The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1921-09-07
NO. 36
GRAND JURY TO PROBE
PlRDoNING OF FRANK BLAIR
Franklin lnquisitorial Body To
Investigate Pardon of
Virgil Lucas


Robert L. Stout of the Franklin Cir
cult Court today charged the grand
jury to investigate the pardoning of
Frank Blair June 8, 1891, and Vir-
gil Lucas, April 1, 1920.
Judge Stout said: THE first one
of these is the case of the now
notorious gentleman named Blair.
Blair, as | understand it. held up
the establishment of one Hendricks
in Louisville. who had formerly
been captain of police. He was con-
victed of that robbery and sent to
the penitentiary here to serve five
years.
Blair seems TO have been
criminal with q record. according to
the newspapers. 1t is charged that
after the name of this man Blair
upon the prison records was noted
in red ink; DO not release this man
until the authorities of indianapolis
are notified. He stands there in
dicted with the theft Of some $780,
900 in bonds This was substan-
TALLY as 1 recall.
There was a second notice call
ng the attention of prison officials
o the fact that he was further
wanted by the Federal authorities
at Evansville, Ind.
Was Aided By Prominent Man
He apparently had no standing
outside the underworld and its deni-
-els. 30 newspaper ever said he
was a man OF any personal influence.
ret this man in the absence of the
warden has been granted a pardon
and the pardon was taken by very
prominent citizen to the prison and
this remarkable man Blair put into
an auto and taken by the promin-
put on a northbound l.. & N. train
for Cincinnati"
Then Mr.. Blair makes his exit.
No more is seen or heard of him.
Sinister Influences Felt
Now. l submit. gentlemen, that
if these are facts sinister influences
have been at work on the Chief Exc
Cutive of this State. / mention that
because this same press reports the
Chief Executive as saying when the
bright light of publicity broke upon
the incident that he was sorry that
he had granted this pardon and that
lie had made mistake. II he made
q mistake, then that mistake must
have been of issuing a pardon to
which a prisoner was not entitled.
It must have been a mistake of not
personally investigating the record
of Blair, the convict, or permitting
some so-called friend to overper-
suade him.
II may be permitted here TO say
that | do not believe the Governor
of Kentucky acted otherwise than
as an imprudent official who per-
mitted himself to be imposed upon
by his more prudent associates call
ing themselves his friends.
Certainly this bald statement,
made and never denied, smacks very
strongly of exceeding dubious meth
DDS in securing Mr.. Blair's pardon"
Auto Again Figures
As TO the Lucas case. the young
man sentenced for life for killing
William Riley in this county. Judge
Stout said: "Mr. Bradley, the Com
monwealth's Attorney, has some in
formation as TO that matter which [
do not deem Is advisable at this
time to give you and let witnesses
in that case have any notice. But
that pardon seems to have been pro-
cured around the first day of April
1890, Newspapers say that a promi-
nent Democratic politician procured
this pardon, took the pardon to the
prison, got the young men into an
and took him away.
''The country seems to be getting
quite full OF philanthropists of this
kind. don't know when | have
heard of men getting pardons for
people they don't know. never have
heard Of, and then driving in high
cars to the prison and TAX
ing them away.
"You ought TO take up these
cases and DO the very best you can
with the full power Of the Com
at your back. be-
lieve that every good citizen Of the
Commonwealth, irrespective OF poll