The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1913-04-29
ALLEGED YEGGMAN ESCAPED
WHILE MARSHAL WATCHED
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ~
get Johnson pardoned as he was heir:
to a large estate in Chicago.
Felder-Reed Incident.

I
It was during this sitting Of the COM
mittee that Thos. B. Fielder, the At
lanta attorney, was presenting his
charges against Governor Blease and
Detective Reed was telling Of an at
tempted "frame-up'' whereby they
hoped to show that they could buy
pardon. But no pardon was obtained,
and how that investigation, with its
charges raised storm in South Caro-
lima is still fresh in the public mind.
The scoring which the committee
Fielder and Burns received at the hands
of the South Carolina governor in pub
lie speeches, charging that the whole
Augusta business was an attempt to
blacken his reputation and injure an
innocent man, and how these speeches
and subsequent developments famed
the campaign into white heat is re-
called by the paroling of the prisoner
who figured in the sensational dicta-
graph testimony at Augusta.
"Portland Ned's" Pleas.
portland Ned" from his cell in the
penitentiray, has addressed several
letters to the people of Spartanburg,
which we're published in the newspa-
uers there, asking for one more chance
and begging them to use their 1nf1u-
ence to get him his freedom and give
him another chance. Several strong
APPEALS we're made to the governor
in behalf of the prisoner, begging him
in the name of humanity to give him
clemency.
Tonight the governor finally yield
ed and extended mercy. His reasons
are set forth in the following:
Reasons for Parole.
i. johnson, James, (white,) alias Ed
ward Murphy, alias Edward Howard
alias Edward Smith, alias George
Howard, alias portland Ned convict
ed at the August 1911, term of court
for spartanburg county of house
breaking and larceny and sentenced
to ten years Imprisonment in the State
penitentiary.
seThe following letter was received
from the clerk of court of Spartan
burg county:
.spartanburg, S c., April %, 1913.
In re James Johnson.
INF. John K. .Aull, Columbia, S. c.
Dear Sir: Replying to your letter
of April 22nd instant, in regard to one
James Johnson, you wifi ind certified
copy of sentence imposed, and as to
Johnson being the same person who
served a term in the federal prison
For breaking into the postofice at En-
oree, s. c., will say thta he is the same
person. This is about the only reliable
information that can give
/" Yours very truly,
(signed) IN. Leonard Bennett,
Clerk of Court by E. W. Miller, D. c.
many Appeals for Parole.
seThe defendant had already served
yearly seven years in the Federal pris-
on in Atlanta for breaking into the
postofice at Enoree, S. c., when he
was tried again in spartanburg under
the laws OF this State and sentenced
to ten years Imprisonment, Of which
sentence he has served nearly two
wears making a total of nearly nine
wears which he has served for this Of
fence.
"I have received several personal
letters from prominent people Of this
State in reference to the man, asking
D that he be shown mercy. A petition
was presented signed by the foreman
and members of the jury who tried the
4 case. by Col. B. G. Landrum and many
of the other good, substantial citizens
around and about the place where the
. crime was COHlInlILSu
"The following communication was
Il also filed with the petition:
n Department Of justice, Office OF the
United States Marshall, District of
South Carolina, Charleston, S. c.,
MApril II, 1913.
observes Consideration.
James Johnson, care State prison,
i Columbia, S. C.
Dear Sir: have yours of the 9Th
\ inst. requesting me to write the gov
exnor and ask clemency for you. You
say that you have resolved to "have
III done with theHold life and be man in
the future" and I think that if you
Il III can convince the governor that you