Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1913-09-19
SEEKS PARDON OF
MAN IN JAIL YEARS
Brother Declares Kin Is Not
Slayer of Three.
WILL ASK GOV. COX TO ACT
Chicago Attorney Declares He Has
New Evidence to Prove That
Prisoner In the Ohio Peni-
tentlary ls Innocent.

Akron, O.-Declaring that he has
new evidence to prove that Romy
Cotell is innocent, Chicago at
been a prisoner at the Ohio peniten
tiary for 1G years for the murder of
three persons on the Stone farm near
here, will make an appeal to Gov. Cox
asking him to pardon the prisoner.
According to the attorney IL the
young man is freed a request will be
made for the arrest of one of a dozen
suspects detained at the time of the
crime. 1t is declared that new evil
to one of the suspects as the muir
derer. 1t is also declared that the
confession of Cotell, made after the
murder, was forced from him under
threats and that the real slayer was
given but cursory examination and
freed.
Was Mere Youth.
At the time of the murder Romy
Cotell was youth of 16. He was re.
ceived at the penitentiary Feb. 8,
1897, and in the last year has been
employed as trusty at the state tu.
berculosis farm at Mt. Vernon. His
health has broken down as result of
his long confinement in prison.
Detectives employed by Cotell's
family have been working in Akron
for the last few months trying to
delve further into the evidence upon
which Cotell was convicted.
The Stones, an aged farmer and his
wife, were slain in their beds late at
night They were beaten to death
with a club of some sort, and the
hired man, who had been out late and
had just returned to the house, came
upon the slayer at work. The man
attacked him and beat him so badly
that he died a few days later without
regaining consciousness.
Three daughters of the Stones were
also in the house, and one of them
saw the slayer. The murderer wore a
mask. She got out of the house and
gave the alarm, but by the time the
neighbors arrived the slayer had fed.
Killed With Bat, Charge.
Cotell was arrested and charged
with the crime A baseball bat was
produced with which it was declared
Cotell committed the murder. Romy
was indicted for first degree murder,
but after the preliminary examination
pleaded guilty to second degree muir
der and was given life sentence by
Judge j. A. Kohler. He continued to
declare his innocence after he was
hot thn n
who really committed the murder was
allowed to go free.
Six years ago friends of Cotell pc.
| titioned for a pardon for Cotell and
presented evidence which they de-
clared tended to show that the pris
| oner was innocent. The state pardon
board took up the case, but after in
| vestigation declined to recommend a
| pardon. Since then Cotell's brother
has spent considerable time in going
over the evidence, and he declares
that now he has procured enough new
evidence to induce Gov. Cox to make
an investigation.
| Another Bit of Evidence.
1t is declared that the Stone cir
who saw the slayer has declared thai
"the man who killed my father ant
mother was a much larger man thar
Cotell." Another bit of evidence will
be the transcript of a part of the
grand jury minutes and trial testi
mony which it is said will show tina
| the "blood" on the baseball bat will
which the murder was supposed tt
have been committed was analyzed al
paint by chemists who made tn,
analysis at the time Cotell was ar
rested.