Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-02-04
OChicago Tribune.)

a snort sturdy little old man, INTO
whose face time had written the in
delible legend of character, years of
rigid abstinence and stole sef-control,
walked briskly into the law office of
Sass, Nicolai & Hood in the American
Trust building at o'clock yesterday
afternoon. He was ushered into the
apartment of Joseph Nic0lai mem
Der of the firm. His who.e face was
crinkled into a smile. He extended
his hand to the lawyer who gripped it
eagerly.
"Meester Nicolai," he said.
That was the return of John Cont.
Twelty-one years and seven months
ago John Cont went down to the pris
on at Joliet to serve a life term for
murder which he and friends who in
terested themselves in his case assert
he never committed. With six other
convicts-George Gill Roberts, who
stabbed John V. Kopf to death in a
political fight; John Hjany, who killed
Horace G. Shrode; Louis White, an
who killed Policeman George Schian-
ger; Tucker Ballard, a murderer from
viii county, and Joseph Ellius, anoth-
er ''lifer"-he was released during the
day from the penitentiary.
Cont never had been off the prison
property since the day in June, 1891,
when its steel doors changed behind
him.
The meeting between Cont and Nj
colai had a significance not apparent
on the surface. Their being together
in that office meant the successful cul-
mination of four years of work. Nico-
! lai secured Conti's release.
| THINKS CONT FRNME-UP VICTIM.
The lawyer learned of COnti's case
] quite by accident, while connected
with the Italian copsul's office. He
made an exhaustive investigation and
concluded the man not only was in
nocent, but was the victim of frame
up" in which his wife had played a
chief part.
Purely out of sentimental considera-
tons, he began a fight to obtain the
convict's release. Without money and
without pull and by power of evil
dence alone he finally was able to con-
vince the pardon board that Cont had
! been wrongfully convicted. To facili-
/ tate his release the mans life term
was committed to 40 years. These 40
years, Conti's good time being taken
/ into consideration. expired something
more than a month ago.
In February, 1891, the body of an
| Italian named Nicola Sena was found
covered with stab wounds in a west
side park. Sena and Cont had been
neighbors. At the inquest it developed
another Italian, Salvatore Voloni, had
a few days before the body was found
told Cont that Sena was too friendly
with Mrs. Cont. The jury, however,
did not hold Cont for the crime, be-
! cause witnesses swore the knife found
with the corpse did not belong to him
and because Cont showed he could
not have been with Sena at the time
the murder was committed.
Subsequently, however, this whole
state of affairs changed. The witness
IS repudiated their first statements
and swore the knife belonged to Con
ii.
Cont was rushed to trial, convicted
and taken to Joliet. Soon after he
entered the prison Conti's wife and
Voloni disappeared and never have
been heard of since.
Mr.. Nicolai then discovered Cont
was the object of a feud in the Italian
settlement and that a group of Italians
led by Voloni and Conti's wife had
conspired to get Cont out of the way
JOLIET's MODEL PRISONER.
For the recent six years Cont has
been employed on the prison farm. He
was Joliet's model prisoner. In the
20 years his only ohense consisted OF
talking and laughing during forbidden
hours. He now is able to talk Eng
lish fairly we'll something he could
not DO at his trial