The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-03-18
Gives Prison Board
the Right to Grant 1t
After Three Years.
NOT YET SIGNED
BY GOV. STUART
Hobson Says Measure Was
Rushed Through House in
Closing Hour Without Ex-
planation as to It's Full
Intent-Call Matter to
Governors Attention.

The attention of Governor Stuart was
called yesterday TO Il bin which went
through the House of Delegates in tho
closing rush on Saturday night, under
which tho Allen outlaws. now confined
i'll the State Pententtary may he pa
rolled by the pcnitentary board within
the next two years. The present law
provides that the board may parole a
prisoner who has served one-haif OF
his term il he has kept the prison rules.
The General Assembly amended that
! law b. making it three years or half
or term of imprisonment for which
4 convict was sentenced
In bringing the matter before the
eyes OF the Governor opponents of tho
bill did so with the idea of urging
him to veto 1t. The Governor left the
city last night for Bristol. TO return on
Friday. 1t was said at the Capitol
that the enrolled bill had not reached
his Office The Governor has ten days
after adjournment OF the constructive
session to sign or veto all measures.
1t is expected, therefore. that Il big
fight will he waged next week ty
friends and opponents Of the Aliens for
! and against approval
Allen Friends Urged II.
While strong denials came from some
OF the people who were unfaltcring in
their efforts to save the Ilillsville
! court murderers from death and long
terms in the penitentiary. it is known
that many Allen sympathiZers worked
for the amended law. The change in
the Code appeared to be so unimport-
ant that it did not attract attention.
! The Senate did not give il more than
| passing consideration. 1t was called
UP in the House on Saturday night and
went through in rush that carried
| with II scores Of local measures
| Graham Is. Hobson said yesterday
N.l1 l.A.1t ~. t,, l,..
! House he asked for an explanation as
70 the the changes. 1an and Vas % Informed that
! to meet a trivial defect.
| II have since found" said MIR. Hob
son, last night: that the whole aim
! SO that the Aliens can be pnroled after
| they have served three years. Had
proper information been given when
| the matter came up for concurrence
! would most certainly have voted
against it. While it may he said that
1t was not put through simply to set
! pie generally will agree that that was
its object especially when we find now
that some of the, champion Allen
fort. therefore. TO have the Governor
veto 1t is, to my mind, eminently
Puts In Thrce-Ycnr Clause
The, bill. which passed the House
after It's passage in the Senate. is. SEN
ate bilI 40. 442, with Senator I.esner,
! W H>oIiolh, aS patron. section ! pro-
! vides: When II appears TO the board
i or directors of the penitentiary that u
| prisoner in that institution who was
sentenced to the penitentiary for amy
crime has served out half of his term
| OF Imprisonment for which lie was sen
tcnccd. OR HAS SERVED THREE
WEARS OF SAID TERM, that lie has
| Kept the prison rules for the two years
| next preceding the date OF the cXpira-
tlon OF onc-half of his term df he shall
have been confined in the pcnitentiary
| so long), or for the said three years
| hS The case may be, as shown by the
| prison records, and that lie is a tit per-
/ son 10 receive such parole, said board
| may. in its discretion, parole him dur
| ing the remainder of his term OF SEN
| as 1t may prescribe. IL he has an as
surance satisfactory to said board that
/ ne n. MI have employment as soon as he
, vlded for that he will not be dependent
! upon public and private charity.
lf The record shows that he has vio-
iateu the rules of the prison. the board
may, In its discretion, parole him at
Such time after the expiration OF one
half OF the time for which he was SEN
fenced or at such time after the en-
piration OF the three years served by
him Of the time for which he WAS sem
fenced, as ii shall determine"
,Thc only change in the old act is the
/ clause "or has served three years ot
said term as printed In black t,'pc in
the foregoing section.
In View of the astounding fight made
year ago to save Floyd Allen and
tiduuc swanson Allen from the death
chair. this new effort To secure pard0ns
for other members of the clan without
direct appeal to the Governor is not
regarded by large part OF the public
as surprising: The whole country rang
with praise for Governor Mann When
he left his bed in Philadelphia ut 8
o'clock in the morning TO return to
Virginia when notified by his that
friends OF the Aliens had appealed to
the, l-icutenant. Governor for a commu-
tation Speeding back to Richmond,
Governor Mann sent telegram to the
Superintendent of the Penitentiary,
saying, The Governor is on Virginia
soil" lie had refused to interfere he
was outraged at the turn of events in
his absence. and when he reached his
Office the penitcntiary officials were
would be executed The Aliens were
put to death at noon that day.
Since Governor Stuart went into. Of
letters urging him to pardon Fricl
Allen. who is serving a sentence or
eighteen ,1,s o,s. years Other members, OF
thirty-tivc years; Sidna Edwards. iif-
teen years, and Wesley Edwards
twenty.sewen years. Wesley Edwards
Farm, as 1t was thought he was suf-
ferinS with tuberculosis. He has shown
much Improvement within the past
Puts burden on Board
The approval of the bill by the Gov
ernor does not necessarily mean that
even II their prison records should be
perfect 1t is known, however that
they have friends on tho board, and
even without friends To sit in Judgment,
the inevitable effect would be that tho
board members would be besieged from
all sides to set them free. \ high State
| thing as a Statewide vote were pos
sible on the Allen question. Floyd and
CLAUDIO swanson Alien would not havo
| gone to the chair. aud that evcry mem
ber OF tho clan now In the pcnftantIarx