Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-06-08
Prisoner Accused of Train and
Stage Robbery Pardoned'
INSISTS HE Is INNOCENT.
Has served seven Years aud Twenty
Days -Hls Efforts to oh.
tain Release.
fEarly Dispatched


Chicago. June S.-A special 10 th
Times from Anamosa, Iowa, says
Twice sentenced to lie Imprisonment
at hard labor, the terms TO be- serves
concurrenuy. Jen Harrison is now a
liberty ana has gone TO Chicago. Thu
L. S. Supreme court relieved aim from
one sentence and President Mckinley
exercising his right Of pardon took th0
final step necessary 20 swinging opei
the prison doors.
The case Is without a parallel in Grim
lnal annals. During the seven years
and twenty days which Harrison has
been confined here. he has been known
as THE man sentenced TO penal SER
vitude during his natural existence as
well as for the life to come As sucf
he has been an object OF curiosity alike
10 his fellow cOnvicts. the prison OH
cials and an visitors. Curiosity has all
ways been blended with sympathy
though, as he st0utN maintained
his innocence at all times and Wlthal
has been "a model prisoner Harrison
received his unique sentences from two
IT, $. courts. One was for alleged cOm-
plicity IN a train robbery near Birming-
ham, Ala The other was for a stage
coach robbery near Huntsville, In the
same State
From the time OF his arrival here,
May IL, 1898. Harrison has been perse-
yering iu his efforts 90 regain liberty.
To do so he needed funds and he there
fore turned his attention TO manufac-
turning trinkets from shells and selling
them 90 visitors By so doing be- raised
enough money to- pay The expenses Of
an appeal ia the train robbery case,
with the final result Jhat he was de-
clared innocent by the highest tribunal
In the land
There stlll remained, though, his con-
victiOn in the Huntsville case HaTri-
son had used all his money in prosecut-
ing his appeal In the Birmingham case,
and when the decision In his favor was
finally given the time 90 appeal the
Huntsville case had moreover expired
by limitation. Then Harrison turned TO
his friends and to the prison officials
for help and In neither case did he app
peal IN vain.
A petition 70 the President asking for
HarrisOn's pardon was drawn up By the
prison chaplain and received the sigma
ture OF every officer and emplOye at the
institution Then. with the proceeds Of
his labor Harrison employed people TO
make house 20 house canvass for sig
natures In Rome, Ca. bis former home.
Hundreds of personal letters directed 10
the President were secured in the same
manner. With an this work accom-
plished, the papers We're finally submit
ted To the President,
For more than two years Harrison
patiently waited for the nations chief
executive 10 take action. Finally a sis
ter living at Fort Worth, Texas .intrust.
ed with the last OF the prisoners mon
ey TO defray her expenses, journeyed 10
Washington and secured an audience
with the President. The papers were
called for and they SO impressed presl-
dent Mckinley that executive clemency
was Immediately decided upon.
Harrison received the glad news by
telegram last Friday but the papers
did not arrive until yesterday. Last
night he was freed from the raiment
Of the convict and stepped forth from
the penitentiary arrayed In citizens
clothes. He has friends IN Chicago and
at once left for that city He viii re-
turn 20 his southern home after q Wis
II in the Illinois metropolis and begin
life over again.