The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1899-06-29
GEO. PERRIN rs FREE.
LAST OF THE ARSON CROWD RE-
LEASED BY A PARDON.
HAD THREE YEARS TO SERVE
The Announcement of the Pardon Gives
General satisfaction in this City.
Perrin is Expected Here Tonight
And will be Welcome.

The final chapter in the famous Re-
nosha arson case has been written and
today all the men who were connected
with the crime which made KenOsha a
center of interest for several months,
are again free. Thursday evening
about 5 o'clock telegram was received
by attorney Cavanagh announcing that
the Governor had granted pardon for
George s. Perrin, the last of the men
who were sent to the State prison for
participating in the burning of the
works of the Chicago Bedding Com
pany in this city on the 23rd of June,
1895.
Perrin was sentenced to Waupun in
October, 1895, for a term of seven
years, and through the clemency of
| the Governor he was released this
morning after serving little over half
on his allotted time. The pardon Of
Perrin has been secured only after
great efforts. His friends have been
! loyal to him from first to last and no
stone has been left unturned to release
him from prison walls as soon as
possible.
As soon as Perrin was sentenced his
Kenosha friends, among whom he was
very popular, began the work of secur-
ing the pardon. Many petitions have
been sent to the Governor, but the
officials have always been bitterly
opposed to the pardon until recently,
when the old father and mother of
Perrin made a request for the release
of their son, and it is stated that the
officials who assisted in the long prose-
cution OF the arson cases joined in the
request of the parents for the pardon of
the son. Perrin has been model
| prisoner and would have been released
in about year. He has kept in close
touch with his friends in this city and
it is reported here today that he will
return to this city to make his home in
the future. 1t is expected that he will
lay:aside his prison garb this afternoon
and he is expected to come at once to
this city. He will be given a monster
reception by his friends.
The pardon of George S. Perrin
closes the history of the most remark
able case ever tried in the courts of
Kenosha county. George S. Perrin
| was introduced to this city as one of
the head officials of the Chicago Bed
ding Company. With him we're asso-
ciated Barney Bloch, Isaac Robinson,
Louis Jacobson, Frank Schafer and
Bernhard Rosenow. Tie factory in
this city did not prove to be a paying
investment and in June 1895 num-
Der of the officials got together and
decided to burn the plant in order to
get the insurance on it. The scheme
was worked and on the 23rd of this
month, four years ago, the factory
burned to the ground.
| The conspiratOrs we're so bungling
| in the work of the obstruction of the
factory that the crime was discovered
and seven of them we're arrested on
charge of arson. The circumstances
of the long trial are familiar to every
resident of the city. The trial lasted
for many weeks and when it closed in
October 1895 Perrin, Bloch and Robin
son we're found guilty as charged and
each was sentenced to serve seven
years in the state prison. Robinson
was released two years ago by par
don from the governor and about a
year ago Bloch left the prison and Per-
rim was left alone to pay the extreme
penalty of the crime. The public
sentiment of Kenosha people has been
favorable to pardon for Perrin since
the release of the other two men and
all the people of the city will be pleased
to know that the effort has at last
been successful. Personally Mr.. Per-
rim was great favorite in Kenosha
and now that he has been released he
will undoubtedly be received with open
arms by his friends.
Attorney James Cavanagh and Fred
Gottfredson who were especially active
in securing the pardon for Mr.. Perrin
are greatly elated over the result Of
their long but successful labor.