Marion County OR Archives News.....C.P.Dixon Pardoned December 1, 1888
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Sheron Faynor nitwittwin@hotmail.com June 11, 2010, 1:36 pm

Woodburn Independent December 1, 1888
His Devoted Wife Secures His Release From The Penitientiary
Salem,Or.Nov.27- C.P.Dixon, Canadian Pacific embezzler, will walk out of the 
penitentiary tomorrow morning a free man, his sentence having been commuted by 
Gov. Pennoyer yesterday.It will be remembered by the reading public that in the 
fall of 1886, Dixon, who was the Portland agent of the Canadian Pacific 
Railroad, embezzled $3000 of that company's funds and skipped to Canada.He was 
gone eight months, and his wife, desparing of his ever returning, secured a 
divorce and returned to her former home in Washington D.C.mFinally Dixon came 
back and turned himself into the hands of the law.His trial, conviction and 
sentence followed. He was received at the penitentiary July 9,1887, and had 
therefor served nearly half his term.

After his conviction his divorced wife returned to Oregon, and has lived in 
Salem since he has been in prison, devoting her whole energies to securing his 
pardon. Judge Dtearns and Prosecuting Attorney McGinn, of the Fourth judicial 
district, recommended his pardon to the Governor, S.A.Johnson of Washington 
D.C., formerly chief of the mail department of the United States Treasury 
Department,wrote that Dixon had been employed under him in the department from 
1878 to 1883, and had been considered a very worthy and capable young msn. 
Senator Teller, ex-secretary of the interior, wrote urging Dixon's pardon, as 
did also the doorkeeper of the U.S.Senate and other prominent officials and ex-
officials at Washington.
Dixon's mother, who lives at Quebec,Canada, wrote a very pathetic letter, 
stating that she was 70 years of age, and that the disgrace and punishment of 
ther loved son,who had supported her for years, was more than she could bear. A 
number of prominent men in Salem and Portlasnd also urged the governor to 
commute his sentence, and a petition to that effect was headed by Archbishop 
Gross and signed by Mayor DeLashmutt, Chief of Police, Parrish Senator Joseph 
Simon, and many other leading men of Portland.The name of nearfly every 
railroad agent in Portland was also noticed on the petition.
The only protest against commutation was from the American Surety Company of 
New York, who made good the amount embezzled by Dixon, being on his bond to the 
company.
The news of his pardon was first broken to Dixon by the Oregonian correspondent 
this afternoon at the prison.He was overcome with joy and gave all credit to 
his divorced wife, who, he said, has stood at the prison gates for nearly 
eighteen months, ready to lead him forth from his living grave and receive him 
with open arms. He said that tomorrow he and his divorced wife would take the 
morning train for Portland, where they would be reuinte din marriage. They will 
then go to Washington Territory to remain a short time. he has not determined 
upon future plans, but will probably go to Denver,Co., to make his home.

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