Beres
ford in Americas when he was take
there by his obi. ging guard. The guar
and the convict had some wine together
and the latter wound up the spree in com
pany with a woman, which cost him IN
wife who had been true to him up to tina
time.