FULL TEXT: Hal Reid is a free man! The alleged ravisher of Maud Compston was yesterday, ranted a free pardon by Gov. Merriam. Convicted by the trial court, the conviction being upheld by the appellate court, as a last resort an appeal was made to the chief officer of the state for an absolute pardon. These papers were originally filed with Gov. McGill, who left them as a legacy for his successor. Gov. Merriam has given considerable thought to the case, and in the legal points has had the matured opinion of Attorney General Clapp. Two eminently reputable citizens of the state made affidavits placing an entirely new feature in this notorious case, and adduced evidence which did not come out at the trial, which greatly favored the position taken by Reid in this matter. These affidavits were amply substantiated by others, and in the interests of justice, Gov. Merriam says, he could see no other was than grant the accused an unconditional pardon.
~
SCENE AT THE PRISON. ~
Hal
Reid’s pardon arrived at the state prison at 1:30 o’clock yesterday, after he
had served thirteen months of a fifteen years’ sentence on conviction of rape.
His father, in expectation of to-day’s action of Gov. Merriam, had come over
from Minneapolis in the morning, and when the Globe reporter called at the
warden’s office, so in after 1 o’clock, the doctor was anxiously, yet lightly,
pacing, the floor, his eyes continually turning to the. clock and toward the space
in front of the office. He was waiting for the 1:25 Duluth train from St. Paul,
on which, if no hitch occurred, Hal’s sister, Mrs. Levering, would come from
the, capital, bearing the precious document. The train was a “little ahead of
time, and Dr. Reid was still in the office, so that when the conductor stopped
in front of the prison Mrs. Levering alighted alone, and with the pardon
conspicuous in her hand, hurried across to the prison and entered the office,
her face deathly pale, and her form trembling with excitement. “I have it. It
is here,” she exclaimed, and in a moment the father and sister passed within to
meet the prisoner to whom such good tidings had come. In scarcely fifteen
minutes they reappeared accompanied by Hal, faultlessly dressed in black pants
and vest, and an imposing Prince Albert. He, too, was very pale and agitated,
but said to the Globe reporter: “I have expected it, because knew justice must
be done. If it had been done earlier I would not have been here five minutes.
He hastily seized the pardon and read it, saying: “It is a complete
vindication. That is right.” The document recites, that the governor’s action
is based on application for pardon filed by W. D. Washburn, Charles A.
Pillsbury, S. P. Snider, Anthony Kelly and. many other prominent citizens of
the state, supplemented by. affidavits now on file in my office showing that
Maud Compston, the complaining witness, had made statements and admissions
seriously impeaching her testimony given at the trial, and whereby I am convinced
that great injustice has been done said J. H Reid, and that he is not guilty of
the crime of which he was convicted. The outgoing 4:20 train stopped at the
prison for the Reids, they especially wishing to avoid trip down town, where
news of the pardon had spread.
~
DATA OF THE CASE. ~
Hal
Reid was arrested on : the morning of Sept. 9, 1887, and confined in the county
jail until the 2lst, when he was bailed out by. his father. Dec. 3 of the same
year lie was convicted and again confined in the comity jail until the 11th of
January, 1888, when he was conveyed to the state prison at Stillwater. So he
has served fifteen months upon the sentence of fifteen years for the conviction
or the crime of which he declares he is innocent.
[“Hal
Reed Is Happy. - Gov. Merriam Pardons the Alleged Ravisher of Maud Compston. -
Prominent Citizens Submit Evidence Tending to Prove Reid’s Innocence. – The
Executive Decides to Right the Grievous
Wrong Done Him. - Lou Murray, It Is
Said, Is to Be Set at Liberty.” St. Paul Daily Globe (Mn.), Feb. 26, 1889, p.
2]
This guy got really really lucky. He had a family and friends who actually cared about him and were willing to do something about it. Today men are so isolated and alone. People actually had communities back then. I kind of envy them.
ReplyDelete