The daily progressive-miner., 1917-03-12
SLAYER OF THE WILSON'S GAIN
 PLEADS INNOCENCE

Readers of the Pioneer will recall l that several months ago there was pub l lished letter from Joseph Campbell, who is serving a life sentence in Leav- enworth prison for the murder of the 1 Nelson brothers in the Kuskokwim, in l 1911, in which he maintained his inno- cence and asked for an investigation of his case with the object of securing 1 pardon. A statement of Henry Ro- den upon the subject of Campbell's conviction also was published. It was understood that District Attorney Roth had the case under investigation but nothing has been made public here as to what conclusion he arrived at, or whether he recommended a pardon for the convicted man. The Pioneer has received another communication from Campbell dated October 12, 1916, with the request that it be published, but owing to the fact that it is of volumi- nous proportions, it is impossible to do so.
 In another letter Campbell states that he has received a letter from MT. Roth in which that official says that he has submitted full report on Camp bells case, and that has strongly urg- ed the granting of his petition for par don.
 Campbell was convicted on circum- stantial evidence, and while each link in the chain seemed to have been forged perfectly, there is, of course, room for doubt in all such cases. The Pioneer has devoted a great deal of space to the case, not because of a be- lief in the innocence of Campbell, but because it was desired that he be given chance to prove his innocence. He was convicted almost entirely upon ev- idence of natives, the theory of the prosecution being that the Nelsons were murdered for purposes of rob bery. This theory was borne out to some extent by the fact that Campbell disposed of furs and watch, among other things(, which had been the pro perty of the Nelsons.
 In his letter Campbell details his movements from the spring of 1911, when he met the Nelsons on the Kus- kokwim, until the day of his arrest at Ruby in the summer of 1912 To bear ut his statements he submits affidav- it's of varius persons -cith whom he travelled and for whom he worked, with the idea of disproving the claims of the prosecution that he went Out side after the alleged murder for the purpose of enjoying his ill-gotten gains These affidavits include one from John A Dull, who tells of having travelled from Russian Mission, on the Yukon, with Campbell and Billy Barnhart, leaving the former place on or about July 10, 1911, and giving positive tes- timony as to the amount possessed by Campbell at that time. There also is an affidavit from one "Foose" O'Neil, an employe of the steamship Victoria in that year, who swears to Campbell's travelling to Seattle, and later to South eastern Alaska, and of his destitute condition. Sam Campbell, another employ of the Victoria, gives similar testimony. Ida AO Campbell, of Su- mas, Wash, makes affidavit that Campbell boarded at her house from the fall of 1911 to the spring of 1912, and that he was employed cutting ties by a man named Hoyle. Kelly and Curtin, convicts at McNeil Island, make affidavit to the effect that some rather irregular proceedings were talk en by Marshal Kelday in procuring the Identification of Campbell by the na- tive witnesses who testified at the trial. Kelly and Curtin were in the Iditarod jail at the time Campbell was being held here awaiting trial.
 The indictment under which Camp bell was convicted charged that the Nelsons were killed by him on June 30, 1911. Campbell lays great stress on this fact, and deplores his inabili-