Bisbee daily review., 1911-12-08
4 HALF CENTURY IN PENITENTIARY
 \ WIFE MURDERER
Application for His Pardon to Be Made Next
 Week
CASE OF JOHN WARREN

 HARTFORD. Conn, Dec. 7--Among | the thirty-six convieJs at the State prison at Wethersfield. whose appli- cations for parole or pardon will be considered by Ithe state Board of | Pardons when that board meets heie next Tuesday, is John Warren, the oldest inmate of the prison, who has spent fifty-two years ot his life m that penal institution In the fall oi 1859 John Warren was convicted of the murder of his wife and sentenced 70 prison for life. He entered the state prison at Wethersfield November IA, 1859 and has remained isolated from the outside world ever since. Several times he appealed eo the Board ot Pardons for his release, but in every case his application was denied. This year he has again petitioned for pardon and his friends confidently expect that this time the board will be less obdurate.
 The history of Warrens crime is rather unusual In the early summer of 1859 John P. Warren, then only twenty-one years old and his lS-year old wife lived on small farm in Will 1USlOus q lllliG lOh II Ill AOliAAAN NSAAA- ty, in the northeastern part of Con necticut On a warm morning in July of that year Warren and his wife took a walk in the woods. It was hot and they came to 8 brook not far from their farm, Warren proposed that they take oil their shoes and stock ings and bathe their feet in the cool waters of the brook. His wife con.
 slrsa-, ,er hE4r shoes and stockings, waded into the brook.
 Warren sprang at her, threw her down and held her head under water until his wife was dead. Just what fury or passion animated Warren and prompted him to commit the cold blooded and apparently unprovoked crime, has never been ascertained. Warren, himself, although he con fessed the crime, has never given any explanation of h.s action or the mo tive of the deed. He sscreted the body of his wife in the woods, where it was soon found Warren was ar rested and put through the Third Degree. He confessed his crime, but refused to make any explanatory statement
 After a preliminary hearing War ren's case was set for the September term of the Holland county superior court On the night of Wednesday, August 10, of that year. while con fined in the Holland county jail, War ren managed to obealn possession Of a big butcher knife, with which he attacked jailor Griggs Warren man aged to escape, but was caught short ly afterward in Eastford, near Will mantle.
 The trial of Warren was short The prisoner pleaded guilty and his attorney confined himself 10 a strong appeal for the life of his client. The appeal was successful and Warren was sentenced to imprisonment for life. From the very beginning of his term in the State prison at Wethers- ford, Warren was a model prisoner He obeyed the prison rules strictly gave no trouble to the warden ano the other officials of the prison and tried to make himself as useful as possible under the conditions.
 After a number of years the ward el who placed ususual trust in War rSn, relaxed the rigor of the prison rules to a great extent so far as War ren was concerned. The prisoner was made gardener and for many years he took excellent care of the flower garden of the prison and of tn, grounds surrounding the official resi- dence of the warden
 When the present warden, G1rvin came to WetheTsfield about fourteeI years ago he continued to allow tC Warren the privileges that the form CT warden had granted him and no only retained him as gardener, bu also placed him in charge of the fur mace of the wardens residence an' made him a scrt of general helpei about the house.
 For many years Warren had tn privilege of passing unchallenge' through the prison gates and frequent Iy he spends all day outside of th' prison in the pursuance of his gardei work, but never did he make an at tempt to escape or to violate in an. way the confidence which the ward en of the institution had placed il him. The comparative freedom whicl he enjoyed, had a beneficial effect uI on Warren's physical and mental COT dition. Although he now is more thai seventy-two years Of age, he Is stil active and energetic and looks scarce ly fifty. His hair is turning gray but he stoops but little and his ste is still elastic
 In case the Board of Pardon should release Warren, his two young CT brothers of Willimantic and hi nephews and cousins. all people O
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