Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1899-05-17
PARDON FOR FUNK.
St. Paul Globe. May 10.

St. Paul Globe. May 49,
The first case of executive c!emency
to be extended to a life convict by the
present state board of pardons was
granted yesterday. James Funk, Jr..
who was sentenced for life for the M
der of his wife thirteen years ago, was
given communication of sentence to
twenty years, which will give him his
liberty at once.
The case, which was presented to
the board by Barton & Godfrey, is
one that appealed strongly to the
board and was continued from Thurs
days meeting, that the facts might be
presented in detail. The statement
prepared and signed by the board is
as follows:
1.-The records and papers in this case
justify the following conclusions:
The petitioner is forty-one years of
age, and was born in Blair county,
Pa His family is one of the most re-
spected in that county. His parents
are OF the age of seventy threeapd six
ty-tlve years, respectively. His father
has been sheriff of his county and is
now one of it's county commissioners.
The petitioner is man of intelligence
and ability, as young man he was,
the drink habit aside), of good prin-
ciple and honest instincts. Mr.. JUS
tice Dean, of the supreme court of
Pennsylvania, who has known him
since his boyhood, certifes that he
was young man of excellent char
acter.
''Other prominent officials and c;ti-
zens who knew him when he was living
in Pennsylvania testify to his good
character. When seventeen years of
age he entered the service of the Penn
sylvania Railway company. He made
a good beginning as railroad man.
The road foreman of engineers testi-
fes that when the petitioner served as
fireman under his supervision, he "was
a t1rst-class young man and of good
habits. How or under what circum-
stances he acquired the drink habit,
the record does not disclose, but it
does establish the fact that he CON-
menced drinking and as a result he
lost his situation, about two years
later. He then went to Michigan,
where he obtained another situation
as a railroad man. He married and
was successful as long as he refrained
from drinking. He became a con-
ductor on the Grand Rapids & Indi-
ana railroad and was regarded as a
kind and true man, but again he COM
menced drinking and lost his position.
He then came to MINES Ota, here he
was reasonably prosperous for time,
and became freight conductor on the
Great Northern railroad, but CON-
menced drinking again and lost his
position. This ended his career as a
railroad man, and on Dec. 5th 1887,
he shot and killed his wife. She was
a worthy woman, respected by all who
knew her. The petitioner from Nov.
10 to Dec. S, 1889, was drunk nearly
all of the time. His wife became
afraid of him and refused to see him
when drunk. They were living at the
hotel in Willmar at this time and she
was sick and in bed. He went to her
room, the landlord and his wife being
present. He then promised his wife
that he would quit drinking AID go to
work. This resulted in recopcilia-
ton and he then called for his lantern
saying he would go to work in the
railway yard. The landlord left the
room to find his lantern, and his wife
to get some medicine. The petitioner
then shot his wife dead, and turned
the revolver upon himself, the ball
passing through his left side. He re-
covered from the wound and was tried
February, 1883 before Judge John H.
Brown now deceased), and a jury,
upon an indictment charging him with
murder in the first degree. His de-
Tense was insanity, but the jury found
him guilty. and the judge certified of
record, that by reason of exceptional
circumstances the death penalty GU ght
not to be inflicted, and on Feb. TO-,
1888, sentenced him to Imprisonment
for life in the state prison. During
the eleven years he has been in prison
his conduct has been, as the warden
certi6es, above reproach. The record
discloses no motive for killing his
wife other than her refusal to see him
when drunk. X X x
"Senator Nelson, in 1895 wrote to tie
then governor in reference to the Pc
titioner: My own notion was if [ had
continued in Office during my second
term, to have committed his sentence
to fifteen or twenty years, thus leaving
the matter SO the prison could parole
him if they deemed him worthy -