The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-10-11
O'CONNOR IS OUT
Pardoned by Gov. Leedy on
Last Saturday.
LONG LIST OF PETITIONS
Due to Reported Statement OF
W. E. Stanley.

Barney O'Connor the most famous, per-
sistent and one of the best natured joint
lists in Kansas. has been pardoned by Gov
ernor Leedy and was out on the streets
yesterday. The papers for his release ar
rived Sunday. Barney's sentence In ire
particular case in question, which sem
tence has been coramuted by Governor
Leedy, was a Ave months stay In Jan.
That was for che Sedgwick county Of
Tense OF Mr.. O'Connor'e at Cheney. He
was IN jail al Wellington before coming
here.
II has been two years or more now
since Mr.. O'Connor. by contract with a
Wichita liquor dealer. went TO Cheney
and sold ''barbed wire by the wheel,
the blind tiger. the back door and the
usual Kansas country town methods
Cheney didn't want him evidently. for
ne was chased from one building TO an
other. from one place to another. TIL ne
finally stocked up IN a tent just outside
the corporate limits OF the burg. Barney
was not running a circus though he was
under canvas on the common near the
town, but the proce edings incident upon
his stay in the place beat any circus that
ever came west.
He at last decided to quit the place.
upon advice from the county attorney.
He came to Wichita on a aSturday OF the
month of uJly in 81, to make arrange
ments to get out Of Cheney. On the fol-
lowing Monday. when ne returned, he
found his place burned. his goods de-
stroyed and himself indicted under the
IL ant 10
and doomed up In Wellington next
He met practically the same results,
though not by such severe measures
He was finally arrested by officers in
both counties. eli gave bond and went
away. He was in some remote part of
Oklahoma for months. He was wanted
in Wellington and in Wichita, but he
couldn't be found.
Finally one day he was caught just
across in Kansas, in Kansas City. He
had already been tried and convicted, so
ne began Ehe service Of his sentence. He
was put in here in August.
There were forty new applications for
pardons presented to the state board of
pardons at its session just closed. and
among them Barney O'Connor's. There
seems TO have been an unusual rush.
and the board lays it 10 the fact. says
Topeka paper. that Stanley intimated that
he would do away with the board of par
doris in case he is elected, and every con-
vict is anxious to get his application in
and acted upon before any change takes
place.
THE applications have come in faster
at this session than we could look them
over" said Mayo Thomas. land we viii
have to leave the most of them until our
January meeting. Every convict who
could get up petition to free him rushed
it through in order to get II in before the
board is abolished. provided Stanley is
elected and carries out his resolves to
abolish the board. We could not begin
to look at near all the applications"
The October meeting of the board was
unusually short Il began on September
Is, FIVE days ahead OF time. and adjourned
Saturday evening. having been in session
only twelve days, whereas the sessions
usually last a month The cause OF the
unusual rush was that some OF the men,
bers had courts TO attend and all wanted
to get into the campaign