The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-03-26
Hope Long Deferred Rewards Two
Prison Convicts.
HARRY HAYES INNOCENT
ALMA A. MURDOCH AND CHAS
CLIFTON FORTUNATE ONES.
Newly Discovered Evidence of Justi
fcation, Good Conduct In Prison
and Weighty Recommendations
Prompts the Board of Pardons to
Grant Clemency to Life Convicts.

I Two life convicts We're made happy
| beyond expression yesterday by the
/ ponderous prison gates swinging out
ward for their freedom and to com
mence life anew. The two men who Sc
cured their liberty through the Glenn
ency of the state board of pardons were
Alma A. Murdock, the young half-breed
/ Indian who was reared in Heber City,
and Charles C. Clifton, otherwise
known as Davenport, former resident
of Moab. The latter is now in his fifty
sixth year. In both these cases it was
made to appear to the satisfaction of
the pardoning board that newly discov-
cred evidence tended to show that the
conTictS committed the murders Tor
which they were sentenced under eX-
IRENE provocation and in self-defense.
The crime for which Alma A. Muir
dock was sentenced to life lnDr-Son-
ment was the killing of Ernest Olds at
Manti in july, 1881. At the trial it was
claimed by the accused that the shoot
ing was done in self-defense, the de-
ceased having repeatedly threatened his
life. New evidence tended to strongly
corroborate this plea. 1t was shown
also to the board of pardons that Olds
was of a quarfelsome disposition, While
Murdock's conduct was beyond re-
preach prior to the tragedy, and hat
his behavior in prison was that OF an
obedient and exemplary convict. For
these reasons, and because of the fact
that his application for release was en-
dorSed by the prosecuting officials and
the jury, and prayed for by leading
citizens of 'Sanpete and Wasatch coun-
ties, the board, granted Murdock's par
DON
Recently developed testimony in Cliff
toms case showed that John Woods,
whom he shot and Filled at Moab on
Jan. 9, 1894, was 4 dangerous charac-
ter, and that the killing was in the ma
ture of justifiable homicide. Clifton
killed another man during the time the
RiotGrande Western railway was build
ing westward from Grand junction, but
the victim in this case was also a des-
perado AT the time Of the tragedy in
Moab Clifton was over 80 years- of age,
and had he been compelled to serve out
his full sentence CT thirty years. he
would have approached the age of four
score years before paying the penalty.
Clifton's conduct in prison has been ex-
emDlary, and because of this and the
new found facts and the belief that he
has been sufficiently punished, his welt
recommended petition for a complete
pardon was granted.
HARRY HAYES ASKS Il PARDON.
The petition of Harry Hayes for a
pardon was set down for hearing on
April 10. Hayes was, convicted of the
murder of three boys at Pelican Point
on April 1, three years ago., and SEN
fenced to death, but afterwards the
sentence was committed to life impris-
onment. Proof will be offered at the
hearing to substantiate The allegation
that one George II. Wright, now fusi-
tive from justice and whom Sheriff
Storrs is pursuing, committed the
crime. Hayes declares in all solemnity
that he is innocent of the crime for
which he was convicted
Hearing on the petition of William
Mccoy, serving a sentence of eight
years from Nov. q, 1896, for procuring
fatal abortion upon a Provo girl, was
postponed until the next meeting Of the
board. Action was also deferred on
the application Tor a pardon for 1larrie
Leslie. who was convicted of house
breaking on Oct. 81, 1897, and sentenced
to Imprisonment for two an6 q half
years. Leslie expects to secure employ
ment at. the Troy laundry as soon as he
is liberated from the penitentiary.
Denials We're entered against the pc
titions for Dardons of Robert p A. At
wood and John Missoula- Atwood was
sentenced on April II last to six years
servitude for grand larceny, committed
in Uintah county, and Missoula was
sent I'D for a like period on Nov. IA.
1895, for robbery committed in this city