The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-04-14

NoNeILOr Bailey today commutcd
the sentences of three prisoners in the
Lansing penitentiary who are under
sentence of death. The sentence Of
each is commuted to Is years impris-
onment in the penitentiary at hard Ia
Dor.
The three prisoners are as follows:
Tobias J. Taylor, who was sentenced
to death in the district court of Clark
county on March 26, 1856, for murder
in the first degree.
Aaron Wells, who was sentenced to
death by the district court of Cloud
county on February 26, 1885, for mur-
der in the first degree.
Jeremiah Carpenter, who was given
the same sentence for the same crime
as the other two in the district court
OF Wabaunsee county on May 4, 1894.
me circumstances surrounding the
I crimes of which they were convicted
are not known at the governors office,
as the papers are all on file at the
penltentiary. The communications were
made because they were strongly rec
commended by the warden and board Of
/ directors OF the penitentiary for he
1 action of the three named in SUPPRESS
Ing violence and saving life in the pen
| itentiary.
Taylor and Wells are the two con-
vlcts who prevented bill" Rudolph.
4 the convict who was taken back to
| Union, Mo, a few weeks ago to be
/ tried for murder and has since been
| sentenced to death, from numbering
1 Guard Rowe when Rudolph attempted
/ to escape.
Rudolph knew that he was to be ta-
/ ken back to Missouri and that he
would probably be hanged. a morning
came after him he made a desperate
effort to escape by attacking Officer
Rowe with a case knife which he had
| secured IN the dining room. Had not
"A lrr EToTTe
| overpowered him he would have IN
doubtedly killed Rowe and possibly
other guards in making his escape, rs
| he was extremely desperate.
Taylor and Wells have each been in
| the penitentiary about Is years. They
/ Will probably get some good time off
/ for good behavior from the sentence nf
% years, so it may be possible for
/ more.
Carpenter is the convict who saved
/ the day for the prison officials in the
great penitentiary mutiny three or
four years ago when a large number
of the prisoners in the penitentiary
coal mine captured some of the guards
and threatened, to kill them in the
mine unless their demands were COM
piled with. Among other things they
/ threatened to blow up the magazine of
dynamite in the mine used for blasting
the coal.
| Carpenter fought the mutineers and
for twenty-four hours he stood guard
over the magazine with a torch in his
hand. He threatened, if the mutineers
tried to blow it up, that he would
touch it off himself and blow up him
self and all the mutineers, too. His
nerve won the day and the mutineers
were finally conquered.
Carpenter has been in the peniten-
tiary about ten years. His full SEN
tence as committed would run fifteen
years more. but he may earn four or
five years off by good behavior.
Il granted these combinations, "
said Governor Bailey today, las
recognition of the services of these
men in preserving life and property
and in preserving discipline among the
| convicts when it took nerve on their
part to do it. The directors of the pen
itentiary strongly recommended this
action on the ground that the authorl-
/ ties cannot afford to ignore such con-
duct in prisoners. 1t is not only re-
/ ward to them but it will serve as an
incentive to others to good behavior.
have had these cases under consid-
Grafton for a month and after fully
considering the matter have concluded
to make the combinations
/ The act of Carpenter was one OF the
most heroic in prison history and his
reward does not appear commensurate
with his services-at least in compar1-
son with the other two who will be re-
! leased soon.