On a snowy February morning in 1915, Warden Fenton at the Nebraska Penitentiary made the call to release 19 felons back into society, according to the state’s monthly report. The cold winter weather didn’t deter the trainmen who were tasked with transporting the convicts to their new destinations. January was a month of liberation for these prisoners, but it also brought new faces to the prison gates. Sixteen convicts were committed to the penitentiary, including two men who were given life sentences for murder: Sanford from Thayer County and Green from Douglas County. In a tragic turn of events, one convict, Roe Bay Mattar Bonds, lost his life behind bars. With one transfer to the Hospital for the Insane and one death, the prison population decreased by five. Amidst the comings and goings, the Nebraska State Board of Educational Lands and Funds made a significant investment in the town of Minatare by purchasing $6000 worth of electric light bonds.
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Key Facts
- State: Nebraska
- Category: Violent Crime
- Era: Historical
- Source: Library of Congress — Chronicling America ↗
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