Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-12-04
MANY WANT PARDONS
Twenty-three Prisoners Serving
Life Sentences to Petition
Legislature
RAINssAReERs WILL TRY AGAIN
RAINseAReERs WILL TRY AGAIN
Hardin County Men Convicted i'll Mar.
shall County Will Make Another Ef-
fort to Gain Freedom-Peculiar Case
Of Otto Often, Of Pocahonta. coun-
ty-List of Petitioners.
Special to Tlmes-Repuolican.

Special to Times-Repuo1ican
Des Moines, Dec. 4.-Twenty-three
prisoners serving life sentences for
murder in the first degree have Pc
| titioned the legislature thru the gov
ernor for pardons. They are:
Frank and Nathan Rainsbarger, con-
| victed in Marshall county.
Thomas w. Watson, convicted in
Mills county.
William Tools. convicted in Sac
county.
i John Penny. convicted in Emmett
! county in 1899.
/ L. w. Haley and Hugh Robbard, con-
victed in Dubuque county for the MUIR
der Of two policemen.
Charles Stegall. convicted in Scott
county for the murder of "Bill' Miller
Din quarrel over the collection of six
| ty-five cents.
o. Mcpherson, convicted in Louisa
county.
A. D.. Storms, convicted in Des
/
Moines county.
Herman Book, convicted in Cherokee
county for the murder Of his sister-in-
| law, whom he mistook for his wife.
Jasper Mason, convicted from Dali
las county in 1876.
John G. Steele, convicted from Mon
roe county in 1897, for the murder of
neighbor in quarrel over line fence.
q,
the murder of an officer who was serv-
| ing warrant upon him in 1900
NJ. b. Fosterm, Taylor county, con-
victed in 1890.
Elmer Warren, convicted from Tama
county in 1891, claims self-defense.
| w. Pr Glyndon, convicted In Story
county b for the murder Of girl in
Hardin county in 1877.
Otto Often convicted in Pocahontas
county, conditionally pardcned by the
2sth general assembly for the murder
of John O'Schon.
Albert Parnitzke, convicted from Van
Buren, county, for the murder of James
| Warner in 1891.
George Weems, convicted in Polk
county for murder committed In max
ing hold-up.
Betsey Smith, convicted from Polk
county in 1894.
]. B. Taylor, convicted from Clinton
county in 1879.
James Burns, convicted from FOLK
county in 1908.
The time limit for filing applications
for pardons has expired and no more
applications can be gotten in for the
(vs,H- occ aroh
I.law requires that the notice Of the APP
plication shall be published four con-
secutiye weeks in the county where
the case was tried and the last publica-
ton must be at least thirty days be-
fore the legislature convenes. Inc hss
Of petitions is already longer than ev-
err before.
The last to apply is Otto Often and
his case is peculiar. The twenty
ninth general assembly gave him
conditional pardon and he now asks for
a full pardon. Often came to Poca-
hontas county and from his native land
and hired out as farm hand to John
O'Schon. 1t is claimed in his defense
that he was young and inexperienced
and when Mr.. and Mrs. O'Schon quar-
relied the woman took UP with the boy.
Later when the boy was living on
farm Of his own the woman came TO
him and told him O'Schon had beaten
her and asked him to go over ana set
tie it. Often took gun with MN on
the persuasion Of the woman ana IN
the fight that followed killed OSchon.
The move to get the Legislature TO
enact a law that will permit Iowa Cit
les to adopt the Galveston plan of gov
.rn4nent Is motionless. To all intents
and appearances the Des Moines
friends Of the bill are asleep. At the
asst session, Hon. James G. Berryhill
took the lead after the matter had
been brought up before the Commercial
Club and that organization had ap-
pointed a committee to lobby for. the
measure. Now Mr.. Berryhill says he is
too busy to take the thing up, that he
is willing to help, but that his business
affairs call for his time and that 1t will
be Impossible for him to act as the
chairman Of a committee. The Com
mercial Club, after it had appointed the
committee q year ago to lobby for the
measure was criticised for going into
politics. and for that reason this year
will take no action. So far as Des
Moines il concerned, therefore, the
movement is dead. Other cities of Iowa
have professed at times an interest in
the movement and protested belief
that it might be we'll to have such a
law on the statute books so that they
could adopt It II they wished to. Ce-
dar Rapids Is one Of these. If any,
thing is to be done at the next session
of the legislature the movement must
be organized soon, for the legislature
will meet in six weeks.
James q. Berryhill, who went to Gall
weston to study the form Of govern.
ment and became an enthusiast for it,
believes now that the bill should be
less radical than the one introduced at
the last session Of the legislature. "The
essentials" said Mr.. Berryhill today.
"are that the members Of the council
should be elected at large from the city
and should be fewer In number and
paid a salary that will get good men.
Giving the mayor executive authority
alone will not accomplish the end
sought. The mayor should have more
authority. The council now consists of
nine members in Des Moines ! would
cut it down to four and make the
mayor member of the council. Then
abolish the board OF public works and
give the city council that work. Such
changes would not be very radical"
Undoubtedly If two or three other
cities of the state would appoint COM