OCR Text |
Show LIFE-TERMER IS VMM BOARD James Lynch, Slayer of "Colonel" George Prowse, Released From Prison. James Lynch, serving a life sentence for the murder of "Colonel"' George ! Prowse. a faro dealer, during an at- j tempted holdup of the Pheep Ranch gambling gam-bling house on Commercial street about fifteen years a.go, was paroled by the state board of pardons yesterday. When Lynch Is released as a result oi" the board's action there will pass from the sombre confines of tlie state prison , one of )ls most striking figures. For years lie has been a sort of aristocrat j of tlie convicts and is described aa a j "handsome, fine-apeparing man." He j always umpired the baseball games at tlie prison. The attempted hold-up of the Sheep Ranch fr.imblins' house was spectacular, but it slipped a cog, because of the nerve of Colonel Prowse. There was only one main entrance to tlie room, and through the door of this entrance Lynch entered. The faro table, presided over by "Colonel" Prowse, was at the further i end of the room. Lynch walked to the ; faro table and ills partner Mopped at tlie '. door. When both men were in their : places they drew their guns and ordered j "Hands up!" Lynch at this time was standing c"!- ! rectly in front of "Colonel" Prowse, who j was "dealing bank." Instead of com- I plying with Lynch's order, Prowse jerked a gun from a drawer and fired at Lynch. At the same moment Lynch fired nt Prowse. Prowse was shot through the abdomen, while Prowse' s bullet plowed through Lynch's scalp, rendering him All-conscious. All-conscious. When Lynch recovered consciousness he found himself "hog-tied" to a chair, with a bandana handkerchief knotted ahout his bleeding head. In the mean- time. Prowse had been removed to an adjoining room. He died the following dav. Lynch Is forty -five years of age. He was 30 when he tried to hold tip the gambling gam-bling house. Lynch was convicted of murder In the first degree and sentenced to death. His supposed companion on that night was found guilty also, but secured se-cured a new trial, and went scot-free. Lynch's sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment. Lynch was a good prisoner and assisted as-sisted In preventing a jailbreak some years ago. Hence the board of pardons and the prison authorities felt klndlv disposed dis-posed toward him, as he saved the life of a prison guard. The application of Miss- Joan Worth, the personable young woman serving a short sentence in the county jail for swindling, for a pardon, that she might shake the dust of Utah from her dainty feet, was denied by the board. Action on the application of Nicholas Hay worth, murderer, for a parole was postponed and other applications for clemency before the board were rejected for the time being. |