AFTER 24 YEARS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 54, Issue 193, 29 May 1934, Page 3

AFTER 24 YEARS

ESCAPED CONVICT ARRESTED.

A CANADIAN ROMANCE.

EDMONTON, April 18

An extraordinary case of an escaped convict who lived a decent, orderly life for almost a quarter-century and then was identified through his finger prints has aroused great interest throughout Canada. One James Fahey was arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for poaching in the national park at Jasper, a mountain resort west of Edmonton. His finger prints were taken, as a matter of routine, sent to R.C.M.P. headquarters in Ottawa for checking and filing, and to the astonishment of everybody but Fahey they told a romantic and tragic story. Fahey said the prints—and Fahey then freely admitted it—was none ether than Frank Grigware, who escaped from the United States prison at Leavenworth, Kansas, twenty-four ' years ago, and had not since been heard of. Then the story came oat.

Grigware, a native of Kansas, when a youth was arrested with several others for an armed train robbery. He was convicted, sentenced to life imprisonment; locked up at Leavenworth. Shortly afterwards he took advantage of a iailbreak, avoided recapture, made his way into Canada under the name of Fahey, eventually settled in Jasper, married and became a naturalised Canadian, raised a family. In Jasper he is known as a hard-working, law-abid-ing citizen, and until his ill-advised poaching exploit, had neyer been in trouble in this country. The identification caused something like consternation in Jasper. Fahey, in the Edmonton jail, declared emphatically he was innocent of the crime for which he had been sentenced in Kansas. His fellow-townspeople rallied to his aid j his wife loyally beside him. The women of Jasper telegraphed the President of the United States, the Prime Minister of Canada, asking for sympathy, for consideration of a quarter-century of good living. The Alberta Legislature in an informal session expressed itself similarly. Throughout the country keen interest was manifested. Meanwhile the United States government made formal application for Fahey's extradition, and pending hearing of the case-he was released from custody on bail of £2,000. At- that timo it was expected he would be permitted to remain in the Dominion.