Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-06-26
N A PRISON HOSPITAL
A Famous Diamond Robber SUI.
fering From Wound in the
Penitentiary.
New Coffin Home for Discharged
C0nviCts to Be Dedicated
August l.
Released Prisoners Work on
New Edition OF Code TO Be.
Gin Next Month.
,pecial to Times-Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, June 26.-Frank Sher-
cleft, the famous diamond robber who
took the diamonds from Pollock on d
Sioux City & Pacific train near Cali
fornia junction, was afterwards par
oled and returned to his old home in
sas City. and was caught by the police
after desperate fight, is not doing any
work at the Fort Madison penitentiary
since he was sent back by Governor
Cummins to complete his sentence.
Shercleff was wounded in the foot in
the fight in Kansas City, a shot from
the revolver Of an officer striking him
in the foot. The bullet ran along the
| foot from heel to toe and left an ugly
wound, which has never healed, and
apparently will not heal. Therefore
| Shercleff has been in the hospital ever
since his return. Warden Jones re-
| CARDS Shercleff as a smooth convict,
deep thinking and capable of the act
| for which he was convicted and pos
sessing all the nerve and GOODNESS nee
essary for any desperate act. Yet. de-
spite this, he obtained one of the finest
/ petitions for release ever presented to
/ a governor. Governor Jackson said it
was one of the strongest petitions that
1 ever came before him, but he and
| Drake turned it down. The question of
| restitution of the $4,000 worth of stol-
! en- diamonds, or a part of them, always
came up, and there was no evidence
| that Shercleff ever so far reformed as
| to show willingness to give back any
part of his gains. At the time Shercleff
was paroled it was intimated that he
had made some restitution to the Pol
! locks for the stolen package of dia-
monds Warden Jones was asked here
| this week if there was anything in this,
and he said:
| Not a bit of it: none of the dia-
monds were ever recovered or returned,
!, so far as I have been able to find out.
But Shereleff was not alone in his plot
on the Sioux City & Pacific. 1t is prob
able that the diamonds were divided up
among his gang at Omaha, and his pals
got the most Of the lot"
| Shercleff is not very strong, aside
| from the wound in his foot, and he may
never be able to do any work at the
penitentiary. Once he was at work on
job which was injurious to his health
and he had to be taken from it and
transferred to something lighter.
Not much has been said recently
about the Coffin home for discharged
convicts at Fort Dodge, but it is eX-
pected by Mr.. Coffin and his associates
that the home will be dedicated about
the first of August. A fine new build
ing has been erected on Willowedge
farm. Just west Of Fort Dodge, and the
farm and the home will be made use of
for the men who have served their time
and desire to make a start in life in the
right direction. 1t is understood there
has been some objection among few
persons at Fort Dodge to the establish
ment of such home, and fear that
the bringing of ex-convicts to the town
might detract from the present high
standard of morals maintained there.
But it is not the purpose of the pro-
iectors of the home movement that the
convcts shall remain very long at the
home nor necessarily near Fort Dodge.
Gov CumminS issued a parole few
DAYS ago that would have been issued
sooner if the facts had come to his at
tention George Robb, who was con-
victed in October. 1899, in Scott coun-
ty, for assault with intent to commit
murder and sentenced to five years at
Anamosa, was found to have quick con-
sumption and that his days of life We're
few. He was promptly paroled that he
might die in freedom if possible His
brother in law who lives in Illinois is
caring for him. He was an engineer
Theodore Busheck, the Haytian who
was released from Anamosa peniten-
tiary by permission of the legislature.
has not vet taken to the lecture plat
form as he had planned, but will DO so
in the near future. If he does go on
the lecture platform he will not be the
first person to lecture in Iowa on his
personal experiences as convict. Some
years ago one John d. Rivers, lawyer
of unusual ability now engaged in the
practice in neighboring state was
sent to the penitentiary from Dallas
county for stealing a section of land.
He got a rehearing of his case after
serving some time in the penitentiary
and was allowed to have the freedom of
the county while waiting for second
trial. No bond was exacted from him.
He put in part of his time practlcing |
law and part of the time delivering lee
lures at country schoolhouses on pris-
on life.
1t is expected that the code COM
mission provided for by the last gen
eral assembly will hold a meeting at an |
early date for some business that needs |
attention. The work of the publication |
of a new edition of the code should be |
commenced very soon. The code VIII |
be partially revised to bring it up to |
date and the references will be modern |
lied. There is some question as to how |
the index can be prepared to cover the |
entire ground. The state printer Will |
be ready for the work on the code early |
next month, as most of the reports Will |
then be out of the way. The code COM |
mission must supervise the new edition |
of the code as we'll as pass on the code
supplement which is being prepared by
j. H. Carter. All this work will be done !
during the summer. Senator IreWin, !