Daily Kennebec journal., 1900-10-31
COUNCIL MEETS.
The Pardon of Stain and
Cromwell Finally Asked.
The Sentence Of James F. Hodgon,
the Murderer, is COMMITTED.
Johnson Sensation Settled Whitina ReIi. we'd
from Burden Of Mary Mcintosh.

| communication Of the life sentence
| 81 James r. Hodgdon for numbering
ms mother. Esther Hodgdon of Bath
| u 70 years less years ana 9 months
ior Sood behaNior while in prison was
MADE az the meeting Of the Governor
ana touhcli, yesterday afternoon when
among other matters the petition for
| the pardon of David l.. Stain and
| Oliver Cromwell Smith. better known
as Oliver Cromwell. who are serving life
sentences for the murder of John VIII
son Barron, treasurer of the Dexter
Savings Bank. We're presented.
The session was one of the longest
| that has been held for a long time. or
since that when the sensational charg-
! Is wer" made against Lewis +. John
son. who was chairman of the Saco
board Of registration until his resigna-
tton was received, last evening Two
petitions for pardon were heard and
there was q hearing on the case of the
town Of Whiting, which asked REIN
hursement for the support of Mary
Mcintosh, an insane paupcr. who is
now confined in the Insane Hospital
The request was granted.
The petition for the pardon of Stain
ANA Cromwell was presented with \
batch of several others at the opening
of the meeting. Although ii had been
announced that the petition would be
presented il did not made its appear
anccat thu State House until late i'll the
afternoon. When presented it was
/ with III" petitions for the pardon of
orfin q. Mank. murderer Rose Carson
| White, murderess. ana William q
| MankS. WHO was committed on The
charge rf rape.
/ There were really tw" petitions i'll the
/ Stain and Cromwell case The first
! VAS signed by William II. Drury ur
1 Waltham. Mass. in which ~ petition
! cd for pardon of the two nen for Il
crime which he stated they did not
commit He states among other things
I thar in February and March. 1sS>
/ David l.. Stain and oliver Cromwell
were tried by jury for the murder of
John Wilson Barron at Dexter, Feb. ..
4 ISIS and Nere sentenced. March 20
4 1880 for life to the State prison. He
states in the petition that on Feb. p
lSSS. while acting as an official u the
court to take certain testimony rrlat-
| ing To the case he received information
impaired voluntarily to him by Wit
| ness whose disposition was taken.
showing that the men We're innocent Of
the crime with which they We're
charged. and evidence which should
I hav. been used at the trial. but which
/ was shut out through no fault of the
| prisoners, and which would never af-
terward be allowed to 60 into court.
Accompanying this petition was
lptf,,- N which
he enclosed the petition from himself
and in behalf of others asked for the
pardon Of the two men. He stated In
the letter than he had known the men
for 10 years why have l not spoken
| before he said in the letter An
| swer. Before the conviction and be-
| fore the sentence | did everything I
/ possibly could tn aid the defence ana
I to aid the court To prevent the many
! daplorable mistakes that We're made in
! tn" unfortunate case. of which the
| prisoners are the innocent victims. |
| was exceedingly careful 10 disburden
| myself of the responsibility ere il was
/ too late. | have aided him in prOCur-
/ ing evidence Of innocence and have
prepared my own atfidavits in the mat
ter and should like 10 avoid the neces-
/ sity of preparing separate set of af-
, tidavits since the evidence is sufficient
/ in support Of either petition.
He then goes on 10 state that either
! petition. since there are two, will sup
! port the other. The letter is signed by
/ w. II. Drury.
I The second petition was from l.. A
/ Barker in which he simply reiterated
/ the statements made in the first peti-
ton. and asked for the pardon of the
prisoners. whom he believed not to be
guilty.
These petitions with the others pre-
Viously mentioned. We're received and
notice ordered for Il hearing. which it
/ is understood. will be at the next meet
ing.
The second matter that came UP was
the petition Of the pardon of Hodg-
don In opening the case, the attorney
stated that AL that they asked was a
! commuatiOn Of the sentence. He stat
ed the circumstances of the case and
said that Hodgdon was sailor and
has great affection for his mother.
whom he murdered May !, 1885. lie
stated that the murder was due 10 in
sanity produced by a prolonged de
bauch. The man had entered the
house where his mother was sick. Be
j fore going to the house he had pro-
. cured a quantity Of liquor. and. later
heard the clock strike in the even
ing. From that time until he landed
in the police station his mind was
blank. From witnesses it had been
learned that the man had drank the
whole of the liquor before going to bed
on coming down in the morning he
was on the verge Of delirium tremens
He inquired OF the condition of his
mother who was confined to her room.
on going to the door he asked how she
was When he received the reply that
she was not very well. he said he had
something that would cure her. Then
he drew revolver and shot her in the
head. and she died a short time after
wards. He had a great affection for
her and when told of what he had done
was nearly crazy.
| When up, for trial there was no
| other sentence but to send him to Jail
for life. The jury was loath to con-
vict. since they believed the sentence