Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-05-16
PROBATION LOST
BY lNDISCRETION
PRISONER SENDS TWO LET
TIERS TO PAROLE OFFICERS
DUPLICATES OF MlssIVEs RE-
TURNED TO COURT
Clark, Convicted of Forgery, Who APP
piled for Release, Receives Five
Years at San Quentin Pen-
itentiary

A letter written by w. P. Clark
while awaiting sentence in the county
Jail for forgery and struggled out of
the Jail by a supposed friend led the
probation officers and others to aban-
don their efforts to obtain Clark's pro-
visional release Friday, and he was
sentenced yesterday to San Quentin
penitentiary for five years by Judge
Willis.
Clark was arrested early in January
charged with passing a forged check
FOR $40 in August while employed al
Republican league headduarters' he
pleaded guilty and the case has been
continued from time to time to give
the probation officers an opportunity
to investigate his history and do what
they could toward procuring his re-
lease on probation on account of his
wife
The investigation disclosed the fact
that Clark had served two terms IN
eastern prisons for committing SINH
lar offeuses. but notwithstanding this
fact the officers and Judge Willis We're
disposed to be lenient.
Their attitude was changed, however,
Friday when a messenger delivered 20
Judge Willis two letters inclosed in the
envelope of a messenger company.
Letters Are Disclosed
The letters were duplicates, addressed
to Frank Devlin. member of the pa
role commission for Folsom prison.
with whom Clark was associated as an
expert accountant in the employ Of
the late James G. Fair of San Fran
cisco. The letters urged Mr. Devlin to
intercede for the purpose of obtaining
a parole or pardon for Charles A. Nc
caVfarpad GnN6ral weeks
to two years at Folsom on a forgery
charge.
MCCARTHY was railroaded to prison"
wrote Clark He was associated with
me in a business way in Mexico, and
l always found him to be reliable and
honest If you wish I can get num-
Der of persons who will indorse my
statements"
clark gave his address as GA I. w.
Hellman building, an office recently va
Gated.
When confronted with the letters
Clark said they were dictated to him by
Mccarthy in their cell at the county
jail and that he never knew his brother
prisoner before meeting him in the in
stitution.
Probation Refused
"Ninety-three per cent of persons
placed on probation up to this year
before passing sentence. Recently.
however, there has been a falling off
and as a result 1 have hesitated in
allowing probation in many cases. Not
withstanding this fact, I was inclined
to treat your case favorably. l hoped
to keep you in the county Jail a few
months and then release you provis-
ionally.
but I find you have represented a
state of facts absolutely false in order
to get a casual acquaintance out Of
the penitentiary, and have used your
friendship with a member of the pa
role board to impose on him."
Clark is well known in political cir
Giles in New Mexico, being at one time
connected with the Republican state
central committee at Santa Fe.
Judge Willis stated he did not know
the identity of the person to whom
Clark gave the letters in the Jail, and
was surprised when they were deliv-
cred to him and he read their contents.