The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-12
A STRANGE STORY.
\ Life Prisoner Hardened as InnO-
cent Though lie Believed Himself
Guilty.
From the Detroit Free Press.

cent Though He Believed Himself
Guilty.
From the Detroit Free Press
Lansing, March 23.-Gov. Rich to-day,
by the exercise of the pardoning power,
released John Mcdonald. life convict,
from the state prison at Marquette. The
case was in many respects a most re-
maritable one, the prisoner until recently
never believing himself that he did not
commit the crime for which he was serv-
ing sentence
He was tried in the Marquette circuit
court In February. 1890, for the murder
Of Mollie Beverldge. near Matchwood,
Ontonagon county, convicted. and SEN
at Marquette for life. He was at that
time 30 years of age and had led a
somewhat romantic life. His real name
was John McDonough, but while a boy
he enlisted in the regular army under
the name of Mcdonald, and. afterward
retained that name. After serving ten
years in the regular army he drifted east
ward working at ordinary labor in va
rious places. About tiVe years previous
70 me murder a1d ne went 70 the Upper
almond Match Company, in OntOnagon
county In 1887 he made filing upon
a homestead, upon which he built a
small house. He was a quiet, peaceable
fellow, sometimes becoming Intoxicated,
but was never quarrelSome. His char
aCIer IN the prison rs SAID by the par
don board to be 20 the highest degree
exemplary, and his appearance generally
bespeaks the lack of criminal intent.
In 1888 Mcdonald sold his interest in his
claim to James Redpath, but he contin-
ued to live there. In August, 1889, the
two men were Joined by a man named
Duncan Beveridge, and during the same
year Redpath and Beveridge brought two
women to the place. They were known
as Mollie Beverldge and Maggie Redpath.
The pardon board Is satisfied that these
two men were notorious scoundrels dive
keepers and criminals and BeVeridge Is
charged with having committed murder
the tragedy these five persons lived to-
gether there in the woods, having APP
parently no object On life but to pass the
time as pleasantly as possible.
Beveridge and his mistress slept in
bed in one corner Of a room. Redpath and
his mistress in another corner. Mcdonald
slept upon couch IN the kitchen. This
was the situation when the parties re-
tired on the night of Nov. II, 1889. Some
time between the hours of and the
following morning the Beverage woman
was shot in the left side of the head,
from the effects of which she died in
few hours. Maggie Kedpath was shot
through the upper part of the thigh
and Duncan Beveridge was injured in his
left forehead and arm.
Mcdonald was arrested charged with
the murder of Mollie Beverage. The
Redpath woman was in the hospital and
was not sworn upon the trial, and Nc
Donald was convicted upon the testimony
They stated that they were awakened
in the night just as the Beveridge wo-
man shrieked that she had been killed
and that Beverage and Mcdonald had
a struggle over the possession of a Win
chester rife. They said Mcdonald was
shooting everybody, and when they strug-
gled with him he said something about
q horrible dream. Mcdonald was not
sworn upon the trial, and 1t does not APP
pear that much effort was made In his
behalf by his attorney. He says that all
he knows about the crime is that when
he became sufficiently awake to realize
anything ne was struggling with one OF
the men for the possession of the gun.
He could not deny that he committed the
crime while walking in his sleep, but he
insisted that he had no motive for it. As
the time, he says, he supposed that ne
must have done the shooting, because
they all said that he did. Although his
attorney made a defense on the theory
Of somnambulism, the pardon board is
convinced that the trial was little less
than a farce.
The Redpath woman lived a short time
with Redpath, but afterward left him ana
Is now married to a respectable citizen OF
Eau Claire, Wis. She recently came be-
fore the board Of pardons and made a
statement upon oath in which she says
that Mcdonald had nothing whatever to
do with the shooting. Duncan Beveridge
was the murderer. On the night cues ton,
her deposition sets forth. Beveridge and
his mistress had violent quarrel which
ended in the shooting. Beveridge and Red
path agreed together that they would
charge Mcdonald with the crime and they
SfdleQ the lips or the witness with threats.
The pardon board came to the conclus-
ion that the evidence against McDon-
aid Is altogether too weak to hold him
longer In prison, a majority Of the menu
bers believing him guiltless
Mr.. Trevor Battye will lead an expe-
dition to SpitzberEer next summer This
Arctic island though its shores have been
accurately surveyed, has never had It's in
terror explored. Battye explored the IA
land Of kolguev two years age. and he win
make the exploitation Of sDitzberger liz
particular work.