Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1900-07-05
PARDON FOR JONES.

After Twenty-Five Years in
the Courts the Murder
Case Comes to g Finish.
A telegram from Des Moines yester-
day afternoon from l N Flickinger
stated that he had secured from Gov
ernor Shaw pardon for Jonathan
Jones. and would return with it this
morning.
This action on the part of the gov
ernor closes one of the celebrated cases
in the criminal history of Pottawatta-
mic county. The defendant was
charged with murder. and for the past
twenty-five years the case in one form
or another. has been on TIE dockets of
the district court. 1t was tried four
times on tie question of the defend
ants guilt, was three times taken to
the supreme court and " as fifth time
tried OIL the question Of the defend.
ants sanity.
Jonathan Zones reside | in this coun-
ty near Reels postofIic, He was q
brother-in-law of Perry Reel, who was
at one time sheriff. His adjoining
neighbor was David Roberts One
morning in February. 1873, Roberts
was found dead in th. road short
distance from Jones house. lie had
been shot through The head and the
circumstances strongly Indicated that
Jones committed the deed. 1t was
shown that Jones was sa.ssn the morn.
ing of the crime with wood on both
s:des OF his face, and tbs subsequent
trials OF Jones brought CAT testimony
showing that his wife had teen guilty
OF adultery with Re berts. aud that
Jones knew of this.
Jones was charged with murder. lie
was first tried before Judge J Il Reed,
then presiding on the district bench
here. Conviction resulted and theease
vas taken to the sulreoe count, where
the verdict was set aside and ssew
trial ordered.
A change of venue was taken assd
the next trial took place in the district
court of Harrison county, Judge Lewis
presiding, and a second ,iEse the ease
was taken to the s,lprem. court and
sent back for anotht r trial.
The third trial took place before
Judge George Cars on in the district
court here, and y third time the YER
dict of guilty was set aside The
fourth trial took pl, &c before Judge Fl
E Deemer, in this city, and resulted in
conviction for granddaughter. A
fourth time the case was taken to the
supreme court. but th., verdict stood.
The attorney for Jones, g r. Scott,
now of Omaha, filed pleadings, setting
up the claim of Jones' insanity, which
had been asserted from the beginning
as one of the grounds of defense, but
which was now urged as reason why
sentence should not be pronounced.
This question was tried to jury and
sSlAlNO otAou JOu0A W0S lHSAD0 WAS
returned. That was in 1891, and Jones
was turned loose, pending his mental
recovery. Since then nothing has been
done, and Jones has not been dis.
Jurbed, but has resided continuously
near Reels on his farm. Application
for his pardon was made, ard the petit
ton was signed by all the judges who
presided at the various trials on Jones.
and by Hon Smith McPharspn, who at
the time the case was before the
supreme court was attorney general
The ground taken by those urging the
pardon was that the state had made
no move during nine years. to deter
mine whether Jones had recc vered his
sanity, and it was evident tina nothing
more would ever be done with the case.
and that therefore it would he simply
relieving the last years of an aged man
from the odium resting upon him.
Council Bluffs Dept. World Herald.