The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-10
THE PRISON POET FREE.
LEAVES CLINTON PRIsoN WITH n
PARDON BY BLACK

twenty-five Years Age ne YVES saved IRON the
Ga1lows Through tho Efforts or the g. A. n
His story OF the Shooting or n Hotol Psrter.
Troy. Jan. 9.-Gov. Black has filled with hap
piness the declining years OF a remarkable man
by granting a pardon to Rufus Stillman, who
was sentenced in 1875 to be hanged for the
murder of n Rochester hotel porter, but whose
sentence was later commutod to life imprison.
ment by Gov. Robinson. Stillman left Clinton
prison on Friday and yesterday was taken into
the household of his daughter, Mrs. w. J. Sim.
mons, OF Highland avenue. Despite his feeble.
ness and his "a years. Stillman is a flnc.looking
man. He has a clear.cut, colorless face, keen
blue eyes, snow white hair and a physique of
which a young man might we'll be proud. For
years Stillman was known as n I" poet"
Idon't want 1t to be understood that I am q
poet" no said to-day. People nowadays do
not understand the difference between poetry
and versi1cation. I have written some verses.
but they have not amounted to much. 1 used to
be a good penmau, and l copied Mrs. Emma
willard's original abridgcment to the History
OF America. 1t was while Willard Fillmore was
President, and he wrote Mrs. Willard q letter.
This letter I also copied. and It was sent to
Queen Victoria.
This liberty, =" he continued, "is glorious. I
dream. think shall be very happy Il l can
get back a portion OF my health. But for the past
five years i have scarcely been O prisoner. /
have slept in q room BY myself on q nice spring
Kindness"
Stillman was saved from hanging by members
Of the local G. A. r. posts. He was o former
Trojan, and while under sentence of death
wrote a letter to u Troy paper. The letter was
published and members OF the O.. A. r. took
steps to save him from the gallows. Stillman's
version Of the crime, as related by him to-day, Is
remarkable. He said that at the time of the
tragedy he had been drinking and he felt an at
when l got to Rochester / felt the deliriums
coming. on more certainly. / was full OF alco-
hol, and l knew that l must do something right
away to prevent the dolirium. i thought tho
best way was to commit some petty crime and
get locked up in Jail. l had u little growl with
the porter OF the Whitcomb House, and thought
that would make q good preteNt for getting up
something that would get inc arrested. SO l
went to the hotel clerk. and In a seeming frenzy
asked himf for a pistol to shoot the porter. No
one seemed to mind what l said, and l went
a pistol. which l finally procured. I
had my mind made up to shoot into tho wall Just
over the clerks head. but rs returned to the
house the porter came bouncing down the stairs
to throw me out lowered my pistol and shot,
meaning to shoot him in the leg. The ball
glanced up and unfortunately struck the man
In the groin. l did not know until the next day
that l had surely shot him, and never suspected
that the wound was dangerous until they told
me the man was dead. Is was an entirely acct
dental circumstance. / had no murder in my
or phrenologist would know that am no muir
derer."
Stillman says he will spend the rest of his life
with his children here.