New-York tribune., 1896-10-18
THE WORK FOR MkANE
,ry-1rv OF ATTEMPTS MADE TO RE
LEASE HIM.

ov.vrsESps CHIEF AND HIS BAcKERs AROUSE
.-u- 1Ac,z~ TO soNE FULLY JUSTIFIED
COMMENTS on THE CASE
49,. ..rs;s,ance and regularity Of efforts TO
-. w. release Of John =. McKane from Sing
rS~ have nroyoked The Brooklyn Eagle TO
,ion of q complete review OF the case.
-. ,.,,o, the following extracts are made:
,,.,-o.a was sentenced to six years i'm
.-rsn, JON Esbruary 49, 1894 a week OF tNo Wa9
sn ~ MN IN which to settle UP MS aIars mere,
and on March after ssyeTal s1r Pr.son. The law
az rim 70 be sentenced TO ten years IN pI!SE
fhe jury recommended him 10 'e took four years
CeuII sna made the sentence six. That SIX, by
GOOD behavior In prison. can De recoSe -oS'r,inn ic
ysnss sctn,l term OF confinement would ehu on
anr - i&S After his conviction appeais from % Il
rs ken through al the courts without success
Tss vsrct Of he Jury the rulings OF Justice Bart
lst and the contention OF Edward NJ. SheRsru' eu
Benjamin F. Tracy, Albert + LAMP ,,b Ssi' Nrss~,
sbenard and Tracy as the repIescE sauyes OF ne
Attorney General were sustained Dy an Ynsns sT of
The county and State were put 10 great eARense %
uns and OF money by the unsuccessful e'or'" u
overthrow the conviction. -, -
NcKans was convicted o. conducting ard con-
trolling conspiracy to produce false registration,
bogus ballots false personaion and false returns OF
secure the scrutiny Of elections which the aw az
lows, ard the truthiulness of t4sn c2 wlich IN, uc1e
mitted performed by others. but their laoor
was directed and captained by McKane as their
chief All his confederate; IN Gravestnd we're con,
victed trials or on their own confessions. and
were sentenced to varying terms. which they nave
a CONTINUOUS effort has been made from the same
sources at every stage Of r.. 10 have Mckane par
doned or his sentence 1ommu,ed. The irst known
EFFORT OF that kind II writing appears 70 be letter
Saunders. D D.. pastor Of the seventh street Meth
ny ~
was the minister in charge of the Methodist Church
at Gravesend when Mckane made himself locally
popular by stealing large sums In his official ca
pscity and BY giving portions Of it away In an un-
orcial manner, some OF II going 10 the church or
which D-. Saunders was the pastor.
After giving in chronological order the letters
and petitions sent TO Governor Flower and Gov
ernor Morton in the effort TO bring McKane back
from Sing Sing. Tine Eagle" continues:
int. 1t mas been The custom Of the Governors oh'ee
neV i.aoV 10 asK ior ine opilon oi me prosecuting
oMeers as We. as o. the trial Ju-ge on any s9pi-
TcKsne e0' xesa fsebby By Ie 0eyS VAC ,sd
" Shepard and BENJAMIN r Tray. Neither oi
tnem has been asked by he EXECUTIVE or at t.e Il %
application. They have been asked by McKane's
trends as 20 what would BE- their response !. tney
S,d ;Sld McKanes friends they would not spesk on on
,as E9hJect at all unii they were interIog"ted py
Executive Chamber tSat they DO nc; difer from
!redse Bartett or the subject II IS Claimed by Hc,
Names friends that Governor Morton VIII pardon
Aekane before his term expires. without recourse
. Messrs. Tracy and Shepard for their opinion on
'lmate friends question This very seriously. They
say !. would permanently damn him IN history II ne
The OF the papers may be said 20 be decorated
By artfully inwrought newspapsr clippings SURROUND
Ten from a McKane paper that McKane had coun-
s,randed from Sing Sing The project 10 tenier 70
Sutherland reception on MS retgIn 70 Gravesehdd
from prison The Implication Of McKane's ccntinn',a
scn:ro Of Gravesend Is palm bu; that Is an Sa
aiken from ''The Brooklyn Tines: Judge Bart
&, says h. win Dot ~; finger 20 prevent Nc Nc
Ting IKE l. His sole expression has oeeh' no
xnotter alleraiion IL contained IN ore of the
ersvesend letters: There Is no need to ask shsp ,B
81 asy sea The they dher 5h@H men
,as They are gSical seek snsion asS pro to
Nr Rldsway. Ssrie To those who recall all ,he facts -;
Is without suggestion OF the steps taxen "n n! i!
ssssGor Flower sns an6 Trney 10
Into the case" after the memorable indignat'oh
ss II ~ ne9f " Of s of
Children aecins gsrsphrases ,na Of 6sy are
ursh n5ss letter. frHm oS SEE igsssammaticay
The exchiefs missives are n9ns the orse rrdp d1r
stsnn ,hsr1 Win AZ unstudied ruggedness. Their
drawback is their alternately suriy ana cunning
tSe ,sW .rceo, .mc ss something By which he has
been grossly wronged. only what ~ IN an un- D.
schoo!ee man comes from MS pen unless un, ne b
carefully coached The coaching OF nearly al ,r'e ~
outside letter-writers is plain, out e.e o'A'''"7
was OF a curnsy and transparent oine.. o.,or-.
II il well known that under McNeI'. ts,,S 10
inent al Coney Island everything .nai 49, n
hlackmaicd was b!ackmailcd. the ho,eis' .he 60
roads the contractors. the saoonKeepeis, Wy
cert-hall keepers the divekeepers ths piUp pru GO
Of houses Of iii fame, their inmates anu bo,eis
who had an understanding 10 Supply taae NJ
the race;rachs with food or drink or ~. oi n,o
hing else The revenue from this biaeKi' Ns q,
md
this appeared or could appear On me ,riaI ,h"ss Sc
man for his political crimes. The extet ~ a. AZ
POLITICAL crimes however. was sussestirs,ga and
eated by Deputy Attorney -Genefal ,"sy,,sa FOR
oy Judge bartlett, when the forrer 49," o aIc.
and the latter pronounced sentences upo,, ,,sorch
Names victims and confederates IN court o" MAJ VI
q 1894
Commenting on the article which appears N
i's news columns. The Eagle" In causuc ed''
'ora!. says:
-. The Eagle" to-day carries a statement o., ~, .,
ssrosts for the pardon Of John Mchai.s, oi or .v
ne communication OF his sentence by ne @ ~
.ney extend from October, 1884, shor.'y a.se ,rbs
ssohvction Of McKane 70 the prescht Iii,s say 'h
Persistence is explained by the account TO-DAY pe
nshed The efforts proceed from the same pe,
~ In number. who act concertedly az SCI NV. ~,
TO produce the effect OF public nioVeinSm. -. -
NE impression Of public opinion Ihese is~ ." q
tsflodically generalled by those whose ,,r
Sanifesly not an unselhsh one: elIe W.. 'e nc
bureau IS maintained and set going every ,te or "s