Black Sheep Sunday: Pierpont Asks Release From State Prison

Kokomo Tribune, Kokomo, Indiana, August 25, 1933, page 9.

PIERPONT ASKS RELEASE FROM STATE PRISON


Bandit Who Aided in Robbery of Kokomo Bank Said to Be "Leader"


Indianapolis, Aug. 24 - (AP) - The state clemency commission tonight had under consideration a plea for the release from the state prison of Harry Pierpont based on the contention that he is a man of strong character and is a "leader and not a follower."


To support that contention a brief was filed with the commission asserting that when Pierpont was committed to the state prison in May, 1925, he told prison authorities he would try to escape and it was their duty to prevent it.  Subsequently he made three attempts to escape.  Two years ago, the brief said, Pierpont announced that he intended to be a model prisoner and it was contended he has been such since that time.


Pierpont along with four others was convicted of the robbery of the South Side State Bank in Kokomo and sentenced to 10 to 21 years for robbery.


"The tenacity with which he defied authorities was a clear and evident stamp of character which was to remain unbent," the brief said.


Pierpont's parents live near Liepsic, O., and his record showed two previous convictions.  In the years he has been at the prison he has had 10 punishments, 2 reprimands and one merit braid.


The commission this afternoon also heard requests for the release of two men serving 2 to 21 year sentences for manslaughter.


The prisoners are Pleas and John Spurlock, sentenced from Jackson county in October 1931 for the slayings of Patton Gibson.


The sessions of the commission tomorrow will be the last of the July-August quarterly meeting.


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Cousin Harry PIERPONT (1902-1934), asked for parole from the state prison in August, 1933.  When it was denied, he escaped from prison on September 26, 1933.


Black Sheep Sunday – create a post with the main focus being an ancestor with a “shaded past.” Bring out your ne’er-do-wells, your cads, your black widows, your horse thieves and tell their stories. And don’t forget to check out the International Black Sheep Society of Genealogists (IBSSG). This is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.

Sunday's Obituary: John Leland LeMaster Sr. (1902-1980)

Commercial-Review, Portland, Indiana, January 14, 1980, page 1

John L. LeMaster Sr., 77, Salamonia, a retired educator and former Jay County Auditor, died Saturday afternoon at the Jay County Hospital after an extended illness.


During his career in education, LeMaster served as principal at Gov. I.P. Gray School, Madison Township High School, Poling High School, Bryant High School, and Redkey Schools in Jay County.  He also was a teacher and coach for many years.  He held the position of county auditor from 1940 through 1946.


A graduate of Fort Recovery High School, he earned his bachelor's degree from Ball State Teachers College (now Ball State University), Muncie, and his master's degree from Indiana University, Bloomington.


He was born April 25, 1902 in Madison Township, Jay County, the son of Cooper and Isabelle (Wehrly) LeMaster.  He was married July 2, 1920 to Dortha Delauter, who died May 24, 1976.


LeMaster was a member of the Salamonia Christian Church.


Surviving are three daughters, Mrs. Gail (Jerry) Stoner, Troy, Ohio; Mrs. Ralph (Ardis) Bickel, Anderson, and Mrs. Philip (Ann) Monger, Hagerstown; two daughters-in-law, Mrs. John (Helen) LeMaster Jr., and Mrs. William (Wanda) LeMaster, both of Salamonia; four brothers, Gerald LeMaster, Salamonia; Floyd LeMaster, Union City; Stanley LeMaster, Akron, Ohio, and Elvin LeMaster, Columbus, Ohio; two sisters, Mrs. Dorothy Lock, Richmond, and Mrs. Mary O. Taylor, Atwater, Ohio; 21 grandchildren, and 33 great-grandchildren.


Services will be conducted Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. at the Williamson & Spencer Funeral Home in Portland.  Paul Albertson and Don Boyer will officiate.  Interment will follow in the Salamonia Cemetery.


Friends may call at the funeral home after 2 p.m. on Tuesday.  The family will be present from 2 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday.



Sunday’s Obituary – if you have obituaries of family members and ancestors, consider posting them along with other information about that person as part of Sunday’s Obituary. This is an ongoing series developed by Leslie Ann at Ancestors Live Here.

Surname Saturday : COOK

The COOK surname is in my maternal line.  No connection has been found to the COOK line in Eileen's family. The origins of the surname are unknown at this time.


Stories and history:


Ahnentafel # 57: Clara Cook (1848-1943).  Clara was born November 16, 1848 in Ohio.  She married October 1, 1869 in Butler County, Ohio to Carey W. Lambertson (1847-1918).  Carey was born April 29, 1847 in Butler County, Ohio.  They raised 5 children in Hamilton and Madison Counties, Indiana, where Carey was a farmer.  Carey died March 18, 1918 in Elwood, Madison County, Indiana.  After his death, Clara lived with various relatives, being counted in 1920 and 1930 census records living with daughter, Maud. Clara died January 23, 1943 in Atlanta, Hamilton County, Indiana.  Both are buried in the Elwood City Cemetery, Elwood, Madison County, Indiana.


Ahnentafel # 114: William Cook.  Clara's death certificate in Hamilton County lists her parents as William Cook, born in Virginia and ____ Hirharger, born in Virginia.  I have not been able to verify this information.  I've been unsuccessful in locating Clara in the 1850 census in Ohio, where later census records indicate she was born.  I've tried variations of the Cook name, including German spellings of Koch, hoping to find her there.


Related blog posts:

• Fearless Females: Family Document

• Today in my database: Clara E. Cook (b. November 16, 1848)

Surname Saturday – create a post in which you discuss a surname and mention its origins, its geographical location(s) and how it fits into your genealogy research. Surname Saturday is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.