The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-12-12
MANY INMATES
OF n. D, PRISON
ASK CLEMENCY
Half Of Prisoners Appear Be.
fore Pardon Board-Only 80
Get Consideration

Nearly half OF the prisoners at
the state penitentiary here made
application for clemency at the last
session of the state pardon board
here but only 80 received favorable
consideration, records Of the board
made public here show.
One man was given a complete
pardon and another was made ell
gible to pardon provided the trial
Judge recommended such action.
Both were minor offenders, q state
ment by the board said, and one
man was merely seeking the lifting
Of suspended sentence.
In cases where sentences are i'm
posed but suspended, it was pointed
out by the pardon board, action is
necessary to restore q man to citi-
zenship. =.
Nine men were granted paroles
and one man, already out on parole,
found his parole revoked. Twelve
applications were referred to the
emergency board, largely because
recommendations from the trial
judges or states attorneys were in
complete or entirely lacking.
20 Get Communications
Six indeterminate sentences
were fixed and 20 prisoners were
granted combinations of sentences.
Nine applications were deferred to
the next meeting of the board to be
held next June and two prisoners
who had served in the army were
paroled to the veterans bureau for
treatment il government hospitals.
Two applications were withdrawn
before the board had an opportunity
to act upon them. One prisoner,
whose time was nearly up, was
granted a leave of absence to 20 to
work and another, already out on
parole, was given q permit to leave
the state for the same purpose. One
man was transferred to the insane
asylum at jamestown and three ap-
plicants had completed their prison
sentences when their applications
came up for consideration. Seventy
six prisoners were refused any con-
sideration whatever.
The number of applicants appear.
ing before the board at the last
meeting was the largest in the his.
tory of the state.
Cass county contributed the larg-
est number of applicants with Ward
county second end Burleigh, Morton
and Grand Forks trailing in the
order named.
'Favorite Crimes
Most Of the prisoners sent here
from the eastern part of the state
were convicted with violating the
liquor laws while larceny and bur-
glary also were listed as favorite
crimes, q statement by the board
said.
The western part of the state,
especially the southern slope dis
tricts, has been severely troubled
with chicken and turkey stealing
and cattle rustling. Persons con-
victed Of these crimes, as well Is
number Of horse thieves, received
scant consideration, the statement
said.
In most casej the combinations
Of sentence resulted merely in lop-
ping off a few days, weeks or
HVHCnS 1TOm Tie emu OI the prison
sentence in order to enable the pris-
oner t1 spend Christmas with his
family or to enable him to resume
his occupation at an appropriate
time in the season.
Following its general rule the
board acted largely upon the rec
concentrations of the judges who
imposed the sentences and the
states attorneys who prosecuted the
prisoners.
Tho only prisoner whose, prison
time was materially shortened by
the action Of the board was Marion
d. Wilson, sentenced from Cass
.ounty to serve 4 20-year term on
q charge of first degree robbery,
His sentence was committed to Is
wears