The Lamoni Chronicle
Lamoni, Iowa
December 23, 1909

Asks Board of Parole to Reconsider Case.

Governor CARROLL this morning turned down the recommendation of the state parole that he pardon Dr. J. W. CROFFORD of Decatur county, now serving a twelve year sentence in Ft. Madison for murder in the first degree. The governor returned the application to the board, stating that he cannot take final action in the case until the board has an opportunity to review the case in the light of the new evidence given against Dr. Artemus BROWN, who made sensational statements entirely exonerating Dr. CROFFORD and charging that the girl in the case performed the fatal operation upon herself.

After the board of parole had sent the case to Governor CARROLL with a recommendation that he pardon Dr. CROFFORD, friends of the dead girl entered a protest against the pardon and asked to be heard. The board made the recommendation on the testimony of Dr. Artemus BROWN, who is a sworn statement declared that the girl visited his office before going to the sanitarium of Dr. CROFFORD, in January, and that she had said she had performed the operations on herself. He also told the board that it was this operation that killed her.

On this statement the board recommended the pardon. When the hearing was held before Governor CARROLL, witnesses impeached the testimony of Dr. BROWN to such an extent that Governor CARROLL did not feel justified in accepting the recommendation of the state board of parole, and consequently he returns the case to the board to be re-examined by them in the light of the impeachment of the testimony of Dr. BROWN.

Governor CARROLL in his letter of transmittal says that the friends of the girl are open to criticism fro not giving their testimony at the first hearing of the case instead of waiting until they thought that Dr. CROFFORD was to be pardoned. - Des Moines Capital, Dec. 17

Copied by Stacey McDowell Dietiker
June 23, 2003