Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-06
TWENTY THREE
ASKING PARDON
LIFE CONNECTS ARE SEEKING RE.
LEASE FROM THEIR LONG
SENTENCES
List Includes Nearly All That Come in
That cIass-some Have Already
Served Many Years in the Peniten.
tiary For Grimes.

Served Many Years in the Peniten-
tiary For Crimes.
Des Moines, Dec. 4.-Twenty-th
life convicts have applied to the leg
islature for pardon. Yesterday was the
last day. The list is larger than ever
before. it leaves but few life con-
victs who do not seek clemency.
One unique case is presented to the
legislature. Otto Often of Pocahontas
county was given conditional pardon
by the governor, on recommendation of
the legislature, the twenty-ninth gen
eral assembly. The conditions were
that he Should live in Jackson county,
should lead moral and upright life,
and that he should neither write to nor
permit Mrs John O'Schon to commune
cate with him. He was not permitted
to visit her nor she to visit him. He
had been given a life sentence for the
murder Of her husband. He now petit
lions the legislature for a full pardon
and the removal of these conditions.
! Charles Stegall of Davenport applies
for pardon, also. He escaped the
gallows in 1899, having been sentenced
to hang on December 4. The sentence
was committed by Governor Shaw to
life imprisonment. In his petition Ste
gall claims to have killed Bill" Miller
in self defense. He says that Miller
owed him IS cents and when he asked
for 1t his creditor assaulted him, and
he stabbed in self defense.
An Illinois Mystery.
In the case of Leonard w. Haley
from Dubuque county who, with Hugh
Robbard held up a car and killed two
or three policemen, a letter has been
filed from Robert S. Rose of Chicago
in which Rose says that he will give
Haley employment in shorthand
school as soon as he is released. Haley
has learned the art during his prison
i life. He is mystery. His real name
is not known, but it is known that he
is highly connected in Illinois. He de-
clines utterly to talk Of himself or his
early life. He has a black eye, genu-
inely black, and utterly without express
sion.
The governor has been served with
official notice by the warden of the
penitentiary at Anamosa that William
McWilliams has been adjudged in
sane. This prevents the execution of
the courts order of sentence of death
on December IA, 1906. McWilliams
murdered his wife and five or six chill
dren.
Those Making Appeal.
The following is a list of the twenty
three life conyictS who appeal to the
legislature for pardons, the county in
which they were convicted, the date of
their commitment to prison under their
life sentence and their age when COM
mitted:
John Penny, Emmett, Nov. 20, 1899,
age rs.
William Tool, Sac, Feb. 2, 1896 age
SO.
Frank Rainsbarger, Marshall, March
Is, 1887, age ~.
Nathan Rainsbarger, Marshall, Dec.
10, 1887. age 33.
!, Thomas w. Watson, Mills, March
IA, 1884, age 35.
4 George Weems, Polk, Aug 1, 1894,
age 23
4 w. P. Glyndon, Hardin, April -,
i 1878, age SO.
! Betsy Smith, Polk, July 2, 1892, age
AZ.
]. B. Taylor, Clinton, Nov. "a, 1879,
age 35.
i James Burns, Polk, April 80, 1908,
age 40.
Jasper Mason, Dallas, Oct. 81, 1876,
age "a.
John G. Steel, Monroe, Sept. 81,
1897 age SO.
! G. A. Williams, Union, April 10, 1900,
age SO.
NJ. B. Foster, Taylor, Dec. "a, 1890,
age 80.
! Elmer Warren, Tama, March 5, 1891,
!. age &c.
\ A. D. Storms, Louisa, Sept. 80, 1898,
age %.
Orman Mcpherson, Louisa, March
%, 1897, age 4S.
L. w. Haley. Dubuque, Feb. &c, 1894,
aged &c.
i Hugh Robbard, Dubuque, Dec. %,
1898, age AZ.
1 Charles stegall, Scott, Oct 20, 1898,
aged Al.
Herman Boch, Chickasaw. Oct. 5.
1896, aged 81.
/ Albert Parnitzka, Van Buren,, Dec.
81, 1891. aged 10.
Otto Often, Pocahontas, Jan 20, 1887,
age 81