Many of our readers remember the story of the only police officer shot in the line of duty in Lawrence County. If not, check out the Murder of George Bopp on this blog, or read about it in Vol 2 of Lawrence Lore, click here. At the time we published that, we did not know the following part of the story.
April 22 1893 Sumner Democrat R. E. Mabry of Fairfield, who
came up short in his accounts as Circuit Clerk of Wayne County, and late clerk
of the Chester penitentiary is about to be investigated by the house committee
on penal and reformatory institutions on a charge made by Samuel Palmer,
a farmer living near Sumner, Illinois.
Palmer has a son in the penitentiary, who is serving a sentence of twenty-
one years for the murder of a constable who was attempting to arrest him.
The old gentleman claims that last fall he made a contract
with Mabry by which the latter was to secure his son’s release from
prison. He says he gave the chief clerk
$300 and agreed to increase the amount to $700 when his son was liberated. Mabry was to use his influence with the
Governor to secure the young man’s pardon, and, in case he failed, Palmer says,
he was to get back all the money but $85, which would be applied to Mabry’s
expenses.
The agreement, Palmer claims was the pardon would be
procured by Jan 1. That date has passed, Mabry has left the prison, and Palmer
is now demanding that some action be taken whereby he can recover the money he claims
to have paid the clerk. The matter will be brought to the attention of House
committee by Mr. Black at Palmer’s request.
(Originally printed in the Louisville Ledger.)
