Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-01-16
PAROLE WAS UNN|S[.
That is the View OF a Sioux City
Paper in Regard to the Case
OF Shercliff.
Further Details OF the Diamond
Robbery in Which Marshall
County Man Figured.
Robber Had Confederates Whose
Identity Was Never Divulged
by Him.

torial article showing that the veto
power of the governor is sometimes
abused or taken advantage of, uses the
case of Frank Shercliff, the Marshall
county man who is wanted in Iowa for
violating his parole but who is being
held in Missouri for some offense The
Tribune gives some of the details of the
Shercliff diamond robbery not recently
published, and which are of special in
terest as this time The Tribune says,
in part:
within few days there has been
an Illustration of the working OF the
governors parole power. which sug-
gests that in welding the power he now
possesses the governor has not always
been irfalllble. This is the case of
Frank Shercliff, the diamond robber
who was sent to the penitentiary from
Harrison county in 1898 for seventeen
years. He served but six or seven
years and was then released on parole.
He has violated the parole and is now
wanted by both Iowa and Missouri au-
thorities. He had served at least
enc term before in the penitentiary be-
fore the one for which he was sent up
from Harrison county. His parole was
asked by some of the men who had to
do with his conviction, but 1t was OPP
posed by the judge who presided at the
trial. by the National jewelers. Protec-
tive Association. which spent the money
used in convictirg him. and which made
good the loss of $4,000 by his crime
The whole method of his crime, his
capture, trial and finally of his parole,
was such as to warrant the use of the
word scardalous as descriptive Of the
paroling of such criminal. It may be
worth while to recount some of the cir
cumstances OF the crime and trial in or
der to show how dangerous 1t is to
leave in the hands of the governor such
powers as are suggested by the COVER
nor.
"a travelling man named Pollock for
diamond house. left Omaha one eve
ming on Sioux City and Pacific, train
for Sioux City, in the fall of 1898. In
the rear of the smoking car Frank
Sherclif took seat, while Pollock sat
about the middle of the car. AT Blair,
as the train was pulling out, Shercltf
asked the conductor the distance to the
next town and how long 1t would take
to make the run. The conductor told
him. With his eye on his watch, Sher-
eli waited till half the time had been
consumed. Then, adjusting to his face
when nobody was watching. false,
black beard, Shercliff quickly rose
walked TO Pollock's seat, struck him
several times over the head with a
sandbag loaded with shot. and demand
ed his packet of diamonds. Pollock
still resisting, Sherclifr pulled a huge
revolver and shot three times. two of
the bullets taking effect. one in the left
breast, striking the packet of diamonds
which stopped the missile and saved the
saiesman's life. Wrenching the packet
from the wounded mans pocket. Sher
cliff rushed to the rear platform,
jumped Off and escaped. He was not
caught for three months. when he was
arrested at Leadville, Colo. by Pinker-
tons He was brought back to Harrison
county for trial. Pollock in the mean
time recovered.
THE state believed the robbery had
been the result of a carfully laid plot
In Omaha, In the afternoon of the day
he was assaulted. Pollock had sold dia-
uonds at jewelry store, and he identi-
fed Shercliff as man who had been
In the store and looked at his stones.
There came from Omaha to the trial the
boss crook of Omaha, apparently deeply
interested in the case. and a crew of
satellites. They crowded the hotels at
Logan during the trial; they swore to a
mass Of perjury; the state proved on
cross examination that the statements
from the defense were almost entirely
perjured-they tried to corrupt the jury,
they spent money as freely as if it had
been water. they kept close to Shercleff,
some OF their leaders talking to him
every day as he entered and left the court
room, and as often as they were per-
mitted in his CELL Their object, it was
perfectly understood at the time, was
TO prevent his peaching.' The diamond
robbery had been one Of the most COM
Tlete and cleverly arranged plots of it's
kind ever carried out in the country.
Had Shercliff told all he knew he would
Fave taken goodly bunch OF other peo-
pie whose names We're far more familiar
than his own to the penitentiary with
him. But the loyalty of his associates.
and the constant watch they maintained
over him, saved them from exposure. On
the very first day on which evidence was
taken court adjourned early on account
of the sickness OF the presiding judge,
Van Wagenen. That evening reports
were brought to him that three of the
jurors had been seen going away with
the Omaha crooks; two had gone fishing
in company with disreputables of the
Omaha gang; and third had gone out
home, accompanied by another crook.
This was exactly what the prosecution
had feared. and the next morning the
court made an order that the jury be
kept together.
ION that trial and in the different eff
forts which have since been made to
get Shercliff paroled or pardoned there
have been spent thousands of dollars.
Where did 1t come from? Plainly, and
as everybody has always understood,
from the conspirators who took the
stolen diamonds, turned them into
money and used 1t to buy testimony, to
attempt the corruption of jurors, and
later to hire agents to secure the show
ing for parole. All the facts in the
case are well known In Harrison county.
The governor could have learned them
readily by making inquiry there.
Before Shercliff had been in the
penitentiary two years the first effort
was made for his release. Judge Van
Wagenen not only declined to sign the