The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-09-08
OF THREE
WARS Wins PARDON
At Age OF 85 George W. Cramm Is
Given Liberty From Life
Term In Sing Sing.
SLEW HIS WIFE IN 1894.
Declares He Has No Recollection OF
Crime-Made Splendid Record In
Prison-Pays High Tribut To War
den Osborn, Saying Prison Is Hcav-
en- To What 1t Once Was.

New York. Sept IA man in his
eighty-fifth year. with snow white
hair. sat at the window of AIS Third
Avenue this afternoon and watched
the elevated trains roll by. The old
man was sent TO Sing Sing for staying
his wife, Rachael. in October. 1894.
and is George W. Cramm, an honor
man at Sing Sing, and a veteran OF
the Mexican, Civil and Indian wars.
who won his pardon by his exemplary
conduct in the prison to which he
was first committed under a sentence
of death. This sentence was later
commuted and he then became
''lifer.'
Cramm was told on Monday III
Depu1y Warden johnson that he was
free 10 go back to the world. and
he delayed his departure until this
morning.
The trip back to New York did not
excite him at ALL as he had kept pace
with the development of things, and
nothing surprised him, but he was
truly excited over the reunion with
his granddaughter. Mrs. Arthur Stein,
with whom he is going to make his
home, and his ten months old great
granddaughte whose photograph he
wore on the lapel OF his waist coat.
1t was a great Homecoming for
grandpa.
Didn't Care To Talk.
When a reporter called It the fiat
this afternoon the old man was resi-
Ing up" as he expressed il, watching
the trains go by and he did not want
to talk about the certain Incidents
in his life that got him into trouble,
or of an old mans plans for the flu
iture. but he was very willing to talk
about the great things that Warden
Osborne and Deputy Warden Johnson
are doing for the boys at Sing Sing.
As for his crime he said he did not
remember anything about the revolt
yer or the Shooting, or the Tombs or
the trial
sing Sing is now q paradise to
what IT used 10 be" he said. Things
lcan't be moving better and greater
things are TO be done All that the
movement wants is the support of the
good people on the outside
Was Weighnastcr.
CTamm never had keeper over
him for fifteen years. He was the
prison weighmaster for that length
of time and weighed everything that
came in and went out OF the prison.
He came and went as he pleased and
never had pass but once. He earned
fDf himself Il SpieHulu Eepuidtion ior
faithfulness and efficiency and fifty
two officials signed the petition for
his pardon. He first got an inkiins
on Saturday night that pardon was
coming and he was the happiest man
in America
The old man Is the father OF nine
children. the youngest OF whom is
thirty-four The baby called upon
his father yesterday and didn't know
4f-sr-
lar about keeping his children away
from Sing Sing. and wouldn't let them
visit him unless he sent for them.
Once there was a reunion of four
generations at the prison, the old man.
a daughter. a nddaughter and a
great granddaughter.
Henry Clay His Templer.
Cramm was the youngest of thir-
teen children, twelve boys and a girl,
He was the only one of the boys who
touched liquor, He took his first
drink back in 1870. at the age of
nine. when he was passenger on
Mississippi steamboat. Henry Clay
was playing poker on the trip and
he pulled young Cramm upon his lap,
let him play a hand and then treat
ed him TO swallow of wine from
his glass. Cramm's mother, who died
at the age OF ninety-six, had a few
Things 10 say ~ Ni1N Ati tNAhPNAfe
her boy and outsiders had to patch
the quarrel up.
Cramm was a builder III New York
before he was sent away, He was an
Indian fighter back in the SOS and
once a redSkin smashed him on the
nose with d musket in the Siwash
outbreak near Crescent City, Cal. His
nose still shows the effects of the
blow He is also a Civil War veteran.