The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1927-01-28
EELD HIS HONOR
ABOVE LIBERTY
Han Who Went to Prison
Rather Than Confess
Falsely Is Freed.

aASCAy 40
Little Rock, Ark.-Lester E. A. Yea.
ger, Arkansas convict who attracted
Rational attention because he put hon.
o. before freedom, spent the holidays
g. his home at Helena, Ark, a free
k,an.
Yeager was pardOned by Governor
9rrral, the second complete pardon the
governor has granted during his two
vars in Office. The first was given
g. an aged prisoner an hour before he
died.
Yeager, five years ago, rejected adj
wee of his lawyers to plead guilty Of
. statutory charge brought by a fifteen
yPar-Old girl and thereby get off with
ene-year sentence. He said he was
R'nOcent and refused to perjure him
Self, although it was apparent he
would receive a long sentence If tried
sad convicted.
Yeager, a former deputy sheriff Of
Phillips county, became involved In a
difficulty with w. P. Mansfield, and the
BITTER was killed. Yeager was ac-
quilted on the ground of self-defense.
Six or eight months later a young
Gaughter of M%ansield's widow accused
Yeager as the father Of her child. A
ysar later she swOre she had testi-
Eed falsely and sought to have Yea
ger released.
21-Year Sentence.
Yeager was sentenced in 1921 to p
years in the ~penitentiary. From that
0sme on his case has been more or
Tess in the public eye. Former Gov.
=. G. McRae ran advertisements In
Helena papers the day before the
Rrimary election in 1922 to refute
Esst-minute reports that he had prom
SEED to pardon Yeager. This incident
served to block all hope of clemency
from McRae.
Terral was nominated out Of a field
Of six candidates in 1924 in a CAM
Raign in which issues were somewhat
complicated. After Terral won the
Democratic nomination, which amounts
o. election, he chose to believe he had
Been nominated on a nO-pardOn nO-pa-
role policy. Early in his administra-
GJn Terral said he would grant par
CONS if the trial judge, prosecuting at
tvmey and all members Of the jury
said they believed they had made a
Riistake and convicted an innocent
HsRn.
Friends of Yeager took him at his
&Ord. The judge, prosecuting attor-
Rey and eleven of twelve jurors signed
q petition for Yeager's pardon. The
governor stuck to his proposition lit
orally and declined to do more than
grant Yeager a 3O-day furlough. This
Was renewed once, but at Its expira'
Zion Yeager returned to the p~eniten'
GARY.
National Publicity.
It began to look as though the third
executive. GOv.-Elect John E. Mar
Gneau, would have to face the YeageI
dilemma, but at this point publicity
beyOnd the bounds Of Arkansas tool
2 hand In the case. Early in NOvem
Der the matter was given wide pub
Betty.
Soon the governors foreign mail be
gun to Increase. So did Yeager's
Hardly a day passed that the gOvernO
gid not get letters from residents o
distant states begging him to pardon
Yeager. A. Hayden Of Brooklyn wen
- far as to circulate a petition Their
with the intention Of sending 1t to tn
arkansas governor. It is said he OF
RTlned more than 100 names. He ais
wrote Gov. Al Smith, asking that o.
hrial to use his influence with tn
Arkansas governor to obtain a pardon
Governor Terral cOnfided to newsp;
Ser men several weeks ago that b
would give Yeager a pardon. Yeage
However, knew nothing Of the cOnten
p;ated action until he returned to I'll
Prnitentiary from his daily labor an
Sound the precious document. He bad
BIS friends gOOdby and left the instit
RiOn Immediately.
Yeager had received presents fro
several states, some Of them beiI
sent from poor people. One box CO
alined several striped handkerchief
"YOu know" Yeager said, 81 appre'
ate these presents, even the handke
chiefs, but I've formed such a disli
fr stripes during the last five yea
that 1 had to give them away"