The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-02-17
Thirteen SENT
TO GALLOWS IN
State IN 1921
Largest Number of Executions in
Any One Year in History OF
Illinois Recorded.

Springfield, H., Feb. II. = Thir-
teen men were sent to the gallows
in Illinois in 1921.
This is the largest number of
official executions in any one year
in the history of the state. The
number would have reached IA had
not Lucky Tommy" O'COnnOr,
Chicago gunman, made his sensa-
tionaI escape from the Cook coun-
ty Jail four days prior to the date
fixed for his execution.
Appeals for executive clemency
were heard by the division of par
dons and paroles in the Is cases III
which the death penalty was in
fiicted
Although the IS men who made
the death march" last year appeal
ed to Governor Small for clemency
no application for Tommy O'Con-
nor had been presented up to the
time of his escape on Dec. II, 1921,
it was pointed out by Will Colvin,
superintendent of pardons and
paroles, in a report today on ex-
ecutions in the last year.
Continuing the report Superin-
tendent Colvin said:
In the opinion of the members
Of the division of pardons and pa
roles there was not sufficient rea-
son in any one Of the IS cases to
warrant recommendation to the
governor for executive clemency.
Upon the recommendation of the
division of pardons and paroles
the governor denied executive
clemency in all of these cases.
Makes New Record.
while the number of executions
during 1921 is the largest in the
history of the state, it is also The
largest in the history of Cook
county. OF the 13 executions. 10
were in Cook county. The other
three came from the downstate
counties of Williamson, White and
Champaign. From 1910 to 1921, in
elusive, there have been 70 execu-
tions in Cook county Three ex-
ecutions took place in Cook county
in each of the years of 1885. 1898.
1899 and 1919. Four executions
took place in Cook county in each
of the years 1887, 1896 and 1918.
Five executions took place in Cook
county in each of the years of 1904,
1906 and 1912 In 1920 a total of
seven executions took place in Cook
county. The Haymarket rioters
were executed in 1887 and the car
barn bandits in 1904"
List of Hangings.
Executions in Illinois in 1921
took place on the following dates,
TT report stated;
Feb. 11-Edward Brisbane.
Feb. 11-Settimi DeSantis.
April l5-Sam CardineIla!
April 15-Joe Costanzo and Sam
Ferrara.
April 15-Frank Lowhonc.
June 24-Grover c. Redding and
Oscar McGavick.
July S-Antonio Lopez.
July hilary Ward.
Sept. 20-Carl Wanderer.
Oct. 21-John Christmas.
Nov. 9-Frank Ligregni
Number of PardOnS.
Governor Small extended execu-
tive clemency to "a conyicts in
1921, according to a report by Will
Colvin, superintendent of pardona
and paroles, to c. II. jenkins. di-
rector of public welfare today.
OF the "a recipients of cIe1nency
IL were serving sentences in Jol-
let, nine at Chester, 10 in the Chi
cago house of correction and three
in county jails.
The division of pardons and pa
roles actually made orders during
the year in 3,S82 cases." Superin-
tendent Colvin said. Gases in
which special reports are made and
cases which are reviewed upon the
vast number of letters received by
the governor and the division of
pardons and paroles are not con-
tanned in the 3,SS2 cases in which
orders were made during the year,
and consequently would not fur
nish an understanding of the great
bulk of work which passes through
the division each year.
In one way or another the divis-
ion of pardons and paroles comes
in contact every year with more
than 5000 cases, without taking
into account the work that is in |
cident to the supervision OF those
upon parole throughout the state
from the penal, reformatory and |
correctional institutions
The smallest gold piece in the
world is the gold franc.
nianf PrnWS In Tono1 v-hoft, 4