The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-05-09
STIEL0W FREED
FROM SING SING
whitman Orders Release of
Man Declared Innocent
by New Inquiry.
GREEN ALSO EXONERATED
Governors Investigator Says
He Believes O'COnnell and
King Were Slayers.
GREEN ALSO EXONERATED
Special Despotch to THE SrS

ALBANY. May S.--Charles F. Stielow.
who was snatched from the shadow OF
the electric chair few hours before his
sentence was to be executed. has been
exonerated Of the murder Of Charles =.
Phelps and his housekeeper. Margaret
Wiicott. at their farmhouse, West
Shelby. Orleans county. three years ago.
Gov. whitman tonight ordered Site
lows release from Sing Sing prison and
also the release Of Nelson ]. Green. who
IL serving a twenty year sentence in
Auburn prison as an accomplice OF
Stielow.
lnvestigation by G. II. bond.
Stielows death sentence was COM
muted to life imprisonment December 4.
1916. after three Supreme Court JUS
tices had refused Stielow a new trial.
Some time ago Gov whitman had At
torney-General Lewis appoint George II.
Bond. former District Attorney OF Onon-
daga, as a special Deputy Attorney Gen
eral TO investigate all the facts con-
nected with the murder especially con-
fesson made by Erwin King. pedler.
that the murder was committed by him
self and Clarence O'Connell. now serving
sentence In Auburn for murderpus as
eault. This confession was made Just
before Stielow was TO have been electro
cuted, but after Stielow escaped the
chair King repudiated the confession.
Later King made another confession
duplicating himself and OConnell. but
Grand Jury to which the confession wal
presented refused to indict them. loca
sentiment at West Shelby being still hrn
| in the conviction that Stielow did thu
murder.
The Bond report shows Stielow's con
yiction was based chiefly upon an al
leged confession made to a private de
tective who was locked up with him ant
| whose identity was unknown to Stteiow
| This confession Stielow had always re
fused to sign. In Stielow's cell also wa
a dictagraph which recorded converse
tions between stielow and the detective
and stielow and his attorney. in none o
| which did Stielow admit guilt.
,nu,,et. Not From stielow'a Gun.
Commissioner Bond points out tina
Stielow and Green lied at the Coroner
inquest when they said there was no re
yolver In the Stielow house the night o
the Phelps murder. Later It was learne'
there was a revolver In Stielow's house
An expert on revolvers testified at Site
Iow's trial that the bullets taken from
the bodies Of the two victims had bee'
nred from stielow's revolver. Commits
s,oner Bonds investigation showed tn
bullets were not nred from the StieloS
gun.
Gov. Whitmans action In freeing site
llow and Green. who will be released Il
few days was based upon these Yer
posttive statements as to the perpetrato
OF the murders contained In Commits
sioner Bonds report which says:
"As a result Of my investigation. an
having regard to the new facts and evi
dence discovered and Of the confession
that have been made to me. am full
convinced and give II as my deliberat
opinion that Charles b. Phelps and Maj
raret Wolcott did not meet their deaf
at the hands Of Charles r. Stielow @
. of Nelson l. Green, nor were Stielo'
, or Green In any way accessories to tn
crime, nor did they have guilty know
edge Of 1t.
"On the other hand. am as strongl
convinced and give II as my deliberat
opinion that the three bullets that wei
hred into the body OF Charles r. Phelp
, causing his death. and the bullet tbs
was fred through the heart into II
body OF Margaret Wolcott. causing III
, death. were fred by Clarence F. O'CoI
. nell (now convict In the state priso
at Auburn. and that Erwin King wa
\ with him at the time and aided him
. the commission of the murder