The Monticellonian., 1908-12-10
{ NEWS OF - l ARKANSAS l
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27s convicts Were pardoned in 2
 Wears

279 convicts Were pardoned in
 Years.
 After four months of painstaking work, Superintendent Pitcock, with the assistance of Chief Clerk Payne, of the penitentiary, has practically completed the biennial report of the institution for the period beginning October 31. 1906, and ending October 31, 1908. The report is one of the most interesting in connection with any department of the State govern ment, but it's preparation is very tedious. because of the large amount of detailed work required under the various subdivisions, in all of which the greatest care and discrimination must be observed
 The report in brief shows that for the biennial period there have been handled at the State penitentiary a total of 2,000 prisoners, of whom 1 1,002 have been received since the period opened. The institution be gan business" in October 1906, with SAY conviets, and at the end of the period there were 7S3, showing net decrease of GA. Pardons have been issued in the case of PTS prisoners, 214 have escaped, 91 have been re-. captured, three paroied, 51 transferred to the reform school, three transferred to the asylum for the insane. 573 have been released and 95 have died.
 That. in brief, is the summary as to the disposition of the eonvicts for the two years.
 A comparison of the pardon lists for this biennial period with that of the preceding period shows that the for mer contains 70 names more than the latter. For the biennial period of 1904 to 1906 there were issued 203 pardons. against PTS for the period just closed.
 Of the pardons granted during the period just closed r were for con victs in which the sentence was for 21 years or greater, including one life sentence. Of course, in many in stances, the pardons were granted where the men had already served large portion of the term. The majority of pardons were in cases where the offense was of a minor nature
 The records show that there is only ing been convicted in Sebastian County. At the beginning of the biennial term the distribution of pris- oners, as to sex, nationality. etc, was as follows: White, PA men, no women. 5S5 negro men. IS negro women. At the close of the period the distribution is as follows: PIP white men, no white women. 544 ne- gro men. 26 negro women, 1 Indian.
 There are in the Arkansas Penitenti- ary men of the following nativity: One | Austalan, one Canadian, one Dane, one Hungarian, one Nova Scotian, | two Englishmen and three Germans. Among the States outside of Arkan- sas Mississippi furnishes nativity to the largest number of our convicts; there being 63 who claim Mississippi as their birthplace now doing time under our penal laws; Tennessee has A. and Louisiana and Texas tie for third place with 8 each. Georgia furnishes 21, Alabama 9, Arizona l, California 2. Illinois 3, iindiana ', Iowa f, Kansas ?, Kentucky 15, Michigan l, Missouri 26, Nebraska 1, New York ?, North Carolina 13, Ohio ?, Oklahoma T, Pennsylvania 3, South Carolina 10, South Dakota ?, and Vir- ginia 4.
 As to counties Sebastian heads the list for the number convicted in her courts, the number now held being 72 Pulaski County has credit for 60, and Jefferson is signed up for 63. Lee County has 36 and Phillips Coun- ty 33, Hampstead p, Jackson 21, and Miller and Mississippi Counties have each sent up 23. Calhoun, Cleburne, Faulkner, Izard, Marion and Sharp have no eonvicts to their credit, and only one each is posted opposite the names of the following counties: Clay. Conway. Fulton, Grant, Mont gomery, Newton, Polk, Stone and Van Buren. Marion County has not had A convict in the penitentiary for the past two years.