The Bemidji pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Beltrami County, Minn.) 1896-1917, 1900-07-26

Jeff Harrison, United States pris-.
3oner who was serving "double-ll1e
sentence in the state prison at Ana
mosa, Iowa, for train robbery, mas
been pardoned by President NJ kln r-lle
Harrison case was one OF the most
peculiar and remarkable OF It's klnn ~
the criminal annals of this country.
$A life convict is no uncommon t l1llts
in. any penal institution, but q dou-
ble-lifes man, one upon whose life the
law has placed two liens, is rare. ~ -
The first time IN the history OF the
Anamosa penitentiary where the war
den was commanded by TWO separate
commitments to hold the person q
one Individual until death should !: IN T.
terfere. The action Of the president IN 10
giving executive clemency to Harrison
commands the approval OF every one
who is acquainted with the man IAN
Harrison was received at the Ana a..
mosa prison on the 18th day OF May,
1893. from the United States court Tor
the northern district of Alabama The
marshal in charge Of the prisoner sur
prised the penitentiary off1clais Dy
handing them two commitment papers,
i il each Of which the warden was com IN
manded to keep Harrison at hard Ia
Dor during the period OF his natural a.
life. s
Two life Sentences. WI.
Harrison was no ordinary prisoner.
For several years he occupied the
p,oomiest prospect for future free
dom Of any convict In 'life row." He
did not 90 into decline and give him
self over to despair like one without
hope, but fortified himself in the be-
lief that all wrongs must be righted,
and that it would be the chief aim OF
his life to rectify the great miscarriage
Of Justice, which he claimed had de-
priyed him Of his liberty.
was Convicted Of Train Robbery.
The charges upon which Harrison
was tried and convicted were two
staee-coach and train robberies, tn,
former alleged to have been commit
ted at Birmingham, Ala, the latter
near Huntsville. in the same state.
He always stoutly maintained his in
nocence. but circumstances, combined
with a so-called confession OF con-
federate, Jim Brown, a brother-in-law
of Harrison's, who was offered lenien-
5cy by the prosecution, convinced two
turtles in the United States court that
he was guilty Brown got three years
for his participation in the affairs and
served the same in the Anamosa
prison.
Harrison's prison department was of
the best. He was an exemplary and
industrious prisoner, putting in his
spare time in. the manufacture Of
trinkets from shells. He soon became
acquainted with the quality Of the diff
ferent shells and often made purchases
of fancy shells from the markets of
Japan and other remote places. These
trinkets he disposed of to visitors
passing through the prison. With the
proceeds of these sales he paid the ex-
penses Of an appeal~to the United
States Supreme court in the Birming
nam case, dIu dICsi q I"o cars OIL US
gle had the satisfaction of having the
sentence for train robbery set aside
by the highest judicial tribunal in the
land. The law still demanded impris-
onment for his natural life" for the
stage robbery.
Harrison was not downcast. His
money was gone and the time for TAX
ing an appeal in the Huntsville case
expired by limitation, owing to his in