Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-05-14
HIS PARDON POLICY
GOVERNOR SAYS ALL COMMUNE.
: CATIONS ARE PRESERVED
TALK OF sHERcLIFFE.

Des NIoines, May 13.-"AbsOlutely no
communication relative to pardons or pa
roles Will be received by me during my In
cumbency of the office of governor that
are not preserved. Those who attempt to
approach me on the subject have received
the invariable response from me that
would henr nor read nothing relative to
executive clemency in such cases without
preserving it with the records Of the case
and holding them open to the public,
Governor Cummfns made the above state
ment yesterday in connection with dis
cussion of parole Of Frank Shercliffe and
the criticism that has been directed at him
for permitting the records in that case to
become public.
mo one who is fair to me will attempt
to deny that 1 was out of the state at the
time the facts in the Shercliffe case be.
came public. Up to that time knew moth
ing about it, I had never heard Of the
letter from Judge Hubbard and did not
know that the letters Of w. A. Pinkerton,
Judge Van Wagenen and others protesting
against the parole We're ON file. All
knew about the Sherclife case was that he
had violated his parole, that Governor
Shaw had issued revocation of it, that
he was captured during my administration
and ordered him recommitted to the peni-
Tertiary to serve the remainder Of his SEN
tence. There had been nothing irregular,
prised as any one when read in Chicago
paper an account of the disclosures in
Shercliffe's confession, Dennison's item
lied statement and Judge Hubbard's letter.
II do not attempt to say, however, that
l would have prevented the publication of
this matter had I been. in Des Moines.s
The gentlemen In charge of my office acted
in accordance with the order issued when
first entered upon the duties Of the office
more than two years before. I took the
position that nothing underhand should be
permitted in pardon cases and that all com
munlcations must be preserved in the rec.
ords and the records be open to public In
spection. But do deny most emphatically
that any one connected with my Office gave
out the information regarding the Sher-
cliffe case voluntarily, or that it was fur
nished unsought. While I was absent at
French Lick Springs. Ind, newspaper
man from Omaha presented himself at my
office and asked to see the records in the
Shercliffe case. Mr.. Brar, my secretary,
readily compiled with the request. The
newspaper man then asked to be permitted
to photograph the letters of Mayor Moore
and Chief White. Mr.. Briar declined to
permit this. The newspaper man fumed
and threatened, but to no avail This inci-
dent was followed by series of stories in
the various papers regarding the Indictment
Of Tom Dennison for completely in the rob
oei! "1or WHICH ouercuHe7 was convicted,
and several of the local newspaper men
applied for permission to inspect the rec
| ords of that case to familiarize themselves
with the details. This inspection brought
out the existence of the Judge Hubbard
letter, etc. The clerks in my Office were
but following my general order in not refus-
ing access to these records. and it would
not have been different had I been here.
but it is an outrage for any newspa per to
charge that or those in my office went
out of the way to make this matter public