The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-02-05
WHAT WOULD KENT
DO IF PARDONED?

Linton Record: The recent pardon
ing from the North Dakota penitentiary
OF Till. imprisoned many years for a
crime which pretty nearly every one
now believes he did not commit, has
directed public attention TO the fact
that there 10 an old man in the peni-
Tertiary of this state, who has been
there many years, and who was sent
there on as fiimsy evidence as was Civ
in the case Of Till. We refer to Kent
This man was tried in Mandan for the
murder OF his wife. and was convicted
on the evidence Of a wretch who, when
coFneFed, confessed to killing Mrs.
Kent, and who afterward died in the
penitentiary at Bismarck. He claimed
that he was tool in the hands of Kent,
and that the latter had persuaded him
to do the deed. 1t was believed by
many, however. that this story was a
falsehood, and that he had killed the
woman because she had resisted his
assault on her. But II was shown that
he was a defaulter in some agency bus
mess that he had been transacting. He
was captured and taken back to Man
dan, he having run away as he claimed
to escape punishment for other mis-
deeds-before ths murder was COM
mitted. He was tried. and, as we now
remember II, sentenced TO death. The
grave doubts in the minds of many
people who heard or read the evidence
was such, however, that the capital
sentence was commuted to life impris-
onment, IL the word COMMITTED can
properly be used In describing a change
from a death sentence TO one which
fixes imprisonment for life as the PEN
atty, The known and actual murder
ers evidence convicted Kent coupled
with the fact that he was I'm hiding
when the murder was committed. But
he has always declared that his flight
was caused by the knowledge that he
was TO be arrested for some pecuniary
peculation. There was not the slight
est motive for the murder shown at
the trial. Kent and his wife got along
agreeably, as was clearly shown by
their Mandan neighboFs. But he was
without money, and--what was worse
for him--his reputation for honesty was
bad, and his friends during the trial
were few and far between. In fact, a
man who was then prominent in Man
dan informed the writer of this article,
in reply to the latter's suggestion that
the evidence was rather meager on
which to legally kill q man or subject
him to lifelong Imprisonment, that
1T la a good radiance, anyway, and
Mandan Is better off without him" We
have been told by more than one Man
DANTE that, had Kent borne q good
character for honesty, he would not
have been convicted.
Paragraphs are gebinning TO appear
in state newspapers regarding the Kent
case. One paper says that steps are to
be taken with the object of securing
a pardon for the aged prisoner. But
that would be OF little value to him now
What could he do in his old age II
turned adrift on the world, without
money and without friends, and handi
capped by the stigma of a long term
Of service in the penitentiay?
There 10 something radically wrong
in the American way Of treating limo
cent men who have been convicted OF
crimes and have afterward been par
doned because of belief I'm their inno-
eence, or by facts coming to light which
have shown clearly that they were I'M
Justly condemned. Such person Is re-
turned to the world with no EFFORT
whatever being made to recompenst
| him for the cruel wrong which society
has done him. The cahnees are tina
| the few friends left to him after his
conviction are dead or have removed
1 to other homes without money anC
united for contact with the world, h
| is but little, IL any, better OFT than h
was I'm prison. Not dollar In pale
TO him by society. that intangible force
for the protection of which, he has beer
buried alive. The expenses of his tria
/ have probably eaten all the property
| he owned. He has nothing. True, th'
agents OF society made a mistake wher
they sent him to his doom; but society
will not assume responsibility for tbs
mistake. Society will make no restitu'
ton. 1t seems 10 US that this IL O. queei
sort OF equity in a land that pTldei
itself on the justice and fair-dealins
| of its methods. We have read that II u
a condition which does not prevail II
most OF the civilized nations of Europe
ana that restitution--as far as ma
terial considerations are concerned--ii
made by soclsty when society cruelty
wrongs q member through q mistake
Kent may be guilty. But what al
i outrageous crime has been commitet
i IL he be innocent. And, II innocent
what must be his feelings az his lonl
years Of imprisonment pass by. know
ing that he has been unjustly deal
with. and that there will never come !
thine when he can disprove the fright
ful charge Of numbering his wife?
i The fact is--as we have heard q
least two good lawyers OF the Missouri
i slope aasert--there wasn't enough evi
denco against Kent to justly hold hin
for anything but cheating and swind
llinw. and the verdict against him wa
Influenced entirely by the excited stat
Of public opinion caused by the horribl