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Show ABE MAJORS PAROLED AFTER SERVING EIGHTEEN YEARS FOR KILLING CAPT. BROWN OF OGDEN Abraham R. Majors, convicted May 12, 1899, for the murder of Captain' William Brown of the Ogden police force, sontenccd to death and later to life imprisonment, was yesterday given his parole from the state penitentiary ; by the state board of pardons. The ; clement of doubt has ever been a I' strong factor in the mindB of Ogden I people in the Majors' case. Whether! he shot and killed Captain Brown, whether his brother Archie Majors, older by four years than Alfe", shot and killed the captain, or whether Captain Brown was shot and killed by members of the posse which went after the two youths in the hills near the Hot Springs has ever remained a matter of conjecture. There are many of the older peace officers of the community who still take firm sides on different aspects of tho case. The Majors case has been one of the most sensatiGnal in the history his-tory of Utah's criminal records. For pure persistency In trying lo receive pardon for the crime he was convicted convict-ed of, Majors has far outstripped any other prisoner ever Incarcerated in Utah. Time and again his petition for parole has been before the state board of pardons. Various organizations have interested themselves In attempts to secure clemency for the prisoner, and his friends and relatives have made unceasing attempts with the same fruitless result. Long In Prison. Majors has been in the state peni tentiary a little more than half his life. He was convicted May 12, 1S99 when IS years of age, and was sentenced sen-tenced to be shot July 7, 1899. He appealed from the judgment of the lower court, but the judgment was affirmed af-firmed and seeming certain doom faced the young man. The execution day was postponed to August 17, 1900. Majors appealed for a now trial but was refused re-fused and finally carried the appeal to the supreme court where an order was issued setting aside the order of the lower court denying Majors' motion and granting him a new trial. At the second trial, Majors was convicted of murder in the second degree, the jury recommending mercy, but the court sentenced him to life Imprisonment. He appealed from this JudgmenL The appeal was heard during the fall term of the supreme court in 1903 but the Judgment was afTlrmed December 15, of the samo year. Mrs. L. D. Wagner, Majors' mother, who lives in Salt Lake has been striving with every power at her command com-mand during three years to secure tho pardon of her son. She interested Attorney J. W. McKinney three years t&u iu Lue citse uuu vao attorney likewise like-wise folowed every opportunity ot pleading hln client's case bfore tho state board of pardons. He secured affidavits from the jurors who sat at the trial of Majors and got addition al evidence from many sources from, time to time which he has been buildup build-up into a strong web of proof of the justice of Majors' claim. Attorney Pleased. , "It Is very pleasing to me to learn that the state board of pardons has granted the application of Majors for parole," Attorney McKinney said last nighL "For three years I havo de. voted what time I had to his case, and tho longer I studied it the. strong-er strong-er became my conviction that 'Majors should be extended clemency, especially especi-ally In view of the fact that he had been so long Incarcerated. The board has now given him a chance, and I believe he will prove his worthiness of the confidence reposed in him, and that ho will be an honorable and useful use-ful member of society. I understand that ho has not only educated him-self him-self In a general way during his confinement, con-finement, but that he has mastered the tailors' trade. One thing that has always Impressed me favorably about Majors is his tender and devoted love for his mother, who haB been shattered by long years of suffering and hardship. The joy that his release re-lease will bring tohls hearL" "There Is not a man In all the world tonight happier than I am," Majors said last night. "But my hear Is not so full of joy. that there Is not room for gratitude gratitude for the action of the board of pardons pard-ons In giving me an opportunity to live, to work, to be uspful, to live a ' moral life and to seek happiness. 1 1 shall make all the members of tho board, my motlior and all my 'dear friends glad that 1 havo a chance to prove that I am a man living as a man should." When asked as to his plans for tho future. Majors replied that he had mapped out nothing definite. Ho said Samuel Nowhouse, to whom ho has been paroled, will provide him with gome occupation by which he can make a living. History of Case. The slaying of Captain William- A. Brown of the Ogden police depart ment occurred on April 30, 1S99, shortly after the robbery of a man named Fred Hanson on tho outskirts of Brigham City, April 29. On that day Archlo Majors, who was then 22 years of age, and Abraham R. Majors, Maj-ors, who was IS years of age held up ahd robbed Hanson of somo milk. They tied him and continued along the road. Hanson released himself and informed the officers of what had happened. Sheriff Cardon df Box Elder county. Doputy Sheriff Thoriipson and Con stable G. J. Wolls started in pursuit of the boys and found them near the Hot Springs. The brothers refused to halt and .the offlcors opened fire, j Tho Majors boys returned tho fire and : fled into the hills. 1 -Sheriff Charles Layne of Weber county, and his deputies, Gilbert Bel-nap, Bel-nap, Joseph Bailey and Captain Brown, were summoned from Ogden and arrived on the scene about daylight day-light of the next day. The deputies then divided into groups and proceeded proceed-ed In pursuit of the two young men. On April 30, about 2 o'clock in the aft ernoon, Shemt uoruon, uepuiy cei-nap cei-nap and Captain Brown encountered the boys In a sort of box canyon on tho mountain near what la now the Wedell farm. They commanded them to halt but they refused and a fight ensued. Archie Majors was shot and Captain Brown also, the latter' falling Immediately after Archie Majors was hit, Tho other officers then closed In on Abe Majors and forced him to sur- IBH Maintained Innocence. Abraham Majors was supposed to H have fired the shot which killed Cap- H lain Brown, although he contended H after that his brother had shot tho H captain 'just before he was fatally wounded. His'trial followed in a very H short time and he was convicted of H first degree murder and sentenced to H be While the matter has not been pur-sued pur-sued very extensively in Ogden, there seems to be a preponderance of opin- 'H Ion that the pardon, board was dealing 'H Justly with, the prisoner by granting s ll him his parole. There are some who H il declared today, after hearing of the PlH action of the board, that Majors should 8 jH still be in the penitentiary and should 1 il serve his full term, life, as they are 1 thoroughly convinced he was guilty of the crime charged. I H Others, among them older officers of the police and sheriff's departments jH gave It as their opinion that the man H had suffered keenly for the crime and IH that his parole would meet the ends 1 of justice. Pl Gilbert Belnap, who was a deputy tftl under Sheriff Layne at the time of the ffljl fatal shooting, expressed great sur- iliiH prise when told of tho action of tho all pardon board, but made no further fnl comment. llfH |