Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-15
The Presidents Condition is Steadily
Improving.
TRANSACTS CONSIDERABLE BUSINESS
Several Instances Of Executive
Clemency to Criminals.
CAPT. LOEFFLER TO STAY

President Mckinley is growing stronger
each day and is pleasing his physician by
his steady Improvement He was not in his
Office today, but transacted considerable
business with Secretary Cortelyou in the
private apartment of the Executive Man.
sion.
Although he is not receiving visitors the
President Is acting on all the routine bus
mess reaching him from Congress and the
departments. He has signed all the enact
ments Of Congress and the various patches
of appointments. &c.
Executive Clemency.
President Mckinley has granted num-
Der of pardons. most of them because or
the i'll health Of the convicts. One of the
cases is that of Fred. G. Mitchell, who
pleaded guilty on February Q, 1900, to em-
bezzling letters containing articles of value
from the United States mails while he was
a letter carrier in Portland, Me-, and who
was sentenced to fifteen months in the jail
at Portland. The sentence will expire. with
good time allowance. on March % next.
Mitchell has developed consumption, ana
the pardon is on account of his health.
Another case Is that of Daniel Flewellin.
a negro boy, who was convicted at Pensa-
cola, Fla, on December ., 1899. of break
ing into a post office and stealing property
belonging to the office and sentenced to
four years in the House of Reformation
for Colored Boys at Cheltenham, Prince
Georges county, Nd. Flewelin is suffering
from tuberculosis and will die unless he
goes back to his home in the south.
Pardons were also granted to j. l.. Finch
er of Arkansas, John Womack and j. A.
Landers Of Georgia. These three men were
moonshinerS. and We're convicted of Illicit
| distilling. They have all served portions
of their sentences, and in each case have
destitute families. One of them is in III
health. and the Attorney General believes
that humanity demands their release.
The many pardons granted by the Presi-
dent in the last year or so because of the
prevalence of consumption among convicts
calls attention to the fact that many pris-
oners contract consumption in the prisons
Of the United States The reasons given
are many, but the chief one is that the
prisons are frequently damp and cold In
most of the prisons the disease is looked
upon by the wardens as infectious. 1t has
been known to spread among prisoners and
to be contracted by men who had never be-
fore had a taint of the disease. In the
interest of the prisoners with good health
the wardens frequently recommend par
dons.
Capt. LOeffier to Remain.
The retirement of Capt Charles Loeffier
as an officer of the army does not mean his
retirement from his position as the Presi-
dents doorkeeper at the White House: at
least not for the present. Captain Loeffier
is i'll at his home with the grip, which
produced light attack of pneumonia. I'm
less his health forces him to leave the
White House he will remain at his old post
Speaking some time ago of the possibility
be contented away from his duties. He has
been at the White House many years, and
the thousands of public men who know and
like him would hate to see him leave.