Evening times-Republican., 1903-12-26
DIES IN CHA|N GANG
Frank Watkins Hoped For a
Parole Twenty-seven Years
In Vain
oEEMER AGAIN CHIEF JUSTICE
Was Appointed Under Governor Jack
son and Now Becomes Chief Justice
A Second Time by Length of Service
on the Bench-some Criminal Sta
tistics.
Special to Times-Republican.

Special 10 4IIleS~Ittpu
Des Moines. Dec. 26.-When Frank
F. Watkins, the dean of the chain
gang at the Fort Medison penitentia-
ry. ended u twenty year sen :
,ence by death the other day. he left
of $21S.S6. This was an accumula ton
from sales of goods made by him out
Watkins has been good worker at
the penitentiary for many years and
was skilled in work He had been in
POOR health recently ami was not do
ing much work, and had hoped the
legislature would give permission for
parole in order that he might die
outside the prison walls. w. P. Glyn-
don, a convict who has also asked the
Thirtieth general assembly for a par
don. has the largest sum to his credit
in the bank of any convict at Fort
Madison-$2S3.51. The .act that these
oonvicts have money may cause some
little investigation by the pardons
committee of the legislature before
pardon applications are acted on. Two
years ago a convict was granted par
don and 1t was presented to the par
tions committee that he had about ST.
200 to his credit and would therefore be
able to go into business But after the
pardon was granted 1t was found that
he had drawn out the money and 1t
had been spent In purchasing "infiu-
enee' of certain persons in the secur-
ing OF the pardon. and he was. there
fore, left almost penniless when he got
out. Members OF the legislature say
they Will not permit this to happen
again. Nearly all the coneicts at the
state snenttentiaries have small ac-
counts at the banks.
Horace r. Deemer Will become for
the second time chief Justice of Iowa
on the opening of the January term of
the court ln three weeks. He Is serv-
ing the last year of term and a half,
his first chance on the bench being by
appointment of Governor Jackson. He
was renominated six years ago with
out opposition and Will be renominated
again without opposition. The causes
Included in the assignment for the Pc
Rod commencing Jan. IL will be called
on the docket just issued for submis-
sion on the first day of the period un-
less noticed for oral argument. Thera
Will be oral arguments from the First
and Twentieth districts on Tuesday,
Jan. IL: from the Second district on
Jan. 13: Third district Jan. IS, and
Fourth district Jan. 10. The first term
of court, which covers four months, is
divided into four periods.
The secretary of state is required to
collect from county clerks each year
STATISTICS on the criminal prosecutions
o. the state and to publish the same for
the benefit of the public. These sta
tlstics for the two years last past have
just been published by Secretary of
State Martin. That which is most
conspicuous in the reports Is that they
are obviously incomplete and inper-
feet and that there is need of some
revision in the matter of keeping these
records in the various counties. For
instance. the clerks are required ITO re-
port on the total expenses of the
counties each year in the matter OF
criminal prosecutions. The counties
vary greatly in these reports. One
county reported an expense account of
less than $25 for year. Evidently the
county clerk did not include the court
expenses incident to the criminal busi-
ness. In other counties there is a great
between years. Polk coun-
ty had an expense account in 1902 of
s11S. 10000 and the next year OF $4,000;
vet beyond any question the actual ex
nense the last year was greater than
the first named. It Is difference In
accounting only. The statistics relat-
ing to the nativity and previous char
acter OF those convicted are imperfect,
some counties keeping no record at all
Of these things. In general. however.
the statistics have some value. The
-lerks report the total cost of criminal
prosecutions for 1902 at $456,657.45 and
he next year s405. 1886 This is ex-
..usiye of the payments made to coun-
" attorneys of $92,014.s5 and s9O,9t2.o6
n 1902 amounted to $12G.4S3.95 and the
lines collected to s49,999.o2; and in 1909
fines aggregated slO6,99s.25 and col
ected $55S34.59. The pententfary SEN
enees in 1902 aggregated over lap
ears and the next year 1.230 years.
all sentences aggregated eighty five
ears and etghtyseven years. The to-
al number of those convicted was
439 in the first year and 1902 the
acond year.
The statistics reported to the se,re
Try of state in regard to the criminal
islness in Marshall county show the
lowing:
1902. 1903.
otal No. convictions 19 II
ant to panitentiary. ).