The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1914-10-16
PARDON BOARD
RECEIVES MANY
SPECIFICATIONS

Sf fling of 1873 Applications
Shows Liquor Is Blamed In
Most Cases.
MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 15.-The state
pardon board Tuesday had under con-
sideration 1873 applications for pardons
or sentence combinations that were
presented to it Monday in the most
trying session the members ever con-
Quoted. For three and half hours
without intermission one case sue
ceeded another. Thirty-six of the 1873
cases found presentation by personal
plea of those who sought for clemency,
or their wives, or husbands, brothers,
sisters, or children.
Judge G. B. Elliott of Minneapolis
came in first and told. the board the
story of John Kondolis, Greek boy,
newly arrived in the country, who,
even now in Saltwater, does not under
stand it all, who has no relatives, no
friends, no money, and who put two
tramps out of the Northern Pacific
roundhouse at Fargo, one Of whom
died as the result of a fall when rum
ming out. That Kondolis, if respon-
sible for the fall, had no intention Of
killing the man, was the plea.
Husband Begs for Wife.
Then came the case of Hilda Roland
in which Hazel Murphy figured, which
made Minneapolis sensation a year
ago. In blue flannel shirt, rough and
honest-looking, from his North Da-
kota claim where, he told the board,
he has a home for his wife, stood up
the husband in appeal. And the
daughter of Mrs. Roland also.
Two women entered, both tall, thin,
emaciated, with faces that showed
long suffering. One carried a baby in
her arms, and placed it in chair near
the window, effacing herself in the
background. The other approached
the secretary's table and stood, white
faced and faltering.
II want my boy" she said. "He
had no one to counsel him. He was
just boy when it happened" Her
hands were locked and she untwined
her fingers and clasped her hands
again.
Breaks Down and S0bs.
I'll don't know what to say. ]
had it all made up, because I was sure
if you knew just how it was you would
let him go. And now I can't say it.
But 1 want my boy. Oh, I need him
He was only Is. Oh, I wish you would
let him out. I need him." She sobbed
and broke down momentarily and the
baby over in the big chair near the
window babbled and lifted it's hands
as if to catch the rain that was driv-
ing against the glass.
Justice Browns pencil was tapping
the table steadily, and the two pairs
of spectacles that he wears one over
the other, were pushed away back over
his forehead into his hair by success
sive motions Of the hand. The gov
ernor looked serious, Secretary Archie
Hayes began to write vigorously on a
pad and there was a suspicion Of
moisture in the eyes of Attorney Gen.
eral L. A. Smith, who cleared his
throat several times with great vigor.
Puts Blame on Liquor.
Then the governor wanted to know
why the woman thought the boy would
do better this time and when the wom-
an spoke in reply, it seemed almost as
if gaunt specter rose and fled
through the solid walls, for old John
Barleycorn was called by name and
esponsibility for the woman's sorrow
was placed upon him.
"There was a saloon in the village"
she said. "But now there is no sa-
loon," she said.
Rapidly thereafter John Barleycorn
was detected, lurking ever at the bot
tom of it all. In came J. N. Barncard,
state official, pleading for man who
was a splendid fellow except that he
made one false move. William OLA
gen was not there, but friends were
there in his behalf, and village pool
hall and it's atmosphere accounted, his
representatives said, for his prison
sentence.
Pleaded Guilty to Save Girl.
Miss Peterson of the state labor bu-
reau, which had sent youth to the
reformatory, came in to plead for him
There was a young girl in the case,
and to save her and her family from
the disgrace of pubic trial, the boy
had pleaded "guilty," she said.
John Wilbur, illiterate, without
friends land drunk at the time, killed
man in Morrison county Fl years
ago, and for all that time has been in
prison. Today he is an educated man
and his pleaders believe he would
make a good and useful member of
society.