Martin, On a Mission, Gains Statewide Attention

by Tom
Shevlin on January 31, 2011 ·  in LOCAL NEWS

Rep. Peter Martin

NEWPORT, R.I. – Newport Rep.
Peter Martin (D), who over the last several weeks has been making the case for
Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee to pardon an Irish immigrant whose conviction and
hanging for a crime he didn’t commit prompted the state to abolish the
death penalty, has gained some notable
media attention from Fountain Street today.

John Gordon’s last day was
Valentine’s Day of 1845. Hanged for the murder of Cranston industrialist Amasa Sprague, Gordon’s tale became emblematic of the
anti-Irish sentiment that pervaded the state in the years leading up to the
Civil War. Martin, who grew up in Newport’s Fifth Ward had heard stories
about the case, but it wasn’t until recently that he became convinced
that the only way justice would be done would be for Chafee to grant Gordon a
full pardon.

The catalyst for Martin’s
efforts was a play written by Ken Dooley now showing in Cranston entitled
“The Murder Trial of John Gordon,” which we wrote about  in the Jan. 20 edition of Newport This
Week. Dooley asked Martin to submit a piece of legislation calling
on Chafee to posthumously clear Gordon’s name.

Katie Mulvaney
from the Providence Journal has more on the story, which features a photo of
Martin near Gordon’s unmarked grave.

I spoke with Rep. Martin last week
before he headed out for his photo shoot. Always deferential, at the time he
was hoping that the story would focus more on Gordon and the playwright who
brought his case to his attention. Click
here for the full story.

http://www.newport-now.com/2011/01/31/martin-on-a-mission-gains-statewide-attention/