Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1899-05-04
TWO pARDoNs ASKED.
Drake and Reynolds Beseech the
Governors Clemency.

Governors Clemency.
Governor Stanley is considering ap-
plications for pardon Of penitentiary
inmates. Among them are the fol-
lowing from Dickinson county:
NJ. NJ. Reynolds, sentenced March
Is, 1888, from Dickinson county, for
life for murder in the second degree;
old board recommended communication
to fifteen years.
John Drake, sentenced February 2S,
1879, from Dickinson county, to hang
for murder in first degree; pardon re-
fused by old board.
Reynolds killed Bert Duggan Of
Hope, shooting him down in cold
blood. Mrs. Reynolds has a suit
pending for divorce.
brakes crime was the murder Of a
man named Norval in the spring Of
1879. Norval lived with his wife and
the latter's sister in Buckeye town.
ship, on what is now the Kessinger
farm, in Dickinson county. Drake,
who lived with the Norvals, and the
sister.in-law we're on terms OF crimi-
nal intimacy and Norval accused him
also Of being too intimate with his
wife. Mrs. Norval, it appears, was
attached to Drake and wished to get
rid Of Norval, but Drake affirms to
this date that no wrong existed be-
tween them, despite Norval's jeal-
ousy. One day Drake and Norval
came to town together and got drunk
Rather than 60 home in this condi-
tion they drove south to the bridge
to stay until sober. Arriving there a
quarrel ensued over the alleged rela-
tions between Drake and Mrs. Norval
and Drake says Norval assailed him.
In self defense be killed him with a
wagon wrench. Another claim was
that Norval was killed with the
wrench while in a drunken stupol
and entirely helpless. Norval''
wounds were in the head, his skull
being crushed with the heavy wrench
After the assault his body was throwr
into the river where it was found sew
eral days later by Ed Little and
crowd Of boys who we're swimming ii
the Smoky Hill one afternoon DRAKE
was arrested, tried and convicted, hi
admitting the crime but claiming
self defense. Mrs. Norval, accused o
completely in the crime, disappeared
before the trial and has never beer
located since.
Among the protests filed is on'
containing newspaper clipping pub
lished at the old home Of the Drake
in Illinois. From that paper is gain
ed the following information that thu
family has always possessed a repu
tation for lawlessness.
The men, or the boys, Steve ant
hn,engaged in wholesale horse steal
ing in the neighborhood, disposins
Of their plunder in Chicago and else
where. When John and part Of tn
family finally moved to Kansas the.
brought with them several team
stolen from that locality.
But horse stealing was not tn
greatest Of the crimes committed b,
the two brothers. Each finally tool
human life. Steve killed a maj
named Mccormick at the railway sta
: tion an Danforth. The victim wa
the first husband OF Mrs. Anna Dan
, forth, whose death occurred in Janu
. ary, 1896. A dispute arose betwee
i. the two regarding the ownership OF
n bag of meal found on the road, whe
q Drake struck Mccormick on the hea
A with stone. Mccormick fell to tn
r track and his head struck a rail, an
O it could not be determined whethe
a his death resulted directly from th
h blow or the fall. Drake was sentence
to the penitentiary for thirteen years
but after serving eight years was pal
doned out by Governor Beveridge.
y >.e>>-
e NAV Re Called,