The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1913-01-02
GOV, BLEASE FREED 79.
CONVICTS AT XMAS.
FORTY-FIVE MAN:SLAYERS LIB
ERATED---MANY NEGROES IN
CLUDED-HOSIERY MILL THREAT.

Columbia, December 24:-With
the compliments of the Christmas
season, Gov Cole l. Blease today par
doned, paroled or commuted the SEN
tences of seventy-nine convlcts. OF
whom forty-fve had been found gull
ty of various degrees of homicide and
twenty-five were serving life terms
in the State penitentiary. Some
were freed on condition that they
leave the State in twenty-four hours
and never return. Three of the par
dons were given to convicts who had
been previously released for the pur-
pose of restoring citizenship. Many
of those set free had been working
ing on chaingangs.
The Governor made no general
statement of his reasons for his &C.
ton. He extended clemency to thir-
ty-three convicts on Thanksgiving
day and to nineteen last Christmas.
In two years he has freed 500. He
will account for his pardons in a
message to the Legislature.
One of the most interesting cases
in today's lot is the full pardon of J
Chester Kennedy, q white man, con-
yicted of murder in 1909 and SEN
fenced to life imprisonment. kenne-
dy, the jury found, hired two negroes
to kill Marvin N Holland, pointing
Holland out for assassination, but
one of the negroes mistook for him a
man named Ussery, who was stand
ind nearby, and killed him instead.
Both of the negroes are serving life
terms and Gov Blease says they have
made conflicting statements, which
have led him to doubt Kennedy's
guilt.
The Governor has paroled during
good behavior Alexander Farrell,
convicted of murder with woman
accomplice in Florence county in 1896
and sentenced to life imprisonment.
The woman received clemency from
a former Governor.
Among other cases in the list are
the following:
Louis Cantrell, convicted in 1910
of murder and sentenced to life i'm
prisonment; paroled on condition
that he leave South Carolina within
twenty-four hours and never return.
Golf Black, convicted in 1909 of
murder and sentenced to life impris-
onment; paroled on the same condi-
tions.
Charles M Gaines, convicted in 13lO
of murder and sentenced to lie i'm
prisonment; paroled on condition
that he leave South Carolina within
twenty-four hours and never return,
except by permission of the Governor
James Moses, convicted in 1898 of
murder and sentenced to lifeimprison
ment; paroled during good behavior.
James Raysor, convicted in 1893
of murder and sentenced to be hang
ed, sentence commuted to life i'm
prisonment by a former Governor;
paroled during good behavior.
George Mayfeld, John Jackson,
John De Grafenreid, Isaac Perry,
W Logan Ramey, Robert Mack, Miles
Bryant and Shepherd Jefferson, all
convicted of murder since 1897 and
sentenced to life Imprisonment; pa
rolled during good behavior.
Lem Strother, convicted in 1909
of murder and James Hayden, con-
victed in 1907 of murder, both SEN
fenced to life imprisonment; sentence
commuted to ten years in each case.
Eight other life prisoners have
been paroled during good behavior.
Two of them were assailants of wom-
en-: Charles Singleton, who was con-
victed in 1893 and William Benjamin,
convicted in 1891. Five were bur-
glars.
In addition, Gov Blease has grant
ed clemency, mostly in the form of
parole during good behavior, to