The evening times., 1900-01-13
TREIR FREEDOM RESTORED.

MiSSous-i'S Governor Convinced of
Two Convicts' Innocence.
ST. LOUIS. Mo. Jan I3.-Jacob Henze
and Henry Kaiser. convicted of the mur-
der of Edwin E. Brown and sentenced to
the penitenuary for life were pard5aed
by the governor yesterday and returned TO
their homes here late last night. The
case is one Of the most remarkable in
criminal annals
Brown was a wealthy Chicago dealer in
live stock In the early spring OF 1893 he
visited ST. Louis on business. and on the
night OF March >. 1893 he was set upon by
three men al the corner Of Garrison and
Franklin Avenues. He was dragged into
the carriage entrance Of the Niedringhaus
residence, now the Baptist Hospital
where he was beaten and kicked into in
sensibiliJy. The highwaymen stole his
watch and fed Brown lived half and hour
but was never able to describe the men
who assaulted him, except to say that
they were between eighteen and twenty
one years o. age and that one Of them
wore a liSlii overcoat.
A reward of s., 600 was offered for the
ai-est cf the murderers. Annie BOghine.
a cClO~ed woman. the police found, pos
sessed some knowledge Of the crime and
OF the men who committed it. She was
arrested and told story of having wit
messed the assault and robbery of Brown
and recognized his assailants as Henze and
Kaiser Public feeling was so high over
the crime that threats were made OF lynch
ing the prisoners. They were given a
speedy trial A strong chain of circum-
stanual evidence was wound around them
which. when strengthened by tho direct
evidence Of the Boghine woman, -ecured
their conviction. They were sentenced TO
death, but this was commuted to life i'm
prisonment.
Subsequently evidence was brought to
light showing that the negro womar's tes-
timUny was a tissue Of falsehood. She was
in turn sent TO the penitentiary OF cCnvic-
tion Of perjury. The cirCUmstan-iaI evil
dence against Henze and Kaiser was so
strong that the feeling prevailed hat the
sentence was just. The prisoners had not
been in prison long before rumOTs began
to circulate that they were innocent, the
murder having been committed by mem
bers of the Blair gang Of yong men,
ranging in age from sixteen to twenty
five years OF age. Finally Detective Shev-
lin gathered so many clews that he was
satisfied a great wrong had been done
Henze and Kaiser.
Following up the threads, he learned that
prisoner in the peni.entiary could give
him some Information Going to Jefferson
City, ne Interviewed the convict and was
told by him that Napoleon BOnaparte An
drews, Philip B. Brady and John Brennon
had committed the crime. These men were
said to be members OF the Blair gang. and
all are now dead. Continuing HIS investi-
gatiCH Shevlin came across a we'll known
business man to whom confession had been
made of the crime by the man who had
secured Browns watch from the assassins
Ihe business man was pledged to secrecy
as long as his informant was living As
soon as the seal was removed he told his
story to Shevlin. The evidence was laid
before the governor a week ago. He him
self visited the penitentiary and had a long
interview with the men and with the ne
gro woman.
In his letter to the secretary Of state
ordering the pardon of the two men Gov
ernor Stephens says nothing OF the effort
Of the police to fasten the crime on the
three men who have since died, but ap-
parenuy bases his action entirely on his
belief that the testimony of the woman
was not credible The efforts to secure