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1 BOY MURDERER SEEKS RELEASE FROM PRISON[ Application for parole for Henry Fiorentini, Cherry anarchist, who is serving a 45 year term in the Joliet penitentiary for murder, has been filed I with the board of pardons and the hearing will be held at Joliet on Tuesday. October 12.Fiorentini. then IS years old, was sentenced on March 4, l!16, by Judge Joe A. Davis, upoon hiss plea of guilty to a charge of shooting John Hozie. night pump man at the St. Paul mine in Cherry, and also killing nine mules, which were used in the mine for hauling coal to the shaft. The crime was committed on the night of .March 22, 1015. He has served about four and a half years.Fiorentini, who it is said, had a grievance against the mine superintendent, James Steele, who refused to re-einploy him after he had displayed 1 anarchistic tendencies, bought an automatic revolver from Montgomery, Ward Co., and on tlie night in question, descended into the mine by way of the escape shaft.Xiii/i mules, stabled in tlie third vein of the pit, were shot by Fiorentini, who then climbed to the second vein and shoot down the pump man, Hozie, wdio was stooping, examining the pump when Fiorentini came up behind him and killed’iiim without warning.After the crime Fiorentini fled to New Orleans and there embarked on the tramp steamer Hydaspes, bound for Avonmouth, England, with a load of war* horses. He was intercepted by wireless and arrested as lie was leaving the boat at Avonmouth. After being lodged in the Brivton prison for two months, he was brought back to Princeton by Deputy Sheriff .1. H. Henderson for trial.A dairy found near the outskirts of Cherry and a letter written to his brother while in tile English prison, contained a confession of the crime and when brought to trial, Fiorentini threw himself upon the mercy of the court,1 'laronce A. Darrow, noted Chicago criminal lawyer, represented Fiorentini and made a strong plea for clemency, but because of the revolting nature of the crime the couit deemed it his duty to send Fiorentini to the penitentiary for 45 years.Harry Hamill, a Chicago lawyer, is handling the appeal for parole, and is putting up the plea that grief for the death of his parents and brother and brooding over the loss of liis job in the mine, affected Fiorentini's mind and caused him to do many strung,, things.Fiorentini now claims that it was not until his arrest in England that in* knew he was charged with murder. When lie shot Hozie, lie claims, lie fired at a moving light, wihich he believed to he the spirit of one of the victims of the Cherry mine disaster.Judge Joe A. Davis, the trial judge, and C. X. Hollerieh, the prosecuting attorney, will oppose the releas. of Fiorentini, at this time. They have prepared a statement of the evidence produced at the trial and will submit it to the pardon board. Both the judge and prosecuting attorney feel that Fiorentini has not been sufficiently punished and should not be released.
Newspaper Details
Spring Valley Gazette
Spring Valley, Illinois, US
Thu, Sep 23, 1920
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
Molly D.
USA 07 Jan 2025
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