The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-05-17

yesterday was enlivened by the ap-
/ pearance of two factions in the matter
of the application for the pardon OF
Thomas Williams, who was sentenced
at Provo. in the year 1884, for the muir
der of a man named Hutchins.
1t appears from the records in the
case that on the 21st of February, 1888,
Emerson and Hutchins were engaged in
working a mine, together with others,
and that a difficulty arose between the
two men, which resulted in their meet
ing on trail leading from the mine to
the camp and, after a conversation,
which was overheard by several, Will
Jams shot Hutchins, while the latter
was pleading to be spared for the sake
of his wife and children
The case was tried before Judge p.
II. Emerson, of Provo, and was prose
cuted by Hon. w. II. Dickson. The
jury rendered a verdict of murder in
the first degree, but at the same time
recommended that mercy be extended,
SO the prisoner was sentenced for life.
When the matter was called up be-
fore the board yesterday there We're
a good many relatives and friends of
the dead man present to protest against
tA4O III a cNiiAO4lSo IAASAAA
being a sister, named Carson, a very
attractive lady VINO was earnest in her
! appeals to the members of the board
! to allow the sentence to stand, as the
man in durance is, in her opinion, q
very dangerous person to be at large.
S. P. Armstrong appeared for the ap-
plicant and J. NJ. Hamilton for the
contestants
The applicants had filed with the
H. a~l 81 1of~ 11a rrir1 Nd
conduct on the part of the prisoner
since his confinement, among them be-
ing one from Nat NJ. Brigham, the
United States marshal, who averred
! that since his confinement in the penl-
tertiary, the prisoners conduct had
been such as to entftle him to consid-
GRAFTON. Mr.. Dickson sent in a letter
in which he reviewed the general cir
cumstances of the case and recon-
mended that clemency be shown as
asked. Warden Dow sent in a. communi-
cation in which he stated that if the
prisoners olfense was anything but d
capital one Williams would stand in the
I first grade. In addition to these there
were letters from George O. Cannon,
John Nicholson, B. II. Roberts, c. G.
/ Goodwin, John w. Plummer, H. G..
Wardleigh ex-Warden Squires, ex-
/ Warden Pratt, Abe Randolph, Ed Jam
ney and other guards and T. L. Pen
rose, all certifying to the good conduct
of the criminal.
Hon. r. \. Baskin appeared before
the board and made an argument in
which he urged upon the board the
policy of pardoning the criminal, saying
that the ends of justice had been ac-
comphshed already and stating in addi-
ton that there We're extenuating cir
cumstances in connectA5n with the
crime which would warrant the board
in taking action.
Mr. Smith, a son of the ex-matron,
also made an appeal to the board, in
which he commented upon the good
character of the prisoner while con-
fined in the prison, and was followed by
S. P. Armstrong, who made an extern
sive argument in favor of his client
When Mr.. Armstrong had completed,
j. NJ. Hamilton made a few remarks
against the granting of the pardon, in
which he SAID the man was danger
Gus one and that although there was
something on file to show that he was a
good prisoner, it was a fact that he had
been confined in irons for months at q
time since his being placed there Mr..
Hamilton dwelt at some length upon
the enormity of the offense and decfar-
ed that HutchinS was shot while plead
ing for his hfe because of his wife and
children.
The sensation in the case happened
when Mr.. Hamilton finished. The muir
dered mans sister addressed the board
and declared that the statements of
Ed Janney did not coincide with what
he had told her a day or two ago.
She averred that Janney had said
to her that Williams was dam
gerous man and ought not to have
his liberty and expressed surprise
that he was not there to confirm the
statements he had made to her She
also added that she believed the records
of the state prison had been tampered
with; that she understood that Will
liams had been confined in irons for a
long time. and that when she looked at
the books she could find nothing of the
sort on record. Mrs Carlson declared
that she had had a conversation with
Mr.. Dickson and called his attention to
the fact that Williams record was not
a good one by amy means, and that he
had told her that if the record was
not all right he would not send in the
request for his pardon.
DO you charge that there have been
any changes made in the records at the
state PRISON. asked Governor Wells
We'll L cannot say positively that
there have been, but they do not show
he was confined in irons as the guards
tell me he was was the reply
'You understand, madam, that it is
a serious charge to make to allege the
records Of a public institution like the
state prison have been ,tampered with
in the interest of prisoner" queried
Judge Zane.
Hamilton came to the rescue at this
point and remarked: I'VE have here,
gentlemen of the board, a member of
make statement and introduced
John Dallen, of Geneva. John may be
well meaning enough in his efforts to
keep Williams in the pen, but he made
a sorry mess of it. His statement was q
rambling and incoherent one, about the
only fact obtained being that defend
ant, while on the stand, testified that
he killed Hutchins as a result of great
bodily fear. The balance of his re-
marks were confined to what took
place in the jury room after the evil.
dence was in, and he would have been
talking yet had not Justices Bartch and
Zane Interrupted him with a request
that they had heard enough and it was
best to take the case under Amusement
If Dallan thought to do any harm to the
case, he fell short as he really did the
man more good than harm. The mat
ter was taken under Amusement.
George E. Campbell, is printer who
was sentenced by Judge Bartch for
term of fifteen months for burglary,
and whose sentence expires next No
vember. 1t is alleged that he robbed
the house of John Phillips, of Logan.
in August 1895, in company with
man named Daley The latter pleaded
guilty and exonerated Campbell, who
was nevertheless convicted although
at the time and at present he declared
his offense was of the old Dog Tray
order-he had gotten into bad COM