The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-16
CONVICT LESSEE CALLAHAN ONLY
WANTS GOVERNORS ORDER.
IGNORANT OF HIeGs' CHARGES
DENIES HE REFUSED TO RELEASE
THE MONTGOMERY CONVICT.

Will OroeT the lrtsOhcrs RSAeuse
as soon as He Gets Copy of the
Governors Pardon.
]. w. Callahan, lessee of the Early
county convict camp which the Gov
ernor and the Prison Commission
have threatened to abolish because of
the failure of the authorities at the
camp to release w. B, Freeman, a
convict who had been pardoned by the
Governor, was in Savannah yesterday.
MIR. Callahan has just arrived from
New York, where he has been for three
weeks, and had heard nothing of the
action of the Governor or the Prison
had seen a short article in one of the
New York papers, in which it was
stated that the refusal of the authori-
ties to release Freeman would prob
When he read this article he came at
once to Savannah, and left for the
Early county camp last night.
Mr.. Callahan said that he was in no
way responsible for Freeman's deten-
ton, as no pardon papers or orders
for discharge had ever been received
at the camp. Freeman was sentenced
in Montgomery county to eighteen
months imprisonment for selling liquor
Illegally, and had served nine months
of his time when the Governor par
doned him on July IL.
Wrote sheriff Higgs.
II read in the papers before I left
home on July 25," said Mr.. Callahan
that Freeman had been pardoned
and that the pardon papers had been
sent to the sheriff of Montgomery
county. l wrote to Sheriff Riggs, and
told him that I had seen in the papers
that the Governor had pardoned Free
man, and asked that he send me the
release so that / could turn him loose.
I have a COPY of that letter. l re-
ceived no answer to the letter before
tendent at the camp to furnish Free
man with a suit of clothes and with
transportation back to Montgomery
county. upon receipt of the pardon
from the sheriff.
Mr.. Callahan said that he then went
to New York. and while there received
several letters from his superintendent
in, which he said that no authority had
been received for Freeman's release
and that the prisoner was still at the
TaN -
was dated Aug. 8. and was received
on the 18th.
81 have sense enough to know thai
/ cannot hold a man after his release
has been ordered by the Governor,
said Mr.. Callahan. 1T matters moi
what amount is involved the law and
the principle are the same"
Declared Charges False.
When asked about the charge pre-
ferred against him by the sheriff OF
Montgomery county that he had re-
fused to releace the prisoner because
he had not been refunded the amount
due him for the nine months which
Freeman would not have to serve, he
said that the charge was absolutely
false and without the least foundation
Il pay s. per month for the lease
of convicts," said Mr.. Callahan Free
man had served but nine months and
of course l would have $45 coming to
me on account of the pardon, but l
made no point on this. L look to
Montgomery county for this and not
to Sheriff Higgs, and if l never get il
1t Will not be a matter of any great
moment. ANY man with any ordinary
degree of intelligence would know that
| wouldn't refuse to release a man par
doned by the Governor for any reason
like that"
Mr.. Callahan was asked whether or
not he knew that Warden Moore had
been sent to the camp by order of the
Governor to get Freeman. He said
that he had heard so but that he did
not know whether it was true or not
IF the Governor will send copy of
the pardon to me when / reach the
camp, 1 will order Freeman's release
at once, If he has not already been
liberated"
Has Attracted Wide Attention.
Freeman's case has attracted much
attention throughout the state. A man
pardoned by the Governor for an Of
Tense of which he was probably not
guilty, and for which he had already
served nine months on the changing,
is held for more than month after
the pardon has been signed by the
Governor and his release ordered.
Taxing Callahan's statement to be
true, the blame attaches to the
sheriff of Montgomery county. The
people of that county, it is said,
side with the sheriff and do not want
Freeman released, it matters not
whether justice is on his side or not
A letter received by the Governor from
lumber merchant at Higgston, in
Montgomery county, stated that Free
man had given a great deal of trouble
to the people of that community and
that he had been forced to leave four
counties for selling liquor illegally. The
writer, one Thomas N. Baker, said fur
ther that this sort of action referring
to the action of the Governor in par
doning Freeman) forced the people to
take the law into their own hands"
Prison Commissions Acts.
Al a meeting of the Prison Commits
sion, the Attorney General and the
Governor, held in Atlanta a few days
ago, the matter was taken under con-
sideration. AS a result of the confer
ence the County Commissioners of
Early county and Callahan. the lessee
of the camp, were ordered to appear
on Aug. q at the capitol in Atlanta
and show cause why the camp should
not be broken up and the. convicts
there be transferred to some other
changing legally constituted. AS to
the case of the Montgomery county
sheriff, who refused to obey the order
of the Governor. no steps were then
taken.
Gov. Gambler stated that If 1t were
proven that the sheriff was guilty he
would be punished for the offense. 1t
developed in the discussion held at this