The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-06-16
PRISONER FREED
/ BEFORE PARDON
Governor For First Time Has
Exercised His Pre-
rogative.
PARDON BOARD FREES FOUR
SEVEN OTHER CASES CoNSID-
Erred AND DENIED.

For the first time on record the gov
ernor has used the power granted him
by the constitution TO release a pris-
soner, between meetings of the board
of pardons, pending the determination
of the case by the board at its next
meeting This was done in the case of
A. A. Gerke. and the fact developed
yesterday at the meeting of the board
when Gerke was granted a full par
don.
Gerke was sent up from the city
court December 80. 1906 fer six months
. in the county Jail for petit larceny. The
story goes that he was staying at a
house on Canyon road and that one
night he and a friend invaded one of
the other roOmer's apartments and the
friend picked up a diamond ring, pried
out the stone and the two took the
stone down town and pawned it and
then spent the money. Gerke only was
arrested. and the testimony before the
board showed that he was simply a
passive participant in the affair and
that It was his first crime. The mat
ter was called to the attention of the
governor two weeks ago and he then
granted Gerke his freedom pending the
action of the board.
Stole Three Chickens.
Another man who was pardoned was
Charles H. Chapman. He was 81
fenced by Judge Armstrong January
Is. 1906. to three years in the peniten-
tiary for the heinous crime of breaking
into chicken coop and appropriating
therefrOm three chickens and one roos-
ter. He will be released July /
Ben 7. Rysche. sentenced to five years
ein the penitentiary April ;, 1905. by
4 A
dered released July Is. Rysche is a
young fellow and at the time of the
crime was a bell boy at the Wilson ho-
tel He was charged with breaking
into the house of one HOagland and
stealing a watch and a few trinkets.
The crime was traced to him because
of the fact that he mad pawned the
stolen articles for "a. He maintained
at the time, and still maintains, that
the articles were handed to him by a
friend to dispose of. as the friend was
a stranger here and did not know how
10 get rid of them. The board was
lenient with him because of his youth
and because it did not seem to the
members that the evidence against him
was conclusive.
Logan Man Freed.
W. T. Lewis of Logan was also par
family connections, but on September
y, 1906. he was convicted of adultery
in the Cache county district court and
E sentenced to one year. petition from
a large number of citizens OF Logan
and vicinity was received by the board
asking for the pardon, which was
granted, and Lewis returned to his
home last night.
Seven other cases were considered
and pardOns denied
One of these was that of Walter z
BurTill, sentenced by Judge Armstrong
10 eighteen years in the penitentiary
on January %, 1905, for robbery. Nc
one appeared in his behalf and the par
don was denied without further consid-
Grafton.
Percy c. Hosmer. jr.. sentenced by
Judge Armstrong TO one year for bur
glary on December II, 1906, was also
denied a pardon without consideration
John Wood, sentenced to ten years
2 from Weber county September 8. 1903
was also denied his freedom 1t ap-
pears that Wood was discovered de-
parting by the ladder route from a
second story window of a questionable
resort in Ogden, loaded with spoils His
discoverer was one T. TOpen husband
of the woman who conducted the place
. In order to make good his getaway
Wood shot at TOben. and as the Weber
county district attorney. in a cOmmu-
nication to the board said: His intent
was good, but his aim poor"
coIored Man Denied.
y Charles Lode, colored. sentenced
from Salt Lake county December Is
1905. for ten years for robbery, mus
also remain in prison a while longer
He was accused Of assaulting a man in
the corridors of the Atals block one
night and holding d razor at the vic
TINS throat, compelling him to give
up $40.
John Reed Masters, sentenced from
Salt Lake county November Il. 1905, fol
three years for burglary; Isaiah Taylor
senlsnced in the local city court Marcf
~, 1907. for six months in the county
jail for petit larceny, and Albert Miller
sentenced from Salt Lake county fol-
f1ve years for taking liberties With g
female child April %, 1896. were all de
MED pardons The last case was mad.
noteworthy at the time 1t happened
by the fact that Miller was the man
ageP OF Utahna Park. He was first ar
rested ON a minor charge and sentenced
TO six months I'm the county jail. He
was released shortly afterwards on Z
writ OF habeas corpus and immedia tely
rearrested and sent to the penitentiary
for FIVE years.
WOMEN OF WoODCRAFT AT LA