Evening star., 1926-04-04
GOVERNOR REFUSES
HAPMAN'S APPEAL
Hearing of Bandits Own Plea
to Board of PardonS Is
Set for Monday.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
STATE PRISON, WETHERS.
FIELD. Conn, April 3.--Gov Trum-
bull announced tonight that he would
not grant Gerald Chapman another
reprieve. His decision was made
known shortly after Judge Newell
Jennings. trial judge in the Chapman
murder case, called at his home in
Plainville to recommend this course.
nearing on Chapman's petition to
the board Of pardons for Communication
or his death sentence to life imprison-
ment probably will be heard Monday
morning at the State prison
Chapman, condemned to hang early
Tuesday morning, late today signed
an application to the State Board Of
Pardons asking that his sentence be
commuted to life Imprisonment. Peti.
ton for new trial was denied TODAY.
This is the first time Chapman has
asked for clemency. In the applica-
ton he sets forth that he had been
four times in prison, that he is in his
3Sth year and that he was born i'm
New York City.
The Board of Pardons meets twice
year, the next regular meeting by
statute being the first Monday in May.
Gov. Trumbull is ex-officio chairman
of the board. A member is Supreme
Court Justice Howard J. Curtis. who
as a member of the court, gave an ad.
verse decision on Chapmans appeal
for a new trial.
Denied Chanel Service
When the strains of Christ. the
Lord, Is Risen" float from the Easter
service in the prison chapel tomorrow
morning, they will not reach Chap
mans secluded cell.
Father Michael p. Barry. Chapman's
spiritual adviser and friend, will Off
ciate at high mass in the chapel, but
the condemned man will not be per.
mitted to leave his cell. A number of
singers from the churches in and
around Hartford will take part in the
service.
Rev. Arthur Schoenfeldt, Protestant
chaplain, also will hold his usual serv.
ices in the chapel
Four of Chapman's attorneys visited
him late this afternoon to tell him
that two Supreme Court justices had
refused to consider the new evidence.
which they had obtained in an effort
to get new trial.
About week ago Chapman declined
to sign an application for commuta-
tion of sentence, saying, according to
his attorneys, that he considered it
would be an indication of guilt to ask
clemency. Tonight, however, he
changed his mind.
His attorneys based his application
for Communication on the grounds of
possessing certain evidence which
could not have been discovered by his
counsel by due diligence, which Chap
man wishes to Introduce, and (which
he believes would have produced a
verdict of not guilty had same been
available and produced at the trial of
his case, and for other reasons"
Eight affitlavits were offered by the
defense attorneys in support of their
petition for a new trial. Three not
previously made public were signed
by Byrd c. Twig. New York attor-
ney; William OLeary and William f.
Sodergren of New Britain. Twig
is alleged to have seen Chapman in
New York on the night of October II,
1924, several hours before the murder
of Patrolman James Skelly in New
Britain.
Nature Not Revealed.
OLeary and Sodergren are said to
have known Chapman and would have
been willing to offer the same testi-
mony, the nature of which was not
revealed.
States Attorney Hugh NJ Alcorn
vigorously opposed the effort for a
new trial, saying it was trick Of
counsel to gain more time"
Explaining the States position, he
said:
They've killed off our important
witnesses. Ben Hance is dead. 1t may
be difficult to get important witnesses
again"
Hance is the Indiana farmer with
whom Chapman once lived while hid
| ing from the authorities.
Charles w. Murphy of Danbury.
Conn.,, who presented the petition for
the defense attorneys asked Mr.. AL
| corn If he meant that the attorneys
had killed off the witnesses. since
| they had been accused of other
| things
Mr.. Alcorn did not reply to this
| query, but stated that his opposing
counsel at tipes had not acted In
! good faith.
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