Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-01-16
Comes Out in the Report of the
Governor.
DOCUMENT is JUST MADE PUBLIC
Former ottumwa Travelling Man Con-
victed of Embezzlement Has SEN
tence commuted-A List of Those
Pardoned.


Shaw relating to the pardon record of
his office was made public yesterday
afternoon. In the list are two par
dons that are especially interesting to
Ottumwa and Wapello county people.
The sentence of Robert Durkin, one
of the Eldon bank robbers, was sus-
pended by Governor Shaw and the IA
nous bank robber was given his lib
erty September 1, 1900. The Eldon
robbery was committed in April 1898,
and it was not until nearly year la
ter that Durkin was taken to the pen
itentiary. According to the records
he served but little over a year for
his participation in that crime. An
other case that is familiar to Ottumwa.
is that of c. A. McKern, of Ottumwa,
who was given penitentiary SEN
tence for embezzlement. McKern was
gwen one and one-half years at hard
labor, and Governor Shaw committed
that sentence aftersse lad served one
year and five months Mcnern was a
we'll known travelling man, working
out of this city for Tisdale Bros, and
was found guilty of embezzling funds
belonging to that firm, which crime
was alleged to have been committed in
May, 1900.
The closing paragraph of the report
refers to applications of prisoners who
are serving light terms in the peni-
tentiary upon conviction of the crime
of murder in the first degree The
statute provides that for this crime no
pardon shall be granted by the COVER
nor until he shall have presented the
matter to the general assembly and
receive it's sanction. There are thir-
teen of these life termers" whose ap-
plications the governor submits.
Among the convictions and senten-
ces for which the prisoners are par
doned, paroled or suspended from SER
vice, the crimes of burglary, robbery
and larceny appear most frequently,
the aggregate of the three being 12S
cases. Next on the list to which the
governor has extended his executive
clemency are the two most revolving
crimes with which the authorities have
to deal. First of these is rape and
! twenty-siX cases have received the at
tention of Governor Shaw either by
pardon, parole, Or suspension of por-
| tions of their sentence. Among the
others in the list there were fourteen
cases of manslaughter, sixteen of
cheating by false pretences, an equal
number of forgery, five of perjury,
four of embeZZlement. Three prison
ers We're paroled who were convicted
of the crime of incest, four of adul-
terry, three of seduction, one of big
amy, and one of abortion. Following
is the list of pardons, 'remissions, sus-
pensions, paroles and revocations of
parole:
Pardons.
Following are pardons. First name is
that of the person convicted; the sec.
ond his residence; the third his crime;
the fourth his term; the fifth the date
doned or sentence commuted:
Thomas Kelly, Lucas, murder, life
Nov. 26, 1886; Feb, Is. 1900.
T. H. Sinclair, Wayne, incest ten
years, Oct. 1S, 1894; June II, 1900
Jonathan Jones, Pottawattamie
manslaughter, insane, Oct. 81, 1887;
July 3, 1900.
A. j. Gray, Crawford, false pretens
es; $1OO fine; trial. 1886; July 27
| 1900.
] G. Meats, Wright, false pretenses
one year: Jan. 6, 1898; Oct. 10, 1860.
S. D. Clough, Warren, forgery two
and q half years; March, 1899; Apri
16. 1901.
William Preed, Van Buren, assault
nine months; Feb. p, 1901; May 10
1901.
George Peetz, Linn, Manslaughter
three years; April 25, 1901; Aug. 16
4 1901.
! Pacdons were also granted in eighty
4 one cases wherein the persons hnt
been previously paroled and in mos
cases terms of Imprisonment had ex
pired.