Show Joy Kills a Prisoner San Francisco Chronicle With his face turned to freedom and the arms of loved ones outstretched to bear him outside the prison walls with his pardon par-don in his hands and the hope of a free man in his heart Joseph Beehan died at noon yesterday in the San Quentin hospital a free man though behind the bars No man within the walls of Sn Quentin has had more faithful friends at home than l3eeh n his sister has been a constant visitor to cheer and i r 0 comfort him and an indefatigable worker to procure his pardon Saturday Satur-day her efforts having been crowned with success she came with her father to welcome him back to liberty but the joy was too great for the prisoner For some time past he had been ill with consumption and it was thought his freedom would restore his health But when he learned Friday that he was to be free the effect was so great that his death was hastened He was only 26 years of age and he had been committed for four years for grand larceny lar-ceny having been convicted for stealing steal-ing hogs in Sonoma county Persistent efforts had been made in his behalf and Friday Governor Budd signed a commutation of his sentence The news was immediately conveyed to him but the effect was the opposite from that expected His malady became I be-came Immediately worse and it was only by the utmost efforts and by the constant administration of drugs that I his life was prolonged until Saturday when his father and sister arrived I From the moment of their arrival and the presentation of his pardon Bee hans vitality ebbed with frightful rapidity ra-pidity and almost at the stroke of 12 oclock the pardoned prisoner was freed while his body remained within the prison walls |