Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1907-05-02
GOVERNORS PARDON COURT.
CLEMENCY ISASKED FOR STATE
PRISONERS.
Governor Is Urged to Pardon China
man-SpeciaI Session Of The Board
of Public Works.
IMPORTANT MATTERS GIVEN
ATTENTION.

Governor warfeld held an official
session at the State House this morn
| ing during which hs acted upon a
number of cases where applications
for clemency in case OF prisoners had
been made and attended the special
session of the Board of Public Works
called for the purpose of considering
the difference in the views of the
Shellfsh Commission and Commander
Howard, of the State Fishery Force,
as 10 the taking of oysters below the
ordinary legal size in the section
designated by the Shellfish Commits
sion.
At the instance of Attorney Alva
A. Lamkiu, of Baltimore City, the
Governor took up the case of Samuel
Updegraff, who has been confined in
the penits ntiary since 1892, having
been convicted on two charges of
burglary by the Circuit Court for
Howard county. In each case Upde-
gran received a term of ten years TO
be served separately. He,has been in
the penitentiary for nearly fifteen
years and, with the allowance for
good behavior, would have less than
three additional years TO serve. Up
degran was conYicted on charges
brought by the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad Company and by Mrs. G. A.
Pindell, of Ellicott City.
Both of these protested against the
pardon as ii was originally applied for
about two years ago. However, both
have since Withdrawn their protest.
The pardon was also recommended
by the jurors who sat in the case and
by others. Governor Warfield ordered
that the case be advertised and set for
final hearing on May 10 next. He
assured Mr.. Lamkin that he was dis
posed to grant the pardon in view of
the long time that Updegraff had been
confined and his good record.
Frank V. Rhodes, attorney at-law,
of Baltimore, presented TO the Cover
nor the application for the pardon of
Fong Hong,a Chinese elaundryman, who
was convicted of forgery by the
Criminal Court of Baltimore City in
May, 1906, and sentenced to serve
four years in the penitentiary. Fong
Hong forged the name of another
Chinaman to a mortgage. Mr.. Rhodes
presented petition for clemency
which was signed by many persons,
including the jurymen who had sat
in the case. Mr.. Rhodes stated that
Fong Hong was a quiet and orderly
Chinaman and had probably been mis-
lead, not meaning to defraud anyone.
lie stated that the man was particu-
larly affected by his Incarceration as
he believed it injured his ancestors
and that If pardoned he would return
to Chiua in order to assure his family
and friends that there was no longer
any charge against him. This, he
thought, would prevent his ancestors
from further suffering on his ac-
count.
John w. Golfer, of Baltimore, saw
the Governor in reference to the case
of Charles Doom, confined in the pen
itentiary for assaulting Mrs. Annie
Witt, whom he was convicted of
shooting by the Criminal Court of
Baltimore City at its May term, 1906.
He was sentenced to serve two years.
Doom and Mrs. Witt had become well
acquainted, and Doom shot her and
then shot himself twice. Both were
badly injured, but recovered and Mrs.
WITT has since returned to her hus-
band. Doom has served several terms
in the regular Army. The Governor
indicated that he did not think the
case presented features that entitled
the man to be released at this time.
The Governor has appointed j.
Charles Macgill, of Catonsville, Md,
member of the board of directors
of the Maryland Asylum for the In
sane, in the place of Charles q. w.
Macgill, deceased, the father of the
new appointee. Mr.. Macgill is at
present a colonel ON Governor War
ii eld's staff.