Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1912-09-19
GOVERNOR PARD0NS ROBERT ARMSTRONG Negro Was Twice Copvicted and Sentenced to Be Hanp.
 ed For Criminal
 
 Assault.
A LETTER THE CAUSE
s'ShO' Does Feel Good tO Re Free Again,' Said the Negro When
 Told of Pardon.

l-i tie Rock. Ark, se2s 1>. At l2:15 o'clock today Robert Aras rofr the negro con lemned to bn hanged on Ella Hardcastle. on the nie.'t e. t1r- tober 24, 1911, walked from ta, Pr~ lask; County jail free man and z citizen of this State
 He was pardon ed his T. frasn3 l,v Gov. Geo. w. Dcnaghey at hearing Aeld in the private effice 9i lha ch ef executive between Prosecuting Atar- ney k bert L. Rogers and W. A. Roy d attorney for the condemned negr,.
 At this hearing were Chiaf If D. tectives George Lewis, D.tec ives T. K. Jones. Sam D. M rgaa, N F Hobbs, R. D. Leas, forme" 'mpioyrl of Alm:t :trong. and Cliff n Evans. ja Ter at tae c5unty jail, an ii ) whsse' effcrts partly Armstrong owes his life. The case was argued but little, the governor having P, evi1usv rtad the trar scrip of the case, and then the letter upon wh oh ti.n dcfenst was mainly based was pres'n ntc,l tC the governor. This letter is supposed to have been written by James B. Brown, the neg.o Jack the Shooter" who was recently killed :.l he city, ard Nas first sen, through :n ma.,a to w. \. Gray, whose moth,r-n -laN was assaulted some time agc. Tat handwrit ng in the letter closely re- sembies taat on several of t:.'a cheeks signed by Brown, and has been las- sed upon by experts ill this city as be rg written by the same nand.
 The letter was turned ev,r - De tective T. K. Jones by pr. Gray, aHd the letter was shown to Jai' CvaGs by the city detec i've in order t., asc+i- tain whether or not the letter was written by any of the inmates ot :Ae county jail. Some time a'le: the death of Brown, Mir Evans ran.t":- bered the letter. and told the attornnv for the negro, w. A. Boyd, of its eS- istence. Mr. Boyd Immediately 5Asan work on the case, and circulated q petition for the pardon of the negro. .e The Unsigned Letter.
 The letter sent to Mr. Gray and presented to Governor Donaghey tn S morning is as follows:
 ',Mr w. N. Gray:
 sir, have your mo,her-in-law to consider things for she $ wrong, am the gan that were in your house on Wedne sday morning last got $l b.ll and some change his sample near the cad is he one got off the dresser in your room, got the money out of a l t le pocket book, put the pants back on the chair whair got them now you see that thire is some ruth about tn s il is the same woy with that hardcastle case that pore nigro is to hang fer someth ng tha, he an no other of his race cormited. 1t Is a shame for such it worries me to see Low people can rob one of ms life when they know they are rong. Miss Ella Haricastle no that her man was white and stand about o.lo 1-2 inc tall i intend to see if justes is not relt in these eases there Wltl be n, good luck foller it is desport chance. Now i.s up to you all am guilty of both charges ard will nof stand for ssme Cne else to suffer on a vie do as you all pleas, am white absolutely white. New i have old you this so take t up to the good thinking peoples, you are cne your self'
 Was Twice Convicted.
 Arms rong was convicted in the Pu- laski County Circuit Ccurt ,n Novem- ber 1911,. and his case was appeal to the Supreme Court. From that tripu nal the case was gent back.
 Then Armstrong was given sec