Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-04-01
THOSE PARDON GASES
Grounds Given For Pardon Ap-
plications Presented to
the Legislature
ONLY ONE LIABLE TO WIN
This Is the Petition of Frank Hall, of
Pottawattamie County. Stage Driver
In Chicago i'm Early Days, Who
Wants Permission to Die Free Man
State News.
State News

teen applications for pardon before the
legislature it is likely that only one
will finally receive favorable consider
ation--that, of Frank Hail. of Potta-
out before he dies. One of the appll-
i cants died before the legislature met
and one other case was withdrawn be-
1 fore the committee could take action.
4 There never was the slightest chance
for the pardon of the Rainsbargers
nor of Robbard and Haley, of Dubuque,
these cases some time ago. Sarah
kuhn's case received much considera-
t tlon,. not because she was, as alleged
in some of the papers, young and
| beautiful" but BECAUSE of doubt as to
/ whether she was guilty. The Glyndon
case was also an open question, owing
/ to the fact that he was convicted on
circumstantial evidence. The follow
/ ing is a plain statement of the cases
which went before the legislature and
on which it must still act in the mat
ter of recommendation for pardon:
Sarah Kuhn,
/ Sarah Kuhn, OF Keokuk county, is
serving time for killing her husband
Charles Kuhn, crippled shoemaker Of
4 Delta, three years ago. The case is a
| most interesting one, and should she
fail of pardon at this time, the case
| is most likely to come up again and
again. Kuhn was older than his wife
and they had quarreled and she had
threatened to leave him. They had
| gone to What Cheer and bought beer
| and sausage and had started home.
| They drank some of the beer and Kuhn
was seized with terrible pains in the
stomach. Giving the reins to man
met in the road he told him to drive
for a doctor. which was done. but Kuhn
was unconscious and soon died. He
had taken strychfline. The theory of
the prosecution was that Mrs Kuhn
had put 1t in the teer to get rid of her
husband and get his property and mar
ry another man. The defense claims
that Kuhn had placed 1t in the beer,
intending to kill himself and her. or
had taken an overdose. 1t was not
found that she had ever got any poi
son, while il was in the testimony that
he had been getting 1T as a medicine.
1t was also claimed strongly that while
she had no opportunity to place the
POISON In the beer he had. in fact. two
good opportunities to do so. The most
interesting phase OF the case was when
it got into the supreme court The
court opinion written by Justice Wa
az it,tr hsa hal
that for motive there was the fact
that his will had been made out leav
ing all to his wife. A dissenting opin-
ion by Justice Weaver severely scored
the majority fos. the conclusions
reached and secuted the idea that a
sufficient motive had been shown to-
back up the circumstantial evidence.
II the theory of the prosecution and
of the majority opinion of the court
was good Justice Weaver pointed out
that every time man takes out life
insurance he lays his wife open to sus
picion of murder. Soon after this case
was decided Justice Waterman re-
signed and retired from the bench. Pc
titions with many signatures appeared
for the pardon and large number re-
monstrated. Mrs. Kuhn is a young
woman OF good appearance and slight
education and since she has been at
Anamosa has beer waiter at the ia
be OF the warden's family.
George Weems.
George Weenls, of Polk county Is
young man who was with two others
when Conductor l.. B. Redrath, OF the
Great Western was shot and killed in
Des Moines in 1894. Weems, with
John Hamill and John Krout, started
out for adventure after supper, went
to saloon and to some worse places,
then walked up the street. Nothing
had been said about robbery until they
had gone some distance when one said
he must have some money the next
day, another sand they would
hold up the first man they met. and a
few minutes later they met the con-
ductor going to his work. Harndll
pointed a revolver at him and as he
threw up his grip. shot him dead Krout
got a short term. Weens and Haqnill
were sentenc to death but committed
to life imprisonment. Hamila lis In the
insane ward at .Anarnosa. The aged
father of Weems. poor old soldier, has
devoted his time 40 securing release of
the young man, and honestly believes
he had no part in the murder.
Mrs. Betsy Smith.
Mrs. Betsy Smith, of Polk county. Is
serving time for murder of her hus-
band in Des Moines in 1894 She and
her daughter had been living immoral
lives and were dissolute. Michael
Smith was blind. His blindness was
due to someone shooting him thru
the eyes year before. and it was al
legged Mrs. Smith nstigated that crime,
for Smith had his life insured for
$4,000 in an engineers order and it was
payable on death or after he had been
blind year The year was up and
Mrs. Smith was preparing to get the
money. She was also very intimate
with a young man who roomed at her
house. She placed poison in a lemon
pie which she gave to Michael Smith,
but he did not die Two weeks later
she gave him "a dose" and went away
from the house, leaving orders that UNI
der no circumstances should a doctor
be called. When she returned late at
night she put poison in a capsule and
gave gave 1T to E4im and he died A
daughter who is now the wife of
druggist In Chicago, an estimable Wom
~ 49,. l.. KID