Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-01-15
CHAPTER NJ
GONER\OR--l90l

larl,, +, January of 1904 the Board OF
Pardons recommended to me the paruoii VI
Alph0nso r. Cutaiar, who hau peeh 'o'.
yIcted of murder in the first degree anu
sentenced to be hanged, but whose sen
tence was subsequently commuteo to ii''
prisonment for life. His pardon had peeh
asked for by forty-four clergymeh twenty
two members of the Legislature a Mayor
of Philadelphia, "a Senator OF the ohi'e"
States and 2O9 other citizens. The murder
was accompanied with some OF the most
dramatic features in the annals of crime
James T. Logue was one of the most Ia
nous professional burglars or MS day anu
as a result of his skill he owned house at
1850 North Eleventh street, in the city oi
Philadelphia, where, in his absence IN the
nursuit of his profession, lived his wite'
Johannah, dressed in silks and adorned with
iewelrv and diamonds In the house also
lived Cutaiar, IA nephew, VINO there con-
Quoted the trade of barber on the ga Oh
February, 1879, Logue had gone to as
tant city upon a professional engagement
and his wife, who had been drinking TO
. some extent. was seen in the house at y
n IN. She had on her person diamond
earrings worth $3.50, diamond finger ring
worth $50, a plain ring with the letters
"J l.. to j. L." inscribed on it, and two
days before her husband had given her
hundred dollars in cash and four $1,000
coupon bonds. She was seen no more A
short time afterward Cutaiar married and
his young wife brought into the kitchen,
complained of stencil there which he at
tributed to dead rats. Logue employed de-
tectives and spent considerable money in
advertising and search, but in vain, and
i'm time her disappearance was forgotten.
In 1895 after the lapse of sixteen years,
the house was sold. The purchaser. want.
ing to make repairs removed the floor Of
the kitchen and underneath were the bones
of Johannah Logue, with the remains of
her caba and clothing and the plain gold
ring on her finger. All the articles of value
which she had possessed were missing. Be.
cause of his evil reputation and calling,
suspicion was directed toward Logue, but
he was able to give a conclusive proof of
his absence. Then Cutalar was arrested.
On the trial he was defended by Hampton
l.. Carson, who afterward became my able
Attorney General, and he did all that could
be done for his cause. but Cutaiar was
convicted. He made three statements.
Conflicting Statements
The first April IA, 1895. would. If be.
lieved have resulted In the hanging Of
I.ogue 1t was TO the effect that Logue
had been jealous of his wife employed 6
young man to tempt her; that in New York
he beat and choked her until she fell dead :.
that he sent the body in a trunk. and when
no one was about put 1t under the kitchen
floor all of which he had confessed to
Cutaiar.
The second statement, made in writing
April IT, was that she came to the house
drunk and had TO go to New York that
night that he. Cutaiar, helped her up to
her room and there tied her hands and feet
fast with piece Of rope while she was
unconscious, SO that she could not go out
and get more to drink; that he went up
again to her room later in the evening nd
found her dead; that he put the body on
the floor Of another room and went back
I'd his work; that when Logue returned ne
took the watch, earrings and pin, and that
at Logue's suggestion the two put her
under the floor.
The third statement. made the same day.
was that Logue had nothing to do with the
matter; that he alone put the body under
the floor and that he took the diamonds
and watch and threw them into the river
After a careful reading of the testimony
I wrote an opinion refusing the pardon and
saying;
The human MAD N y qans<itutsd shat