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| Main Entrance to WV State Penitentiary (1910) Source: WV History on View |
For those of us who celebrate Christmas, we all have our own traditions of the season that we carry out each year. It just doesn't feel like Christmas without my family's Christmas Eve pizza and subs night, or our annual viewing of Santa Claus Meets the Ice Cream Bunny. My tree wouldn't be complete without my favorite Krampus ornaments, or the tree skirt passed down from my grandma. And of course, the season can't get underway until I've heard David Bowie and Bing Crosby sing the Little Drummer Boy.
Once upon a time, the state of West Virginia had its own Christmas tradition. Each Christmas Eve, the governor would pardon the longest-serving prisoner at the (now haunted and historic) West Virginia State Penitentiary. On December 24, 1911, Governor Glasscock participated for the third time by offering a full pardon to a man named Daniel Shawn.
Daniel Shawn was a 47-year-old illiterate farmer from Hampshire County when he was accused of murdering his brother-in-law, Absalom/Abraham Izor on June 23, 1893. He was found guilty that September, and sentenced to hang. However, due to some "improper and intemperate utterances" made by the prosecuting attorney, Shawn appealed, hoping to receive a new trial.
A new trial never came, but Governor MacCorkle did commute his death penalty to life imprisonment at the West Virginia State Penitentiary in Moundsville. Shawn became a model prisoner and trustee, even working a job at the Klee's Sons Factory in town. In 1909, he wrote to the newly elected Governor Glasscock seeking a pardon, but was denied. But, luckily for Shawn, his Christmas wish would come true in 1911. After serving 18 years for murder, the now 65-year-old was going home.
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| The Raleigh Herald 30 November 1911 |
That's such a fascinating piece of West Virginia history – I had no idea about the Christmas Eve pardon tradition at the state penitentiary. It must have been a bittersweet moment for Daniel Shawn, spending 18 years in prison for a crime he always maintained he didn't commit. The fact that he became a model prisoner and even worked in town shows he was trying to make the best of a terrible situation. It's nice to think that after all those years, he got to spend his final years as a free man. If you're interested in more historical curiosities, you can always check out https://fortunethor.com/ for something different.
ReplyDeleteWhat a compelling story about Daniel Shawn's redemption after 18 years – the Christmas pardon tradition sounds like something lost to history that deserves more attention. I've been using Fortunethor lately to dig into old newspaper archives and historical records, and it's been great for finding those kinds of forgotten details about regional history.
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