The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1908-09-24
GARNER WINS
HIS FREEDOM
o.-''r>, ,-n'ss.' -, 49, -.
Thousand-Mile Walk After Es-
cape from Prison Brings
): g., -.>.s. ,'iAya.ssh NJ .,.,... >".'
KNEW Of HIS INNOCENCE
= an4";,. .s MIR h,,o,NE ,tAd Mss,
Affidavit which Would Set His
Record Siraisht-Pardoned "
by the Governor,

Austin, Texas, Sept. 2i.-The gov
ernor has granted pardon TO Will
Garner, an escaped convict who
walked 1000 miles to Austin the lat
ter part of last month to try his
hand personally with the governor
| and intercede In his own behalf. Gar
ner was convicted from Snyder, Tex
as, in Scurry county, and given a
term Of two years in the state peni-
! ite2tiaTy on charge u sM3ezzke'
ment. He made his escape from the
| Fowler convict camp on March /.
1908, at which camp he had been at
| work.
Shortly after his conviction he
filed an application for pardon with
the board Of pardon advisers which
was signed by some of the county
officials, including the officials OF the
court that convicted him. He was
, convicted on the charge of embez-
zling sum over $50, and on this
charge he maintained that he was
; not guilty. After filing his applica-
tion for pardon he wrote firm Of
laWySlS uCfe W dlttuu W luS llidl-
ter for him, but in order to prove his
case 1t was necessary to get an afr
davit from person who knew the
! facts in the case. All efforts to get
this affidavit failed and this Is what
/ induced Garner to escape from the
convict camp and go after the papers
himself. He succeeded In getting the
affidavit and walked all the way to
Austin with it, When the governor
heard his story he ordered him back
to the penitentiary and gave him a
setter to the superintendent directing
that the customary punishment me-
ted out to escaped convicts be omit
ted and due consideration would be
.Gys&v'TE3%. .,@ss ,>. y. -. ...,.,,..,- .g. -,
The affidavit secured by Garner
! was lett With the hoard. ST. pardons
and the board In due time gave con-
sideration to the application. The
Arm Of local attorneys here also took
renewed interest In the case and urg-
cd that their client be pardoned. The
board granted the application, that
is recomnienaed % the governor thai
Garner be pardoned. and In due time
the governor gave Garner his liber.
ty.
The following Is copy Of the affl-
davit for which Garner walked 1000
miles to lay before the governor and
board OF pardons and which finally
got him his liberty:
'On this the 18th day of Decem
ber. 1907. j, N, Eicke, who beinl
personally known to me, and dull,
4 lsworn. depeass and says that on u,
9Th day of September, 1906, tina
he was at the depot at Colorado
Texas, and let WIN Garner hav,
$17,25 to finish paying out bill o
freight for the Snyder Mercantile
Company of Snyder, Texas, and say
that he let win Garner have tn,
money with the understanding tina
he would get the money back from
the Snyder Mercantile Company. tht
next evening, and the next time
saw VIII Garner was on the 9Th da!
OF October, 1905. l met him on tn,
road between Snyder and Colorado
He was going toward Colorado
Texas, driving the Snyder Mercantile
company freight team, He stopped
and paid me the $17.25 that hat
let him have to pay freight for thu
Snyder Mercantile company on Sep
tember 8. made q note OF the dat,
and the amount let him have ant
my books show I let him have $17.2I
op September 8, 1905, and he pait
the money back to me on October
1905.
II knew the above facts ut tn
time Will Garner was tried and con
victed An the district court OF Sny
'aef. stii'i. couhiy, s11t ssalI 'iothiil
to any one about the same, and
was not supoeaned as a witness Il
said case. l now make this state
ment OF my own free will that Jus
tice may be done"
The affidavit is made before a nc
,lta-y nNhltc. 81. S.Nyyy ncg,vstv "a