Hide Article Text (OCR)
.iGANGSTER GETSFULL FREEDOMIN LEGAL TILT; Judge Shurtleff Frees James “Fur” Sammons - On Legal GroundsWoodstock. III., July 16-—lt;APi — James Fur ' Sammons, called a gangster and “public enemy” by Chicago authorities, was ordered fixed today cn legal grounds from the state penitentiary at Joliet.Judge Edward Shurtleff ruled Sammons was sent illegally to the penitentiary two years ago to serve out an unexpired 30 years of a 50 year term on a murder conviction. Sammons was legally paroled in 1923 and finally discharged three years later, the Judge ruled In a 52 page ruling on Sammons’ plea for release, Judge Shurtleff said he was “not considering the mans reputation as a gangster or public enemy, but his rights as a citizen of Illinois to protection frcm the state.”Law enforcement agencies of the state, Cook county and the city of Chicago had opposed Sammons’ petition for freedom They declared he had a criminal record back to 1899 had been convicted of federal and Mate charges, and was a known lieutenant of A1 Capons in Chicago.Review Of CaseIn reviewing the case JudgeShurtleff recalled Sammons was convicted in 1903 cn a charge of murdering Patrick Barrett, a Chicago saloon keeper, and sentencedto deathThe then Governor. Richard Yates commuted the sentence to life imprisonment In 1923, Gov.Len Small further commuted the•.entcnce to 50 years in prison. A month later Sammons was paroled and in 1926 won a complete dis-. ’charge from ’he Board of Pardons* and Paroles.Shurtleff ?a:d tcday that the- state Supreme Court in upholdingthe decision returning Sammons to i ! prison did not have available the 3 i records of t hr Parole Board action . of 1926 in granting him complete- I freedom.Disposing of a contention thatSammor.s still has tune to serve on a robbe.y charge of winch he was convicted in lcr3. Judge Shurtleff said the sent n lt;on th * charge would b on*' to 14 years. Allowing for the maximum term, the judge Laid Sammons completed serving it in 1918
Newspaper Details
Dixon Evening Telegraph
Dixon, Illinois, US
Sat, Jul 16, 1932
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Lake C.
IN, USA 20 Dec 2020
Other Publications Near Dixon, Illinois
Dixon Telegraph and Herald
Dixon Weekly Herald
Dixon Evening Telegraph and Herald
Dixon Evening Leader
Daily Whisper
