Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-05-25
BROTHER SEEKING
EVANS RELEASE
Moliner Applies for Writ of Habeas
Corpus to Get Inmate Out of
Watertown Hospital.
is GRANTED BY JUDGE CHURCH
Petitioner Has Been in State Institu.
ton for % Years-ArsOn Indict-
ment Still Standing.

AppllCdtlOn 1Or writ or haDeaS cor
pus to secure the release of Alfred
Evans, for a quarter of a century an
inmate of state asylums, and directed
against DR.. c. F. Reed, superintendent
of the WatertOwn institution, was filed
in circuit court this morning by Silas
E. Evans, Moline, brother of the in
mate. NJ. ]. MCEniry is counsel for
the petitioner. Judge w. T. Church
granted the writ and made it return
able next Monday morning at 10
o'clock.
Facts in this remarkable case were
stated in The Argus a few days ago.
On Aug. II, 1890, Evans, then a
young farmer of the Carbon Cliff
neighborhood, terrorized that section
of the county by starting on the war
path. Following a serious quarrel
with his wife, in which he assaulted
her and after firing a shot at her fos-
ter father, he set fire to the barn and
in the blaze which followed, three
head of horses, several cows, 500 bush
els of corn, two years hay crop, and
farming implements burned, causing a
loss of about $4,000.
Is Found Insane.
A mob formed but Evans escaped
and came to Rock Island, where he
gave himself up to Sheriff Silvis
A criminal trial followed in
which the jury on Sept %, 1890, found
the act was committed as charged in
the indictment and further find that
the defendant has since become insane
and is still insane. Order of commit
ment directed that the defendant be
taken to the northern hospital for the
insane at Elgin there to be kept until
he RECEIVERS from such insanity and
then be returned to the custody of the
sheriff Of Rock Island county for tria,
on the indictment pending against
him"
Indictment is still pending agains,
Evans but it is understood States At.
torney F. E. Thompson is willing tc
nolle PROSE- it. Hospital authorities
will not discharge Evans as cured al
though they are willing that he should
| be paroled.
| The petition recites the trial, convic.
| ton and commitment of Evans anC
| then states that he has been wrong
| fully incarcerated in the state hos
| pitfalls for % years; that il he ever
was insane, he has fully recovered
| that an inspection and examination OF
| the defendant will disclose this; thai
| the age of the defendant demands hi.
| liberty; that the brother in Moline viii
make a home for him and try TO ge
him employment.
Superintendent FayOrs Parole.
Attached to the petition are two ex
| hibits, the first being letter, undel
date of April %, last, from DR.. J. A
| Campbell, former superintendent o
| Watertown hospital, in which tn.
| statement is made that although
Evans is a mental defective he is il
/ good condition otherwise and "shoul;
the circuit court of Rock Island coun
| ty determine that he has been suffic
ienuy punished | advise that he be pa
rolled TO his brother. s. Z. Evans, Mo
line, or W. A. Golden. county proba
ton officer. His conduct here ha
been very good. He has had unlim
tied parole, working on the hospita
farm and has never made an effort t
break any of the rules OF the institu
| ton"
II is understood that all OF the par
ties concerned are willing that MI
Evans should be liberated but Just tn
Illegal procedure that applies in tn