Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1912-12-18
r hir ty-Eig hit Jefferson
County Criminals Turned
Loose.
A DOWNRIGHT SHAME
Is What District Attorney Nixon Says
of the Pard0nS- Thieves
Liberated.

Governor Don@gAeys pardon edict,
free ng $50 convicts from she county
farms and penitentary, WAS general
~ denounced in this city yesterday
by prominent business men and Of
ficials. 1t was the opinion that Gov
crnor Donaghey is playing politics,
but tha' his action will not 2dd TO
his popularity in this county.
In discussing the matter yesterday
afternoon District Attorney T. HaV S
Nixon said:
"Nei'her Governor Donaghey nor
his friends can Justify his act SO far
as the Eleventh District is concern
ed, by saying that prisoners Oh the
county farms are badly treated. More
than 80 of tle conv C S paraoned by
him are persons who had been con-
victsd in this district within the past
two years and sent to she peniten-
.iary and who were not upon the
county farms at all. 1t is we'll known
to officials charged with the enforce
ment Of the cr minal laws that the
class Of persons who find their way
tougher ard more hardened set OF
criminals g 6 rule than these who go
to the penitenliary. The isolated
eases accredited to jefferson county
in which Governor Donaghey claims
4he canvicts had been given too much
tine are cases where employees had
be8n consistently robbing their EN-
ployers daily for months before de-
5tected. In none OF the cases were
sssrEcssss,ssast o4en'-suff ffttsient . war
rant penitent airy .sens ences. Had
convictions been had in all cases
where they confessed their guilt their
terms would have been many tines
greater than they were. The only
thing open for court to do in mat
ters of that kind seems to be to fix
such punishment as it thinks proper,
and in none of the cases complained
'of could any person familiar with the
facs say that the sentence imposed
was too great foT the offenses COM
mitted. In my judgement t was a
downright shame for the Governor
with one stroke of the pen to liberate
$50 confessed or convicted criminals,
more than sixty of whom came from
this district and many of whom are
old time criminals. 1t S another
evidence of the need of pardoning
board"
Jefferson COuntys List.
Following is a partial list of those
pardoned fro he penitentiary from
Jefferson county:
Lynn Adams, cattle thief; Austin
B films, cattle thief; Balboa Beard,
grand larceny; Clay Craig, hog thief
Elisha Clark, grand larceny; Howard
Givens, grand larceny; Robert Har-
ris, grand larceny; Jack Hinton
burglary; Charles Henderson, forg-
cry; John Jordan, grand larceny;
Elijah Johnson, cattle thief; George
Kennon, forgery; Dan Munroe, CATTLE
thief; Charles Pigg (white) grand
| larceny; Jesse Peacock, grand lar.
ceny; George Pettus and Harry Sea.
well, cattle thieves.
In addition to the above the fol
low .lng were pardoned from Jefferson
county, most of whom are said tt
have been county convicts:
Will Toler, chicken thief; Ed. An
derson, Mitt Tilman, Charles Brown
Emma Daniels, Lena Hicks, Major
Hill, Willie Howard, Barney Nc
Knight, Allen Will ANS, George
Wright, Sol Edwards, Lanra Jones
Wallace Baty, John Smith, Jeff Hill
John Todd, Elijah Thomas. Viii
Trammell, Ellis White, Ed Williams
Among the above named are severa
vicious worthless negroes who have
| Uivcn tho local o,LthOritioc trouble
for many years.
Special Agent Ed Cheek of the Cot
ton Belt, stated last night that among
those pardoned by Governor Donaghe!
were several of the most notorious
box car thieves who have been con
vic.,ed through his efforts in recen