Philadelphia Daily News from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 5

Thursday. January 18, 1979 Philadelphia Daily News. 5 Pardon-Peddling Scandal Rocks Tennessee NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UPI) Lamar Alexander has been sworn in as governor of Tennessee three days early in a hastily called, virtually secret ceremony aimed at blocking outgoing Gov. Ray Blanton's plans to pardon more convicted killers.

Aides to Blanton, 48, a Democrat and target of a federal grand jury investigation into the state's pardon-peddling scandal, tried to retrieve papers con ---4 Kj I i cerning nis clemency actions but were locked out of the Capitol last night. Blanton learned of Republican Alexander's swearing in just five minutes before it took place. "The new governor secured the Capitol building," he complained. The Democratic governor, who had been scheduled to hand over the ofice Saturday, said he was "saddened and hurt" by the "clandestine action," but would not challenge its legality. torney Hal Hardin advised there was "substantial reason" to believe Blanton was ccnterr.platmg freeing more prisoners linked with the alleged scheme.

(Three Blanton aides have bttr. charged with bribery and racketeering in the scheme.) There was no indication that James Far! Ray. he-convicted assassin of Dr. Martin Luther King was in line for clemency. But among those whom sounvs said Blanton was about to free were tnple-murtic! tr Eddie Dallas Denton and Ralph (Dimples) Cozrchr.o.

once one of the FBI's most wanted men, who is or, Death Row for killing a police- officer. STATE ATTORNEY General Wilharo Leech said Blanton's exact terra ended at midnight Tuesday at; since then had been a "holdover governor." So si was "Constitutionally valid" for Alexander to take olncc. Leech said he called Blanton at his private residence and said: 'Governor, this is Genera! l.tcch. I just wanted tocall you myself and let you know i hat a few minutes, Lamar Alexander will take the The federal grand jury investigation, Sr.iuau-d 2' years ago, did not heat up until last Dec 15. when i agents arrested Blanton legal counsel Eddie St'fc and extradition officer Charles Benson.

Sisk and allegedly were carrying S100.0OO in marled which was to spring Larry Ed Hacker, described as "the roughest, meanest guy" in the state pen mastermind of the James Earl Ray escape. Howeu'r. the scheme had been hatched by the FBI. Sisk and Benson have not been indicted. 1 A.

BJanton 9 Blanton shocked and outraged the state Monday night when, despite the investigation, he granted executive clemency to 52 convicts, including 24 murderers. He defended the mass release as an effort to obey "a court order to release 700 prisoners" to reduce the state's overcrowded prisons. "THESE ARE NOT happy days for Tennessee," said Alexander, 33. "This is not a happy day for me." He said he had agreed to be sworn in after U.S. At- Unit ax Alexander is sworn in as daughter looks on -W El mmsw mauuiiG mss mji nm granddaughter, Alice Wayne, and great-grand- son.

josepn vvayne. "We're very hap- py about it," said' Alice Wayne, 73. a retired 1 1 teacher. "We knew he- was innocent, but we felt that this had to be done, too. We got a k1 of calls from people a-! over the country, it's just too bad that this couldn't have- been done when his children were alive.

Thi-y would have it." son W'ayne; two other great-grandsons, Henry Wayne and John Sweeney; a granddaughter, Alice E. Wayne, and a great-granddaughter, Eleanor Bowman. The case centered on the death of a mine foreman. Franklin Langdon, in Audenried, near Hazleton, in July 1862. Langdon was stoned and struck with a tree branch in a brawl with several miners but apparently was not seriously hurt.

However, he died at home three days later while under his family physician's care. "HE WAS FULLY conscious during that time, and at no time did he mention Kehoe as one of his attackers," Wayne said. Five persons linked to the attack were tried for second-degree murder. Two were sentenced to five years in prison; charges against the other three were dropped. Kehoe was not hauled into court until 15 years later, two years after he had led a six-month strike of coal miners.

He had worked in the mines as a young man, but had since been elected high constable of Girardville and purchased a local tavern and hotel, The Hibernian House. He was one of the few laborers By MARIA GALLAGHER Thanks to a stubborn great-grandson, John (Black Jack) Kehoe's name has been cleared 100 years after he was hanged for murder. Kehoe, a bearded Girardville saloonkeeper and labor organizer, was executed in Pottsville on Dec. 18, 1878. At a time when coal miners practically owed their souls to company stores, Kehoe was the alleged leader of the militant Molly Maguires, a secret society of Irish miners organized to fight the coal companies.

Kehoe's great-grandson, Joseph Wayne, a family historian of sorts, was the force behind the pardon petition signed by Gov. Shapp last Friday. Wayne, 35, is a former Schuylkill County controller who works as a labor negotiator for the state treasurer's office. "I'm on the other side now. I'm a traitor," he laughed.

WAYNE APPLIED for the pardon about six months ago. Philadelphia lawyer John Elliot, a Girardville native, then presented the plea to the state Board of Pardons in December. Several coal miners' and labor organizations sent representatives to the hearing. Many Kehoe descendants also attended: great-grand who could read and write. Elliot detailed for the panel the irregularities that made the murder trial "a kangaroo The judge who heard the case was a personal and political foe of Kehoe, handpicked by the mining interests.

The special prosecutors were the Reading Coal and Iron Co. president and a former Civil War general who wore his Union uniform during the trial. (Irish immigrants who refused to take sides and fight in the Civil War were considered unpatriotic.) THE JURY WAS composed of persons who didn't speak English, gathered from a gerrymandered judicial district. Irish and Catholics were excluded. Persons who testified in Kehoe's behalf were fired from their jobs and blacklisted.

One newspaper account at the time described the Irish as "scum." Kehoe was sentenced to the gallows, although several trial witnesses testified he was elsewhere during the assault on langdon. He was kept in. chains in the Schuylkill County Prison until his death. His saloon and rooming house, since renamed Wayne's Hotel, is now operated by his Alice Wavne Joseph Wayne intends to gather the cl.trt -together for a celebration "when the breaks." And as a further tribute, Wayr.e'.- Hotel will soon again be called Tho House. "It was a glorious moment for Shapp a civil libertarian," Elliot commented.

something he could have conveniently I don't think you'll find Republicans rested in this kind of history." deal of I 'A I who had becne a i i seat. Myers and a cousin have been charged with assaulting two hotel aides following a party after Myers was sworn in Monday. LAST TERM, it took a little longer for the trouble to surface. But sever- By TOM COONEY U.S. Rep.

Michael J. (Ozzie) Myers is beginning only his second term in Congress and already has found two different ways of getting into trouble on swearing-in day. I't t-Ve I'A 5 state serv; al months after Myers began his congressional career in January 1977, it was disclosed that he'd learned the ropes well enough to charge his expense account S327.70 for a bus to bring friends and constituents from Philadelphia to Washington for his induction and S704 for a luncheon after his pals got there. Myers, who lives in a rownouse on 6th St. near Oregon has been widely publicized as one of a group of blue-collar congressmen, lawmakers with backgrounds as working men.

Myers had been a longshore men from the time he left Bok Vocational High School until after he was elected to the first of his three terms in the state House of Representatives in 1970. A former ward leader in South Philadelphia, Myers was a "throw-away" candidate in 1970, but surprisingly won election when Gov. Milton Shapp won election by a completely unexpected landslide. MYERS STAYED ON in the House, then was selected for the Congress seat from the 1st District upon the Rep. Myers Charged with Hitting Cashier Myers has had tho sup vears of those who cour, Philadelphia former Henry J.

Cianfrani. no prison term for rackefct Councilman James Tayc-i course, Mayor Rizzo. He has been criticized legislative actions or lack and one associate tabbed than a lightweight." e.f "I told him that if he didn't remove his hand, I was going to put my foot in his crotch," Ervin said. She said she also turned to Sullivan and said, "Why don't you take your friend home and put him in a cage?" Continued from Page 4 She said that during the party Myers was dancing in a monkey mask, and at one point, he put his hand on her shoulder. tiorts.