Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1908-07-07
Saved the Boy.
ONE --oF LATE SPEAKER REEDS REMI.
N1scENcEs OF GROVER CLEVELAND.

The death Of Grover Cleveland recall
cd to members Of the Portland Cumber-
land Club the last evening Hon. Thomas
B. Reed spent there. he started tor
New York the next morning and his
death occurred few months later.
Mr.. Reed said that in President Cleve-
lands last administration he reached
Washington early one morning and saw
man walking up the platform In .
state Of great excitement. he spoke to
him and the man recognized him at
once. He told him that he had come to
| Washington to make last effort to see
President Cleveland in behalf of his son.
The boy was accused, he said, OF muir
der and had been convicted. Later de-
velopments made 1t certain that another
committed the crime, and he had letters
from the presiding justice at the trial.
the district attorney and the members OF
the jury, asking for Executive clemency,
but he had been unable to get access to
the proper official of the department of
Justice, and his only hope was in seeing
President Cleveland at once.
His boy would die that day, he said,
unless the President pardoned him.
Mr.. Reed looked through the papers
the father handed him, saw that the
case was as he said, and he said: IL will
90 with you to the Executive mansion.
President Cleveland Is an early riser and
we shall find him at work."
They did find the President at work
and Speaker Reed introduced the father,
explained the necessity for immediate
L kho
be glad to look through the papers"
Speaker Reed said that Mr.. Cleveland
took the first letter, that of the presid-
ing justice, read 1t, docketed 1t and then
took down q blank, wrote q telegram,
pressed button and said to the secre-
tary who answered to the call: "Haye
that sent at once and bring me the reply
as soon as it Is received"
The President continued to look over
the letters, and in less than fifteen
minutes a telegram was handed to him.
He read it, and kept on examining the
papers.
Mr.. Reed said that his impassive face
showed no sign of bis purpose, but sud
denly he said: excuse me, Mr.. Speak
en-" and gave him cigar. He then
passed cigar to the father of the con-
demned boy. Mr.. Reed said:
"That settled it. knew that no man
on Gods earth would give another a
cigar If he proposed to have his son
executed"
The President, he said, docketed the
last paper, took down blank, filled 1t
out and handed it to the father, saying
"There is the pardon you asked for, and
you will have ample time to catch the
train"
"But will they hang him, Mr.. Presi-
dent, If anything happens, and l don't
get there?" said the father.
President Cleveland replied with a
smile that he had wired the United
States marshal that he proposed to
pardon the young man, ordered stay OF
execution and had received an acknowl-
edgement from the marshal of the re-
ceipt of his telegram.
"And they won't 60 on with the exc
cution?' said the anxious father.
mot after the President of the United
States has pardoned him." said the
President. The grateful father sobbed
out his thanks and left the room.
Greatly moved himself, Speaker Reed
watched the President. Mr.. Cleveland
rose, walked to a window and stood
there until he bad mastered his emotion,
and then Mr.. Reed said: "He came back
and told me about duck hunting trip
of the week before"
Mr.. Reed paused and then said in his
peculiar way:
BENJAMIN Harrison would have lis.
tened to the father, but the boy would
have been executed, saved or lost before
he would have gone through the first
paper."-Ex.