The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1909-12-23
NO CROFFORD PARDON.
Gsyernsr Carroll Refuses to Issue
Pardon to Dr.. Croftord. Sug-
qests Board Investigate.

After holding up the recommenda
tion of the state pardon board
recommending that full pardon be
granted to Or. J. w. Crofford for
several months, Governor Carroll on
last Friday turned down the recon-
mendation and says he cannot take
final action in the case until the par
don board has time to further in
vestigate the evidence which was
submitted to the governor in opposi-
tion to the granting of the pardon.
It will be remembered that DR.. Crof
ford was convicted of the death of
Maud Stone by performing Grim
tnal operation at his sanitarium in
Lamont. When his application for
a pardon was made to the state par
don board, DR.. A. Brown. formerly
OF Leon, appeared as a witness in his
behalf and testified that the girl had
come to him and told him she had
performed an operation upon her.
self, prior to the time she went to
Lamont. The relatives of the dead
girl vigorously opposed the granting
OF the pardon, and number of afh-
davits of Decatur county citizens
were fled before the governor in an
attempt to impeach the testimony of
DR.. Brown, who is now a resident of
Des Moines, holding a government
position as pure food inspector, and
in rebuttal a number Of affidavits
we're also filed to sustain him. The
Daily Capital Of last Friday has the
following in regard to the case:
Governor Carroll this morning
turned down the recommendation of
Or. J.. W. Crofford, Of Decatur coun-
ty, now serving twelve year SEN
tepce in FIT. Madison for murder In
the first degree. The governor re-
turned the application to the
board, stating that he cannot take
final action in the case until the
board has an opportunity to review
the case in the light of the new evil
dence given against DR.. Artemus
Brown, who made sensational state
ments entirely generating DR.. Crof-
ford and charging that the girl In the
case performed the fatal operation
upon herself.
After the board of parole had sent
the case to Governor Carroll with a
recommendation that he pardon Dr.
Crofford, friends of the dead girl en-
tered a protest against the pardon
and asked to be heard. The board
made the recommendation on the
testimony Of DR.. Artemus Brown,
who in sworn statement declared
that the girl visited his Office before
going to the sanitarium of DR.. Crof-
ford, in January, and that she had
said she had performed the opera
tion upon herself He also told the
board that it was this operation that
killed her.
On this statement the board
recommended the pardon. When the
hearing was held before Governor
Carroll witnesses impeached the tes-
timony of DR.. Brown to such an ex-
tent that Governor Carroll did not
feel justified in accepting the recon-
mendation of the state board of pa
role and consequently he returns the
case to the board to be re-examined
by them in the light of the impeach-
ment of the testimony of DR.. Brown.
Governor Carroll in his letter OF
transmittal says that the friends of
the girl are open to criticism for not
giving their testimony at the first
hearing of the case instead of walt
ing until they thought that DR.. Crof-
ford was to be pardonod