Christmas In July! The Christmas Pardon of John Clayter and the Paint Creek Miners

Cellblock ca 1914
Source: WV History on View

The concept of Christmas in July celebrations have seemingly fallen out of favor and replaced with Summerween. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Halloween and celebrate it all year long. But, I'd also like to keep the Christmas in July tradition alive by sharing another tradition with you: The annual Christmas pardon at the WV State Penitentiary.

During a time when the life expectancy wasn't all that great, especially for inmates, and over-crowding at such facilities was a huge problem, it wasn't uncommon for the Governor of West Virginia to issue a pardon to either the oldest or longest serving inmate at the state penitentiary in Moundsville. 

In 1912, that honor was bestowed upon a man named John Clayter. Clayter had been at the penitentiary for 16 years, 11 months, and 8 days. On January 17, 1896, he had been sentenced in Fayette County for the murder of mine guard, J.W. Larkin several months before. 

John was 55 years old at the time of his release and was said to be in peak mental and physical health. It would seem that the last 16 years hadn't done much to weaken him in any way. And although he had no black marks on his records, the newspapers noted that the penitentiary staff were not convinced that he should receive that year's pardon. 

Striking Miners
Source: WV History on View

An additional seven pardons would be issued that year, all of which were inarguably deserved. In April of 1912, a major labor dispute, known as the Paint Creek/Cabin Creek Strike began. The strike, which would turn violent at times, led to numerous deaths and arrests as martial law was declared. In 1912, seven men who were arrested under martial law were pardoned that Christmas. Thirteen individuals involved were not. The photo above is a collection of mugshots from striking miners. This clash would set off a series of Mine Wars, leading to more infamous incidents such as the Battle of Blair Mountain. Check out this Wikipedia article for more information: (Paint Creek-Cabin Creek Strike 1912)

Those pardoned were: W.Y. Tucker, Robert Hartigan, James T. Akers, E.M. Osborne, L.A. Mays, Charles Williams, and Bud Clendenning. All had been given a sentence of 1-5 years for their involvement in the strike. And, because of WV Governor Glasscock, they'd be home for Christmas.

Merry Christmas in July, everyone! And if you're interested in MORE articles about the West Virginia State Penitentiary and its haunted history, check out my WV STATE PENITENTIARY PAGE. 

25 December 1912
The Wheeling Intelligencer

24 December 1912
The Wheeling Intelligencer

24 December 1912
The Fairmont West Virginian