The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-11-16
RELEASED TO DIE
Governor Bailey Gives Oscar Crawford
Conditional Pardon.

Governor Bailey today granted a
condition pardon to oscar CraW-
who is under sentence of death. The
application for the pardon has Deen
hanging fire for several months, and
Governor Bailey granted 1T To-Day arter
physicians concerning the prisoner S
condition.
Crawford was sentenced to death by
the district court of Barber county for
murder, but a far surer death sentence
has been passed upon him by tuber-
culosis. The physicians assert that he
can live only a few months at most,
and it is the unwritten law of every
prison to release prisoners who are
facing death if they have relatives
who can take care of them in their
last hours.
Crawford, who is a young man, was
sent to the penitentiary by whisky.
He was one of a party of young men
who had a carousal on Christmas
eve, 1902, less than two years ago. He
and Levy Rule, a neighbor boy, were
the best of friends and were in this
company together. They got into a
mony as to what brought it about,
but during the trouble young Rule
was killed. Crawford was arrested
and the jury which tried him found
him guilty of murder in the first de-
gree, which meant imprisonment for
life.
Crawford's father, J. F. Crawford,
lives at Sharon, Barber county. Dur
ing the last three or four months he
has been coming to Topeka beseech-
ing pardon for his boy because the
boy is dying of consumption. ]. N.
Tincher, the county attorney of Bar
the young man who was killed, have
been opposing the pardon on the
ground that young Crawford is not as
bad off as his friends maintain.
Crawford is in the prison hospital
at Lansing and the penitentiary au-
thoritieS say he is. very sick. Some
time ago DR.. c. @. GODDARD, a pull
monary expert at -Leavenworth, eX-
manned him and reported to the GOV
ernOr that he could. not live in the
penitentiary, but if he should be taken
out and had the proper care in some
other climate he had q chance for re-
covery. Recently at the suggestion of
Governor Bailey. ]. F. Crawford had
the physician of the Leavenworth Sol
diers' home and the post physician at
Fort Leavenworth, both eminent med
zeal experts, make an examination.
Both reported that young Crawford
had an advanced case of tuberculosis
and could not recover.
A few days ago, both the. elder
Crawford and Henry. Rule, the father
of the boy who was murdered, came
to Topeka with County Attorney
Tincher and presented both sides of
the case to Governor Bailey. Mr.. Rule
said he did not wish to have the Craw-
ford boy die in prison, even though he
had murdered his son, but he would
like to have his pardon provide that
Crawford should not return to Barber
county. The county attorney said he
would withdraw his objection to the
pardon if it was established that
Crawford could not recover. Governor
Bailey today got another opinion
from DR.. GODDARD, in which the physi-
clan says that Crawford has become
much worse since his last examination
and that he cannot live more than a
few months with the best of care, and
that in the penitentiary his death is
only a question of a short time.
Upon the strength of this statement
Governor Bailey issued the pardon
with the condition asked for by Mr..
Rule.