The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1920-12-30
Member of Pardon
Board Under Fire

charges ludl nave petu DIousut
against a member of the State Board
of Pardons, whether the member has
ceased to belong to the board or not"
Gov. Oliver H. Shoup, at his home
here, yesterday made this assertion,
when informed of the report that
Frank F. Schreiber, well-known Colo
RADIO Springs attorney, had charged
Allan F. Wright, member of the
State Board of Pardons, with offering
to trade his vote for pardon for Ben
jamin o. Cook, a prisoner at Canon
City, represented by Attorney Schrei-
ber, in exchange for a letter from
former district judge which would
aid in releasing a woman from a term
in the penitentiary, says the Colo
RADIO Springs Gazette.
Although Mr.. Schreiber, it contin-
ues, could not be reached at his home
last night, an interview with Rush J..
Holland, given out at Denver, ex-
plains matters leading up to the seri-
GUS charges brought by the local at
torney against Mr.. Wright of the
Board of Pardons.
Mr.. Schreiber's charges, it is under
stood, were made public first by Sen
ator John B. Stephen of Denver. Sen
ator Wright is reported to have de-
manded an investigation at once and
Gov. Shoup began preparations to
start one. That was several days
ago.
Gov. Shoup said yesterday that on
his return to Denver he would call
other members of the pardons board
into conference and that thorough
consideration of each side of the case
would be made. The governor said
that he had previously received a let
ter from Wright which maintained
the latter's innocence, with the re-
mark that, with his taking a seat in
the Legislature January 5, Wrights
connection with the State Board of
Pardons automatically ceases under
the provisions of the constitution"
Not having received Schreiber's
charges and the answer from Wright,
the governor would only state that
the investigation would not halt
whether Wright resigned or not as
member of the board.
The interview with Mr.. Holland fol-
lows:
I Senator stephen called upon me
few days after Benjamin o. Cook had
been pardoned from the penitentiary,"
Holland said. During our discussion
of the case the name of Schreiber,
who had been looking after Cooks in
terests, was mentioned. ! sent for
Schreiber. He was detailing to Sem
ator Stephen and me his efforts on be-
half of Cook when he made the
charge against Wright.
He told US that just prior to the
May meeting of the Board of Pardons
he talked to Wright about Cooks case
Wright, he said, told him that he was
very much interested in the case of
woman prisoner have forgotten her
name-and proposed to Schreiber that
he would vote for pardon Off Cook
if he, Schreiber. would get a letter
from Judge Little. who had tried the
woman, recommending executive
cleme-ey.
"Juoge Little, il seems, had never
been satisfied with the sentence he
had imposed upon the woman. and
Schreiber told US that he had no trou-
BILE in getting the favorable letter
from him. l might say here that
some months before that l had ad-
vised Gov. Shoup that l would not
consider any application for a pardon
until l had first consulted the trial
judge and fearned his opinion. Gov.
Shoup had taken my advice, and for
that reason a letter such as Schreiber
said Wright requested was of great
est Importance.
Schneider told US that failure Of
Wright to keep his part of the agree
ment proved great surprise to him.
When the pardons board met in May.
Mrs. Ahrendt was released. chiefly
upon the strength of Judge Little's
letter. but, instead Of voting for par
don for Cook. Wright told his fellow
members, it seems. that he had been
offered bribe. and voted against
pardon, Schreiber said that to this
day he has been unable to learn the
reason for Wright's change of front.
The charges which Schreiber
makes are very serious, and l hope
that the investigation ordered the
governor will get TO the bottom of the
whole affair. II it is deemed neces-
sary. will appear as a witness at the
hearing"