The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-10-27
SAVED BY a POSTAL CARD.
sll.. Gray viii B. Given Hi. Freedom.
From the Harrisburg Telegraph.

From the Harrisburg Ieiegrspu-
at is all wrong to hang Silas Gray, as
Jack Rettis confessed 10 me in the West
ern Penitentiary that he had done the
deed.-
These were the words that were scrawl
ed upon postal card received by the ed
itor Of the Harrisburg Telegraph. few
years ago. and they saved the life OF a
man who was last night recommended 10
executive elemency by the Board of Par
dons. II is an interesting story and will
bear the telling now.
In February, 1871. Mrs. Mary McCrea-
dy, who for some years had been living
in a cabin on the northern edge of West
moreland county, near Apollo, disap-
peared. In April, 1873, fifieen months af-
ter the disappearance, some boys fishing
in the river found an old skull on sand
bar. Upon the inquest being held on the
skull, Silas Gray, who for years had pur-
sued various occupations, was charged
with the murder of Mrs. McCready, and
in the spring of lSs2 was convicted of
murder in the first degree. The circum
stances of his conviction were peculiar.
He was brought to trial from the peniten
tiary, amer having served a term as access
sorry TO horse stealing. Preceding his case
James Ward was tried for the murder of
the Means sisters. 1t was an atrocious
murder of a couple of old maiden ladies,
and the murder was complicated with
burglary and assault. To the amazement
of everybody the jury in the Ward case
found only a second degree verdict. The
mob almost rose at them. Silas Gray,
convicted horse thief, was put on trial the
Of a woman, and three of the Ward jurors
were drawn on the jury that tried him.
Under these circumstances he was con-
victed of murder in the first degree. The
evidence was such that fifty-one members
of the Wes.moreland county bar, includ-
ing the leaders of it, Immediately peti-
toned for a communication of sentence. The
date of execution was fixed. Gray saw
and heard the carpenters put the gallows
together upon which he was to be hanged.
All appeals for mercy had failed, when a
newspaper correspondent, happening to
be in Harrisburg at an unusual time,
came upon an unusual train of half a
dozen circumstances, any one of which
being absent would have broken the link
in the chain, and in pursuance of which
he got confession from one Jack Pettis
that he, and not Gray, had committed the
murder. This confession was submitted
to Governor Pattison at midnight, and the
case was run so close that the commuta-
ton of sentence from hanging to impris
onment for life was only issued in time to
send Silas Gray to the penitentiary for
life ON the day set for his execution.
Since that time George III. Welshons, of
Pittsburg, the newspaper correspondent
who discovered the evidence on which
the sentence was cunmuted, has collected
evidence going to confirm the confession
of rettls that he, and not Gray, commit
ted the murder, and presented to the Par
don Board last wcck an affidavit from
Johnston Dickson, who was the star wit
ness for the prosecution, that his testi-
mony upon tue trial was beyond the
! truth.
The application for pardon was back
| ed by all the officers of the Western Peni-
tentiary, by the petition of both the Sit
ting judges in W estmoreland county aud
other officials, letting forth that they do
not believe the verdict was justified by
tine evidence Mr.. Welshons became in-
terested in the case from reading in the
Telegram postal card from Hiram Pow
ermaster, a ex-convict, of the Cumber-
land Valley, who wrote to the editor the
words which begin this article.
Nd. Welshons has quit the profession of
journalism since he became interested in
the Gray case and is now lawyer. lie
eioquently presented the ease of Niray be-
fore the Pardon Board. lie told the story
of how he became interested in the case
10 Telegraph man.
Happening in Harrisburg one day
made an engagement with another news
paper man, which he failed to keep.
While waiting foI him at the Postal Tel
egraph Office picked up the Telegraph
and glancing over the local pages saw a
| little item, with one-line head W hich at
tracted my attention. 1t was the refer
ence 10 Hiram Bowermaster's postal card.
| IL bore no date, but as l am a native of
Westmoreland county and was somewhat
familiar with the case of Silas Gray | de-
ternined TO learn more about il. Hunting
up the janitor of the Telegraph building
he permitted me to go through the copy
basket of the day and / found the postal
ard. The pOstmark was almost too dim
to make anything out of IL, but remem
bered that some years previous l had
travelled from New York to Pittsburg
and return for the purpo-e of writing up
the postal railway system. w. Jonse
| Hughes was then chief clerk of the postal
service in Harrisburg aad | remembered
| that had met him while on the trip TO
which l refer. Going 10 his office in the
Government building } showed him the
postal card and together we tried to make
out the postmark. Ha. ing agreed VII 4
| Mr.. Hughes that il loo <ed like Walnut
Bottom, a small village back of NewvilL
/ started up the Cumbe' land Valley Raj
road the next morning nd the conductc
on the ain gave me the first clue H.
said he knew of family of Bowermastel
in F. snklin county. an getting off the
place where | had been directed. IL was
not long before found a relative of the
family who told me tha; Hiram had re
Gently returned from serving a term in
the penitentiary.
Learning that Bowermaster was inter
ested in yonng woman in the neighbor-
hood, / found the girl and with much
simpering she eadmitted that Hiram had
spent the evening with her. He had then
started for his brothers place in the foot
hills of the South Mountain. Hiring a
team with two negroes as drivers we
started for the mountains through a
snow storm. After two days aud once
losing our way we reached the place. My
companions were afraid to go near the
cabin and wanted to signal their ap-
proach by yelling, but I opposed this,
fearing that Hiram would take flight, in
asmuch that he seldom had callers except
officers OF the law.
Leaving the wagon / walked TO the
cabin and after parley was admitted.
Hiram was putting away rifle as | en-
tered the door. After some palaver and
denying that was a newspaper man, but
Silas Gray's lawyer, Hiram told me the
story of Pettis' confession AMI went with
me across the mountain to a notary pub