Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1919-12-24
w, {, ALEXANDER
 IS GIVEN PARDON BY GOV. bR0ljcH
He Killed George w. Kelley,
 Section Foreman, Here, in 1911
sCASE FOUGHT HARD
 ON INSANITY PLEA
Former Saloon Keeper, 66 Years Old III With Kidney Dis ease and Nearly Blind,
 Board Finds

Gov. c. H. Brough yesterday issued an unconditional pardon U W. c. Alexander of Pine Bluff, sent to the penitentiary in 1912 for the murder of George w. Kelley, section foreman in the Brookh;ll Hotel here in 1911. Alexander ori- ginally was sentenced to die.
 E Alexander, who is 66 years old, was released yesterday afternoo-, and messages from Little Rock ] last night said he will go to Flori- da where he has relatives. Alex snder's pardon was made on the recommendation of the peniten- tiary board and was announced with batch of other Christmas pardons granted yesterday. Re- eently Creed Caldwell, acting as attorney for Alexander, made {. plea for his release before the board. It was contended that Alex ander is nearing death as result ! of kidney trouble and that he !s also almost totally blind.
 The Christmas clemency ex- tended to Alexander marks an- other chapter in one of the most interesting murder cases ever tried in this section of the country. Alexander, a saloon owner and a barkeeper, killed Kelley at the Brookhill in the fall of 1911 fol- lowing quarrel over card game. Kelley, who was a foreman of a section gang here, was shot once, with pistol.
 Alexander's sanity was the issue when the case was first brought to trial here. and a hard fought legal battle that lasted over a year Followed. T. Havis Nixon, at that time prosecuting attorney, prose- euted Alexander, He was defend- Pd by Judge w. B. Sorrells, then practicing attorney.
 Later change of venue was (aken and the case was tried at Hkansas City where Alexander
 convicted of first degree mur-
 Judge Grace pronounced eath sentence, and after the case had been taken to supreme court me sentence was affirmed. The ase then passed to the hands of me then governor, George w. Donaghey, who granted stay Of xecutlon. Robinson then became governor and later went to the enate and the case was finally sSposed of by Acting Governor la1na who commuted the sentence ? life Imprisonment.
 Later Alexander was sent to the tate insane asylum.
 several years prior to the kill g Of Kelley, Alexander was lea and acquitted here for the lurder of Nose Blackburn, ne-
 inlrty-one pardons were issued
 tne governor, who also con- luted the sentence of 27 convicts
 IS expected that those whose
 atences were commuted will be sroled shortly, as they already sve served major parts of thei, 'asences, and were recommended
 commutation by the board.
 among those pardoned were
 sh W. Scott, sentenced in Jeffer- ~ county month ago to two sars for selling liquor. Scott
 smeriy was poundmaster in
 'ne Bluff. Willie Clay. sentenced
 hs. TWO years for forgery, was an- |%yr Th. Jefferson convict pardoned. n aae sentence of five Jefferson
 us,ces us. : were commuted as fol "s. s.,, Kella Kemp, sentenced to
 mss, ssals for second degree murder
 cnaa.!,, Mmoted to seven years; Henry
 T'~sllle ws murder, life, reduced tc
 tlsesa seals; Bud Simmons, murder
 sSa Sa rom 21 years to 10 years;
 aa Kemp, murder, 21 years
 Fv i.z years; Olen Halford, for
 ", reduced to, 3 10 yoorc