Omaha daily bee., 1908-11-23
PARDONS ARE PASSED OUT
Governor Cummins Clears Up a Large
Number Of Applications.
wEEMs IS TO WAIT TWO YEARS
state Sells Farm Located Near Fort
Des MoInes for and
seventy-Five Dollars Per
Acre.
From a staff Correspondent

0AA n SN1A |
DIES MONIES. Ia. Nov. Especial - |
One of the most remarkable pardon cases
in the history of the state was disposed Of
today by Governor Cummins when he COM
muted the life sentence Of George Weems
to thirty years in PRISON. The board of
parole had, upon a compromise, recon-
mended Communication to thirty-two years
and the governor cut off two years more.
which, with "govd time" earned, leaves
weems with a year and eleven months yet
to serve. The remarkable part of it is that
originally weems was sentenced TO be
hanged and It is an open secret that the
court itself would have been in danger and
the Jail would have been broken into and
the prisoner lynched at the time IL the
sentence had been a light one. Governor
Drake committed the death sentence to life
Imprisonment and now Governor Cummins
fixes a term for the sentence to end. The
governor gave as his reason the good char
acter OF the man and the appeals of his
aged soldier father; but in fact there is
serious doubt as to the guilt OF the pris-
oner. this fact becoming known only in
recent years. Weems and two others were
convicted of killing Conductor Redpath in
Des Moines in 1894. One OF the others
turned states evidence and got a short
term. The third is now insane. The
theory OF weems' friends is that while he
had been with the party just before the
murder he was not with them at the time
and that the one who turned states evil
dence was really the guilty person.
One Full Pardon.
John G. Steele, an old man, who killed
his neighbor in a quarrel in Monroe
county. was given full pardon by the gov
ernor and the papers were signed today.
Frederick Hansen. serving a life sentence
for criminal assault from Scott county, had
his sentence commuted to twenty-five
years.
r. s.. Myers, who had recently suffered
from an operation. was granted full pardon
on recommendation of the board of parole.
Fred Fivecost of Clarke county was pa
rolled. He was one of a party of men that
sought to wreck a train for robbery.
A. c. Sheets of Lyon county, serving five
. years. gets a pardon December %; and
James Lane, convicted OF second degree
murder in Hardin county and under a
] twenty-five year sentence. is paroled.
The Rainsbarger case was continued and
j applications of G. A. Williams, Charles
= Stogall. william Tool, and NJ. B. Foster
= were denied.
Governor Cummins also cleaned UP a
h great many minor pardon matters today.
Z wife DesertIou Law Upheld.
Inc state won a Cdc0 OH dpptdl III hiS
supreme court today. a case involving con-
struction OF the desertion law. Judge
n Wright. in Story county court, had released
8 Frank Dvoracek, indicted for deserving his
: wife and children. The court holds that
the court where the wife lives has jurisdic-
ton and also that the form OF indictment
need not be specific. but generally state
, the facts. The question of whether or not
Il the desertion is willful must be left to the
, jury.
s The following court decisions were handed
down:
y B. F. Loose. appellant, against John
5 Cooper. Polk county, affirmed.
George G. Wright, appellant, against F.
5 Rank Of Latham. appellant, gains
y Marion Milligan, Cerro Gordo county, af-
It bertha NJ. Crowell against C. c. Crowell
appellant, Polk county, affirmed.
% F. c. Kurdish against Consolidated P. and
. F. Mutual Insurance company appellant
affirmed.
state Sells n Farm.
u The state of Iowa had fourteen good
farms. every one worth more than 800 ar
acre. but today the state sold one fine
p farm for more than N75 an acre. This was
a tract bought a few years ago near For
g Des Moines for a state camp ground. buu
found to be unsuited to the
Il purposes. The tract was sold for SIS, 30. a
part OF which VIII De applied oh a new
70 rifle range being fitted up by the stat,
near here.
l3 One Railroad for Sale.
d Judge Mcpherson in the federal court to
S. day ordered the sale at auction Of the
Newton & Northwestern railroad at Boon,
to satisfy a claim OF S~2,5OO.O0 by the OLD
Re Colony Trust company. The road is 10
~ miles long, from Newton to Rockwell City
and In part the right-of-way is used by
the Fort Dodge & Des Moines electric lin,
under a lease.
Carr PIeads oaIIty to- Murder.