The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1902-04-25
THREE CONV|CTS
MADE FREE AGAIN
One of Them Was Sentenced for
Assisting in Lynching
A FAMOUS CASE RECALLED
Tom Jordan and other Citizens Of Ala.
bama Were Charged With the
Death of Chris chambliss,
an Alleged Outlaw.
A FAMOUS CASE RECALLED

Montgomery, April 23.-(SpeciaD-Thre
executive clemency today, Governor Jelks
issuing pardons to Tom Jordan and John
Stanford, and paroling Herman Burch.
The pardon of Jordan recalls one of the
most famous cases ever before the courts
In South Alabama. He was a member
of a mob of thirty-nine white men. who
took Chris Chambliss from an officer of
the law and lynched him. This lynchlng
occurred In the northern part of Washing
ton county In 1892. Chambliss was known
In the section where he was lynched as
an outlaw and disperado, many crimes be-
ing attributed to him. On the night pre-
vious to the lynching the Home of Tom
Jordan's father was burned and the crime
was charged to Chambliss. A deputy
from Mississippi arrested Chambliss and
while en- route with him to jail a mob
overpowered the deputy and the prisoner
was hanged from bridge
1t Is said that this mob was composed
of thirty-nine white men, and after the
lynching many of them fed from the
were indicted and several were convicted
at the spring term, 1899, of the Washing
ton Circuit Court. and each given a SEN
tence of ten years. Four have been sub
sequently pardoned and there now remain
three In the penitentiary
In pardoning Jordan Governor Jelks
says:
Governor Gives Reasons.
This man was only about q years of
age when this crime was committed.
assume that he was under the influence
largely Of over thirty other older persons
engaged In the same crime. The more
conspicuous persons connected with the
brutal AFFAIR have been pardoned or pa
rolled. This man had a good character
before the commission of the offense, and
for seven OF eight years between the
crime and his conviction was law-abid-
ing citizen. Because of his character be-
fore and after the crime, the petition of
good people in his behalf, the recommen-
dalton of the pardoning board, and, more
than all, on account of his youth at the
time and the pardon of others more seri-
ously guilty, let pardon issue to him.
1t has been commonly charged that pol
itics played conspicuous part In the
lynching of Chambliss. The feeling IN
Washington county In 1892 between the
followers of Governor Jones and Captain
Kolb was intense, and it is said that
Chambliss was the Jones supporter in
the precinct in which he resided. This Is
said to have angered his neighbors, and
to make the precinct solid for Kolb"
Chambliss was hanged. Many of the
participants in the lynching never re-
turned to this State.
Old Man Pardoned.
John Stanford. the other man pardoned
was a life convict, having been convicted
of carnal knowledge in the Montgomery
City Court in 1883. He is now sixty-six
years old and In feeble health His ap-
plication for pardon was strongly en-
dorsed.
In pardoning Stanford the Governor
says:
This man has grown old In the service
of the State. He has been in the peniten-
tiary about fourteen years, equivalent to
q sentence of the court of "a years and
8 months. l am informed that he only
has a little more of this life ahead of him.
1t appears that he has been sufficiently
punished and an additional reason for
clemency arises In the successful effort
this man made to interfere with a con-
spiracy of other convicts to escape from
the camp where they were at work. Let
a pardon issue"
Boy Also Pardoned.
Herman Burch of Bullock County was
paroled. Burch was convicted of forg-
ing In the second degree in August 1901,
and sentenced to serve a term of three
years In the penltentiary.
In issuing a parole to Burch the Gov
ernor says: This convict is a mere boy
less than 20 years of age. The amount
involved in the forgery was trifiing. For
these reasons and for the further reason
of the strong character of the petitioners,
who pray leniency, while proving a good
previous character. I am inclined to think
that the punishment Is sufficient. Let
a parole issue dependent upon his future
good conduct 3"