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| WV State Penitentiary 1910 Source: WV History on View |
During the early 1900's, it was customary for the governor of West Virginia to grant a Christmas-time pardon to an inmate of the West Virginia State Penitentiary at Moundsville. Usually, this was the oldest prisoner in age and/or the prisoner who at that time, had served the longest sentence and was no longer considered a threat to society. I like to feature these pardons each December, but it's rare to come across a NON-holiday pardon (or in this case, early parole) of an inmate. However, I did stumble upon one such case from 1908.
In 1905, William Campbell, an African American from Summers County, was sentenced to 12 years at the penitentiary for his alleged role in a robbery that took place on a Chesapeake and Ohio train. He, along with several other African American men were accused of robbing three white men of $1.20 in cash, a watch, and a knife. The three white men were forced to exit the train at Hinton, and Campbell was later picked up in nearby Ronceverte.
Despite the victims not being able to positively identify Campbell, they couldn't say he WASN'T there either, so he was convicted, all the while maintaining his innocence.
Campbell was described as a model prisoner but was unable to do much of the hard labor usually assigned to inmates as part of their punishment. Instead, he spent at least two years almost exclusively in the infirmary with a terminal case of tuberculosis. In May of 1908, the warden of the penitentiary wrote to Governor Dawson, requesting an early release on behalf of Campbell. Campbell wasn't given long to live, and he had relatives in Washington, D.C. willing to care for him. The request was granted, and Campbell went to spend the rest of his days in our nation's capital. Unfortunately, due to his extremely common name and lack of other details, I was unable to definitively confirm when Campbell did finally succumb to his illness. But, I think it's safe to say that his final breath was NOT taken behind the iron bars of the West Virginia State Penitentiary at Moundsville.
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| The Daily Telegram Clarksburg, WV 22 May 1908 |
this is such a fascinating piece of local history, especially because william campbell’s story is so different from the usual christmas pardons connected with the west virginia state penitentiary. what really stands out is how uncertain the original case appears to have been, with the victims unable to positively identify campbell while he continued to maintain his innocence. it is also striking that his condition became such an important part of the request for early release, with the warden asking governor dawson to allow him to leave the prison so that relatives in washington, d.c. could care for him. the fact that campbell had spent so much of his sentence in the infirmary because of tuberculosis makes the decision especially poignant.
ReplyDeletei also appreciate that the story does not try to create a false ending where the historical record simply does not provide one. with such a common name and so few details, it makes sense that confirming the exact date of his death would be difficult. instead, the important part is that his final days were apparently spent with relatives rather than behind the walls of the penitentiary. stories like this are a good reminder that old prison records are not only about crimes and sentences, but also about individual people, illness, uncertainty and the decisions that shaped their final years.
the mention of the christmas pardons is interesting as well, because it provides a wider context for understanding how governors sometimes dealt with elderly, seriously ill or long-serving prisoners. finding an unusual case from outside that tradition makes this particular story even more worth remembering. i came across boomerang bet while reading.