New-York tribune., 1902-04-17
PARDON FOR "FRENCHY."
HE WAS CONVICTED OF "OLD
SHAKESPEARE MURDER.
GOVERNOR THINKS THERE ARE GRA\
DOTRTS OF HIS GUILT-ALGERIAN
BECAME INSANE IN PRISON.

4 bany April 16-GOvernor Odel to-day par
doned Amer Ben All. better known as
"Frenchy." who has been serving a life SEN
tence in prison for the murder Of a woman called
"Old Shakespeare in NewYork City, in 1881
The pardon granted by the Governor be-
cause he believes that there are grave doubts
OF the prisoners guilt. much of the testimony
being Of a peculiar character and 'Frenchy
being placed at a disadvantage because he is
unable TO speak English. The pardon was
asked for by several influential men, Including
Jules Cambon the French Ambassador; Fitd-
eric r Coudert J. r. Martin and others.
'Frenchy'' vas convicted OF murder in the
second degree in 1Sg1 He accused ard
found guilty of the murder of a woman Sixty
wears old whose body was found horribly
mutilated In a room on the top floor Of !odg-
ing house in Water-st. The crime was com
mitted soon after the publication OF descrip-
tions of the numerous murders committed In the
Whitechapel district in London, and at the time
it was supposed that Jack the ripper hlu
como to New-York city "Frenchy," who was
in the lodging house that night was arreSled'
tried and convicted circumstantial evidence
tJe is an Algerian. and It is said. Will go back
to AlGers.
Az The time of the conviction Of "Frenchy
NON, ,orsops in this city expressed belief that
the man had been ''raroaded" by the police
RacentI, George Damon, of Frankfort y. j..
made an AFFIDAVIT which seemed to lndlcate
rl.,n,1, that ..Frenchy'' had been wrongly con-
ytcted Damon says in the afhdaVlt mat ne
had in his employ stableman known as
"Erorl," who was away from his place and
ernnoeed TO he in this city the night OF the
"chakesneare" murder The next morning the
man returned drunk and in an ugly mood lie
disappeared soon after the newspapers came
with accounts of the murder. In his room IN
the stable he left a pair of trousers with
blood stains on them, and in a pocket was found
a key with a brass tag on it, apparently the
key Of some hotel room. The number on the
tag corresponded to the number of the room
in which the murder had been committed.
Damon took the key to the place OF the muir
der and secretly compared 1t with otner KEYS KEYS
on the rack 1t corresponded with those keys
in appearance. He kept the key and the secret
of its discovery. fearing that IL he told the
police and started hunt for the missing man
The man would return and wreak vengeance on
some member of his family 1t was not untli
long after "Frenchy' had been convicted ana
sent to prison that he told his secret. an!
handed the key a lawyer who was Interested
in efforts to effect 'Frenchy'S' pardon. The
KEY was taken later to the scene of the muir
der and was found to be the key that had been
missed from the place Damon's testimony. If
given at the trial probably would have ac-'
quilted the Algerian
Persons who have been interested In getting
pardon for "Frenchy" have obtained statements
from newspaper men. who were early at the
scene of the murder that no blood stains were
visible on the doors of other rooms on the top
floor of the lodging house. Detectives testified
at the trial that they found such blood stains
on the door of the room which "Frenchy' had
occupied, as If he had left his room to commit
the murder and had stained the door with his
bloody hands returning to It, For several
years 'Frenchy' has been kept in the State
Hospital for the Criminal Insane. at Mattea
Ex-Chief of Police Byrnes said last night,
when told that "Frenchy" had been pardoped:
THE records show that l landed him. and
show, too, what his personal recordaa&kas. L
haven't time to go into details of his career"
Asked If he would talk about the pardon he
said I've nothing to say about that. The
Governor pardon any one he likes. It's
hinor to