Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-08-25
but the name was the first that entered

I
| tary company, and was also engaged as
teacher and librarian I'm a Sunday school
| stayed IN Washington three years, until
| 1 was seen and recognized by Nirginlan,
and In a short while a Mr. Barksda!e ana
another officer from this State came after
me with requsition from Governor Nc
Kinney They had teographed the au-
thorities beforehand 10 arrest me, and l
was in Jail when they arrived. | was
turned over to the Virginia officers to be
brought back here. notwithstanding that
a numerously- signed petition WAS present.
ed to the Governor protesting against my
being delivered up.
OFFERED TO RELEASE HIM.
when l emerged from the jail in Gus
todv of the officers | found an immense
crowd around the jail, and foremost
among them was every member of my
company. The crowd pressed in on the
officers. and the captain OF my company
came up to me and told me that l needn't
come back TO Virginia unless ] wanted
to. that the company would stand by me
and take me from the officers. | told him
not TO interfere. and expressed my will
ingness TO come with the officers. Mr..
Barksdale. the officer who was in control,
made the people speech, in which he
promised that l should be properly treat
cd. and they then consented 10 let me go.
SENTENCE PASSED TWICE MORE.
Il was brought back here and was put
In the Lynchburg jail for safekeeping, on
November 5. 1881. or course, L had TO be
resentenced. and was brought into court
ON March, 1892 and sentenced by Judge
williams TO be hanged in eight days.
After 1 was taken back 20 jail Judge VIII
lams realized that he had given me too
short a time, and he called me back into
court and again sentenced me to be
hanged. fixing the date this time on May
90. 1892.
Il was carried back to the Lynchburg
iail 10 await the date Of execution, ana
remained there until May Path when Gov
ernor Mckinney commuted my sentence
to life Imprisonment / arrived here on
June 8, 1892. and here 1 have been ever
since"
AN ORNAMENTAL PAINTER.
Sutton is an ornamental painter and an
artist of some ability. lie is a Master
Mason. and through all of his viclssiiudes
his lodge has stuck 10 him, and still holds
his membership. His brethren OF the
craft have put forth strenuous efforts TO
save him. Suttons behavior while in
prison has been exceptionally good, and
OF the employees OF the prison. there was
not one who did not extend congratula-
tions to him yesterday and express his
pleasure at SuttOn's good fortune There
We're four Masons in Major Lynns ONCE
when the pardon was presented TO Sut-
ton, and purse was then and there made
up fer the man TO help defray his eX-
penses back home.
Sutton stated TO the Dispatch man that
when he was arrested he owned sixty
three acres Of the best land in Southwest
Virginia, but all of this had been sacri-
feed in his efforts TO secure his release.
His wife is now a milliner in Sweetwater,
Tenn. and he will so directly there 10
ioin her. As soon as he can get together
enough money. il is his purpose 10 take
his family to Washington state and to
settle there.
TO START LIFE .AFRESH.
Sutton is only "a years Of age, and says
he will make a new start in life and WILL
by his future conduct. show the Governor
that he made no mistake in liberating
him. Sutton has not seen his wife ana
children since the gates of the peniten-
tary closed upon him, they being too
poor 20 come here and naturally ne is
overjOyod at the prospect OF meeting
them. He is a man of fairly good educa-
tion and cOnVerses very interestingly. lie
was kept very busy I'm the shoe shop du-
ring the day but spent his leisure houis |
me says, I'm reading the Scriptures ana re-
iigious papers, which are freely nstri- /
buted i'm the prison.
Sutton's case was really a most re-
markable one, I'm many respects, ana II
has given three Governors much con-
cern Governor Lee. in the first instance
spent much time I'm investigating the cir
cumstanccs Of the affair." and Governor !
Mckinney devoted much time 10 its con-
sideration before he decided TO commute |
the sentence Of the condemned man. Ever |
since Governor O'Ferrall has been in |
office he has been bescught by people /
from sections Of the state where sutton |
was known TO pardon him, and there are |
I'm the Executive office petitions bearing |
the signatures of nearly 15o0 people. In |
deed, the papers in the case are very |
voluminous. and no papers that have /
been submitted TO Virginia Executive !
in many years have contained more IN
teresting stories.
THE GOVERNORS REASONS.
Governor O'Ferrall. in granting the pc |
tition for pardon. gave the following /
reasons for his action:
This case has received my most earnest /
consideration. My predecessor, Governor /
Mckinney. commuted the sentence of /
death pronounced to life imprisonment In /
the penitentiary Petitions, embracing J
about 1 100 names Of reputable citizens OF |
the Southwest section Of the state, Tor /
the pardon of the prisoner. have been |
presented. Conspicuous among the petit /
TONERS are Hon II. NJ. Brown, the trial |
fudge. and j. L. Gleaves, the attorney for /
the Commonwealth, who prosecuted: Hon. I
c.. j. Holbrook. late Judge Wythe County |
Court: Hon. G. H. Fudge, Judge Of Smyth /
County Court: Hon. Martin Williams, /
Judge Bland County Court; Hon. ID. G. /
Miller. late Judge Smyth County Court; |
Hon. j. HOge Tyler late Leutenant-Gov- |
ernor: Hon. j. p. Sheney, present Circuit /
Judge: Hon. b. f. Buchanan, State Sena- /
tor. Hon. f. S Blair, late AttOrney-Gen- |
eral: j. r. Hardraker. Sheriff Wythe |
county; William B. Foster, Clerk OF Wythe /
county: d. H. Porter, w. p. Sizer, and /
William A. Hardraker supervisors or /
Wythe county; George w. Richardson; /
present Commonwealth Attorney or /
Smyth county: A. II. Dickinson. late /
commonwealth Attorney Of Symth |
county; J. r. Sexton. Clerk Circuit Court |
SInyth county: John W. Richardson. late
Treasurer Smyth county, and ministers or |
the Gospel, mechanics, physicians, mer-
chants. bankers. and lawyers in great
numbers
II is my opinion that the conviction
was had in great measure upon the tesu-
lnonv Of the mother and wife Of the MUIR
dcred man. and that no verdict of gull
ty' would have been found but for their
testimony. or II found IL would not have
been sustained by the Court. no effort
was made TO impeach the testimony OF
these witnesses on the trial. and the jury
evidently believed them. However, very
soon after the trial and conviction of the
prisoner. In the trial Of another man on
a charge of-felony I'm the county Of Smyth,
these women were important witnesses
for the Commonwealth. and their evil
Fe,ca WAS direct and conclusive against |