The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-03-10
NEW PARDON ACT
Provisions of Law as to
Conditions --HOIder-
field Case.

An edltOrlal IN the SALISBURY EVEN
| ing Post criticising Governor Glenn
for the use of the conditional pardon
in the case of Wake county man
convicted of forcible trespass, caused
an examination yesterday of the law
giving the right of conditional pardon
to the Governor and an interview
with the latter as to the grounds
upon which the particular pardon re-
ferred to was granted.
Said the Evening Post:
Governor Glenn yesterday granted
pardon to a Raleigh man who has
been serving a four months term on
the Wake county chain-gang on con-
dition that the prisoner leave the
county and behave himself. The con-
ditional feature of the pardon is all
wrong If the man is at all vicious
(and we take it that Punishment from
his home justilies the belief that he
is not a worthy citizen) he should not
be saddled on some other community,
where he is unknown, the better sit
uated to violate the law without de-
lection. There are cases in which
conditional pardonS are meritorious,
but we can conceive no condition
which would justify the inflicticn of
criminals upon any people"
The conditional pardon act passed
by the Legislature seems to have
been drawn with great care. 1t pro-
vides in section one that in any case
in which the Governor is authorized
by the Constitution to grant a pardon,
he may, upon the petition of the
prisoner grant it subject to such con-
ditions, restrictions and limitations as
he considers proper and necessary, and
may issue his warrant to the proper
officer to carry such pardon into eff
feet, in such manner as he thinks
proper.
Section two provides that if the
prisoner shall violate the conditions
after receiving the pardon. the Cover
nor may cause him to be arrested and
detained for examination.
And section three provides that
after examination, if it appear that
the conditions of the pardon have not
been complied with, the prisoner may
be remanded by the Governor to serve
the balance of his uneXDired term, the
period which may have elapsed be-
tween his pardon and arrest, not to
be counted in the term of imDrison-
ment to which he was sentenced.
The Wake county man, as already
stated, was one Ruffin Holderffeld,
who ran amuck with a gun at Cara
leigh Mills after having been kicked
out by the Superintendent. He made
no direct demonstration other than
having a gun and going on the
grounds of the mill while drunk and
threatening to shoot certain parties
if he saw them. Asked as to the
grounds on which the pardon was
granted Governor Glenn replied that
it was given at the solicitation of the
prisoners wife, Captain Moody. of
Raleigh, to whose company Holder
field belonged Register of Deeds Ber-
nard and the superintendent of the
Mill who was involved in the original
difficulty. The reputation of Holder
field is that he is a quiet enough man
when sober but quarrelsome when
in drink.
The conditional pardon was sent to
the sheriff by the Governor and read
by him to Holderfield, who agreed to
it's terms and conditions before he
was liberated. The conditions were
that he leave Raleigh and keep the
peace generally. The man is in no
sense such criminal" as the para
graph above quoted would imply.