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Document 13086
GROVER CLEVELAND and DANIEL S. LAMONT
Ten weeks before his presidential election, Governor Cleveland commutes
sentences of 21 prisoners at Sing Sing so they are released before Election
Day.
Partly Printed DS: "Grover Cleveland" as Governor of New York
and "Daniel S. Lamont" as Private Secretary, 1p, 19x19.
Albany, 1884 August 30. "To the Agent and Warden or
Superintendent of the Sing Sing Prison or
Penitentiary." In part: "Whereas, it appears by your
report, dated August 19th 1884, that the convicts hereinafter named were
convicted each in the County and at the Court set opposite to his or her name in
the following table, and of the offense therein stated; and it appearing also,
from the said report, that at said Court each of the said convicts was sentenced
to confinement at hard labor in State Prison or Penitentiary by the Justice...And
Whereas, it further appears by the said report, that each of the said convicts
has fulfilled all the requirements of the act entitled, 'An act to alter the
terms for which criminals may be sentenced to State Prison, to provide their
earning a commutation of sentence and an increase of the amount to be paid them
on their discharges'...so as to have earned thereby the deduction named below from
the term of his or her said sentence; Therefore, in pursuance of the provisions
of the above entitled act, and the amendments thereto, I do hereby direct from
the term of sentence of each of the said convicts the deduction set opposite to
his or her name in the following table...." 2¼-inch diameter embossed gold
seal on light blue paper affixed at lower left. Twenty-one convicts are
listed, all but two from New York County (Manhattan). Crimes listed include
bigamy, assault, grand larceny, attempted rape, burglary, attempted burglary and
false pretense. Terms sentenced range from one year and six months to three
years and six months. Commutation earned was from three to ten months. All
twenty-one would have been released in 1885. By this order, each would be
discharged in September 1884. Cleveland, who served as Governor of New York
from 1883-1884, had past experience with convicted criminals. He had been
the Assistant District Attorney of Erie County (1863-1865) and served as the
county's Sheriff from 1871-1873. Sheriff Cleveland personally carried out the
duties of his office, including the distasteful ones, such as hanging convicted
felons. The month before signing this order, Cleveland received the
Democratic nomination for President at the July 8th to 11th convention in
Chicago. On November 4, 1884, Cleveland defeated the Republican nominee,
former Secretary of State James G. Blaine, 4,874,986 to 4,851,981 (popular
votes), 219-182 (electoral votes), 20-18 states. Cleveland's private
secretary, DANIEL SCOTT LAMONT, served as his Secretary of War from
1893-1897. Tears and holes at cross folds. Some stains at folds from tape
repairs on verso. Nicked edges at folds. Folded tips of corners. Vertical fold
just touches "e" in Grover and "o" in Lamont. Numerous unrelated notes in brown
pencil on verso.
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