Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-08
ANDERSON TO Be PARDONED
WILL HAVE TO STAY TWO
MONTHS MORE IN PRISON.
Recommendation of the Attorney Gen.
eral Approved by President
Roosevelt.

President Roosevelt, acting upon the rec
ommendation of Attorney General Bona
parte, today committed the sentence of
Charles w. Anderson, alias John William
January, SO that he will be q free man
July 10. This is the noted case from Kan
sas City where the people rose up by the
thousands and asked for the pardon of
Anderson. The recommendation Of the At
torney General, which was Endorsed by the
President, is as follows:
The Attorney Generals View.
1.-The President: The petitioner, Charles w.
Anderson, alias John William January,
when a young man of about twenty-one
was guilty of robbing a post Office in Okla
homa and was sentenced on December 10,
1895, to Imprisonment for five years. He
escaped from the penitentiary on October
8, 1898, having about sixteen months yet
to serve with allowance for good conduct),
pand was not rearrested until April 10 last.
During the time he was at large, or, at all
events, during the part Of that time about
which we have trustworthy information,
his conduct seems to have been exemplary.
He appears to have been employed in vari-
GUS ways, but for the greater part of the
time kept restaurant Another convict,
named Axton, escaped with him and was
later employed in the same stone quarry.
This man Axton was soon afterward found
dead, having been shot through the heart
with revolver, which lay beside him. The
petitioner is suspected by former employee
Of the penitentiary of having killed Axton,
but there seems to be no sufficient grounds
for this suspicion.
Appeals for Leniency.
"a large number of petitions, some of
them very numerously signed, have been
fled asking for the petitioners pardon, and
resolution to the same effect seems to
have been adopted by the house of repre-
sentatives of Missouri the trial judge and
prosecutor recommend a pardon, as do also
the present United States attorney, the like
officer for tie western district of Missouri,
the chief of police Of Kansas City (where
petitioner has lived, and the warden Of
the penitentiary.
II consider 1t very important, as matter
Of public policy, to discourage attempts to
escape among prisoners; such attempts
impair the discipline of penal institutions,
expose their officers to danger, and, when
successful, seriously weaken the salutary
deterrent effects Of punishment for crime.
AS against this must be weighed the emf
nently beneficial effect, as matter of pub
ton Of convicts. The orderly and law
abiding life of the petitioner cannot, indeed,
be regarded as equivalent to meritorious
public service in the army or navy, but 1t
Is very desirable that men in situation
like his should have an inducement to lead
such life. 1 think the petitioner ought to
serve some appreciable time in prison to
show clearly that as matter OF strict
right, he still belongs there; but also think
this period may be appropriately made
short one.
II recommend that it be fixed at three
months from the date Of his rearrest and
advise that he be pardoned at the end OF
that time, towit, July 49,, 1907"