The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-11-19
MAY FREE DALTON
Sent to Penitentiary for Murder
of Marysville Jailer.
Has Served Seven Years OF a
Sentence for Life.
FORLOVE OF A WOMAN
Served i'm Philippine and Cuban
Campaigns as Soldier.
Claims That He Is a Victim of
Circumstances.
FORLOvE OF A WOMAN

LedVenWOrth, kdn.s NOV. L - -
Codding, warden of the state penlten-
eiary, and Lieutenant Singleton OF
Fort LeaVenworth have returned from
Topeka where they solicited Governor
w. r. Stubs to pardon James Dalton'
who is imprisoned at Lansing for life.
Dalton was convicted of completely in
the killing of jailer at Marysville.
He has been a prisoner seven years. :,
Dalton's friends were prevented
from discussing his guilt by the gov
ernor who said that he had no wish to
retry the case. They conf1ned them-
selves to facts bearing on his charac-
ter and his record as prisoner 'They
left without any promise from the
governor.
Dalton contends that he is innocent
of murder and that for months he did
not know that the crime with Wnlch
he was charged was committed Ac-
cording to his story one DAY Wnen ne
was at the Taylor home in Marshall
county three officers came looking for
young Taylor and two others VINO
were charged with some crime. The
elder TAYLOR refused to allow them to
search the house, although the men
wanted were there at the time.
AT Bidding of His Sweetheart.
After the officers left it was sug
gested that Dalton take buggy and
drive the fugitives to some point
where they could get out of the coun-
try. The Taylor girl, who was Dali
tons fiancee. suggested it. Dalton
saws he thought 1t would increase her
affection for him and that he saw
nothing particularly wrong in it at the
time. He took the three men out Of
the immediate neighborhood by I'M
used roads and was just leaving them
when a posse surrounded them and
included Dalton in the arrest.
He was taken with the others to the
county Jail of Marshall county at
Marysville, charged with assisting fug1-
tives from justice to escape. AS soon
as they were inside the Jail they be-
gan planning to escape and 1t appears
not to have been a very hard thing TO
Go. The bars were sawed in two and
one night while the jailer was asleep
and the sheriff was out of the build
ing they decided to make their break
for liberty.
JaiIer Was Killed in Escape.
Dalton says he was the first to go
end that when he passed the jailer he
was sleeping soundly and snoring. He
escaped from the building and went to
the edge of town where he was to wait
for the others. When they reached
him they told him the jailer had walked
ND and that they had had "to tap him
on the nut" Dalton says he question
ed them as to what they did to the
jailer and they told him there was
nothing serious.
Dalton saws he did not know then
that the jailer was killed. He left the
others and went to Denver where he
enlisted under the name of Albert G.
Denny in Company K of the Fifteenth
infantry. He was sent to Cuba and
served through the campaign there.
He was honorably discharged and re-
turned to Philadelphia where he re-en-
listed in Company L of the Fourth in
fantry. He was sent to the Philippines
and served two years and four months
there. 1t was in the army that he met
Lieutenant Singleton. Singleton says
Dalton was a good soldier. a good COM
panion and a gentleman in every re-
spect. He had no idea then that the
man had ever committed a crime of
any kind. 1t was only a few days af-
ter Dalton returned to this country
from his second enlistment that he
was arrested and brought back to Kan
Sas for trial.