Norwich bulletin., 1911-04-10

Tn Providence, after one of the most sensational murder trials in the state eI Hhode Island, is seeking a pardon from CranstCn prison.
 He had hearing before the board or pard0ns last week, and submitted a long appeal ir. which he said:
 l am victim of one of the most con- teniptible and adstardly conspiracies ever concocted. Detectives Parker and swan investigated my case and there lore they know it was absolutely im- possible TOT me to have been in Water man Irons store on High street, Provi- dence, at 2.14 o'clock Friday afternoon August A, 1888, and go from there to Mrs. Patterson's house in Mount Pleas. ant and change my clothes and then go down to Mrs. Shades house, 132 South street, and arrive at her house at o'clock. according to her testi- mony. Detectives Parker and Swan walked from MT. Irons store on High street to Mrs Patterson's house in Mount Pleasant and from her house back to Mir. Irons place and from thare down to Mrs. Shades, 132 South street. in one hour and IS minutes Notwith- standing this, Detective Swan took the witness stand and deliberately swore that he had walked from MT. Irons store on High stret to Mrs. Patterson's house in Mount Pleasant in 21 1-2 min utes by his watch, and he also swore that he walked from Mir. Irons tsore to uhI ;. SIslue 5 mousse, I5Z SOuCn street, III 10 minutes. That is 53 minutes for the round trip. and the jury convicted me on Swans testimony, believing it to be true.
 Says He Proved AIibi.
 Detective Swans testimony made the jury believe I was in Mir. Irons store on High street at 2.14 o'clock Friday afternoon, August 24 1888, when he was assaulted, and went from there to M Dot n, s ant and changed my clothes and went down to Mrs. Shades, 132 South street, and arrived at her house at o'clock, according to her testimony. AS mat ter of fact I arrived at Mrs. Shades at just five minutes to 3 o'clock that same Friday afternoon. From the building on High street in which MT. Irons kept his leather store to Mrs. Patterson's house in Mount Pleasant and from her house to Mrs. Slade's. 132 South street IS distance of about five miles, and it takes one bod IS minutes to walk 1t, according to the aff1davits of ten rep utable witnesses l have. Now. every body can see that it was absolutely impossible for me to have been in Wa terman Irons store on High street at 2-14 o'clock on Friday afternoon, Au-. bust 24th, 1888, and go from there to Mrs. Patterson's house in Mount Pleas ant, change my clothes and then go down to Mrs. Slade's house, 132 South street, and arrive at her house at 3 o'clock that same afternoon. Every one can see that have proven a com plete alibi.
 Attorney General Rogers, in opening the case for the state, said: '1 will prove that the defendant bought leath CT from MT. Irons.'' But he did not prove I bought any leather from Irons ranyone else. As matter of fact, I never bought any leather from ane- Inc oil %t1<~ big man whom they saw on High street near MT. Irons store walked like a sailor. I was never a sailor, and fur thermore, I never walked like a sailor.
 Every person tried for murder in this state has from three month sto two years to prepare for trial, but had only seven weeks.
 My trial was pushed on with an ir- regularity and inhumanity that recalls the days of the Salem, Mass, witch craft trials. It is a terrible thing to try a boy, and was only 8 boy when months after the state claims the crime was committed. As to Mir. Angells estimony-it was absolutely impossible for a person standing on the curbstone in front of MT. Irons store to hear any talking in the center of the store, part ly because of the continual noise in the street. caused by the teams and horse cars passing by and partly because of the people passing by on the sidewalk between tfe curbstone and store. From the middle of MT. Irons store to the curbstone was 16 feet distance, ac- cording to the states plan of the store and premises. The first time Mrs. An gell ever saw me was when she came to identify me as one of the men whom she claimed she saw in Waterman Irons store on the day he was assault ed.
 Identification in the Prison.
 The police brought Mrs. Angel out here to identify me as one of the men whom she claimed sch saw in Mr. Irons store. The hall keeper sent to the workship for me to come over to the hall, which I did. The identifica- tion was the most unjust that ever occurred in the United States. Indeed, it was just like my trial, travesty on justice. That was the first time I ever saw Mrs. Angell. She read all about the Irons case in the newspapers and saw my picture in the paper before she came out here to see me. Detective Parker also showed Mrs. Angell my photograph. before he sent her to the prison to make the false Identification.
 I don't even know teh names of the two men whom Messrs. Anthony and Miller saw on High street near MT. Irons store. but my lawyers do know them, and they have their af6davits.
 There is one point I suppose I ought to touch upon and that is the motive for the assault. The state claimed the motive was robbery. Mrs. Read, Wa terman Irons daughter, swore that when they brought her father home, after he was assaulted she found his pocketbook, containing $210, in one of his trousers pockets, and some change in the other trousers pocket, and that only one of his pocketbooks, containing a small sum Of money was missing. If Mir. Irons lost a pocketbook on the day he was assaulted, it must have drop ped out of his pocket when he was knocked down, and some member of the crowd that gathered in MT. Irons store as soon as it was discovered that he had been assaulted, might have picked it up and kept it. Nobody saw the man or men who assaulted Water terfered, so he they must have had plenty of time to turn his pockets in- side out, and it would take only a few seconds to do it, and take everything of value he had. had robbery been the object of the attack.
 The fact that the two men had been in Mir. Irons store several times be- fore and bougt leather from him con- vincs me that the crime was commit ted in quarrel concerning Heather by a drunken cobbler or cobbIers.
 drI. .obbq, ,theohghc.
 Regarding the postage stamps found on me when I was arrested, they were my rrcrerty and cot Waterman Irons.
 Norwich Jail Incident.
 Now, the prosecution tried in every way to convict me. For instance, the fact that I ran away from Norwich iail