Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-04-30
SCANDAL
FALLS FLAT
ATTEMPT TO MAKE CAPITAL OF
sHERcLlFFE PAROLE PROVES
A FAILURE.
STATEMENT BY SHAW
Secretary Of Treasury, Formerly Gov
ernor of Iowa, Tells Of Granting
Parole to Diamond Robber - Judge
Hubbard Withdrew His Request.

tary. OF the Treasury Leslie M. Shaw,
former governor Of Iowa, by making
public a garbled and misleading yer.
sion Of the records of the governors
Office at Des Moines bearing on the
parole Of convict, Frank Shercliffe,
has fallen flat. 1t appears, moreover,
that the persons responsible for the af-
fair have committed a grave injustice
to the memory Of distinguished Iowa
lawyer and jurist by publishing one
letter which he wrote Governor Shaw
regarding Shercliffe and failing to pub
lish subsequent letter in which the
lawyer withdrew the request he pre-
ferred in the first one. The lawyer
was Judge Hubbard, who for many
years was general counsel of the Chi
cago and Northwestern railway in
Iowa.
Shaw Makes Statement.
Secretary Shaw was asked about the
Shercliffe parole, an account of which
has just been sent from Des Moines,
and gave out the following:
EVERY effort to make political capi-
tai out of the incident in Iowa has
failed. Shercliffe was sentenced in 1892
to seventeen years in the penitentiary.
He had behaved well while in the peni-
tentiary and had all his good time, and
at the time of the parole had about
two years to serve. Correspondence
for and against a parole was very volu-
minous, for the request had been often
repeated The letter from Judge Hub
bard which has been given out, was
followed by another withdrawing the
request, which, it would appear, has
not been given out.
Confident He Would Reform.
'I granted the parole, after being
convinced that Shercliffe, whose real
name was Morris, purposed to reform.
Friends secured employment for him
in Omaha, and / released him under
the agreement that he should accept
this employment, render monthly state
ments to me, and forfeit his good time
If he abused the confidence reposed.
"He became dissatisfied with his en-
vironments at Omaha. saying the temp
| tations were too great, and asked per-
mission to go to his brother in Mar
shal county, Iowa. He then voluntar-
| lily went to the sheriff of Marshall
county and told him he was motor
ious diamond thief, and told the sheriff
where he could be found. He wrote
w. A. Pinkerton to the same effect
Mr.. Pinkerton came to Iowa and had
an Interview with Shercliffe in my Of
flee and gave him some money, If
remember rightly $100, to assist him.
shercIiffe Always Watched.
81 have never doubted Shercliffe's
good intentions, though l was never
very confident that he would succeed in
carrying them out. l had three men In
Marshall county, besides Sherclifft
watching him, and Matt. Steadman, ar
4 ex-secret service man who had taker
la great interest in Shercliff, was al
WAYS on the lookout and in correspond
ence with him and. | think, visited
him. Shercliffe rendered his monthly
statements regularly and accurately
for nearly year.
"He subsequently became restless
and finally left home and immediate
ly issued warrant for his return tc
the penitentiary. He is now serving
the balance of his unexpired term in
cluding good time which he had earned
prior to the parole and which he for
feited by my revocation.
Pardon Clerks Statement.
! w. s. Richards, pardon clerk to Sec
retary Shaw when he was governor
has written Lafe Young, editor OF th'
Des Moines Capital, as follows:
"The Washington Post and othe
eastern papers are publishing under
Des Moines date line the report OF thu
parole of Frank Shercliffe by Secretar,
Shaw while governor. The report say
the parole was granted at the reques
of Judge Hubbard and the letter from
the Judge is published. Please exam
inc the files and get a copy of Judg
Hubbard's subsequent letter withdraw
ing MS request If 1t is still on file.
remember the letter very well an
both Mr. Fleming, private secretar,
, and Mr.. Patterson, parole clerk, unde
Governor Shaw, remember distinctl
the withdrawal of the request"
: Hubbard's Withdrawn Letter.
The letter In question stated tha
: Dave Mercer helped us pass the bi
i for the settlement of the Sioux Cit
and Pacific Indebtedness, and the
asked him to secure parole for She
= cliffe.
Further along Hubbard says. II SUI
nose there is no doubt that he Is gui
ty of the crime charged, but Dav
saws he has been punished pretty we
: now, and that it will be worth &c
or 400 votes to him from relatives
Shercliffe if he can be paroled. HUI
bard states further that Mercer advi
ed him that the trial judge and pros
cutting attorney would not oppose ii
parole.
. Sherciiffe was sentenced in 1892 II
5 the robbery of William Pollock q di