Kate's Notes: The Hugh Gilliland of this article was a native of Jackson County, Ohio. The daughter mentioned in the article is possibly Adeline, who was born in Ottawa, Kansas in 1871. Hugh and his wife Mary "Polly" Wyant married in Jackson County in 1854 and the couple had several Ohio-born children as well, including son Isaac.
   Hugh was a Civil War veteran of Company A, Ohio 117th Infantry Regiment , and died Dec. 22, 1915 in Ottawa, Kansas, where for some time he had lived next door to son Andrew and his family. Hugh was preceded in death by wife Polly.
   The article below, which explains why there existed a long gap in the census records for Hugh after he left Ohio for Kansas, appeared in a number of newspapers around the country. I was conflicted whether to place the article among the Ohio news articles or those for Kansas but decided upon the latter.
   To date I have been unable to locate any articles pertaining to the crime for which Hugh and Isaac were incarcerated. The time frame referred to in the article regarding the crime - "the early sixties" - is a bit confusing, as Hugh and family were in Ohio during the Civil War years and Hugh was serving with the Union Army.

From The Delphos (OH) Daily Herald
Thursday, January 3, 1895

Life Prisoner Pardoned

Topeka, Jan 3. -- Governor Lewelling yesterday pardoned Hugh Gilliland, aged 70 years, who has been in the penitentiary on a life sentence for 20 years. In the early sixties he and his son Isaac killed a man in a controversy growing out of a homestead claim in Franklin county. Both were convicted of murder, receiving life sentences. The son is now 40 years old, and is still a convict. Governor Lewelling delivered the pardon to Hugh Gilliland’s daughter, who was a baby when the crime was committed.

-- Transcribed by Kate Maynard 2009.