European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 28, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                In Mississippi prisoners convicted of violent crimes qualify to serve the stale s lint family Here the governor1 mansion lit Jackson. Convicts As Public servants tradition at Mississippi governor s mansion by Kathy Eyre associated press convicted murderer Frank Chotar owes his Freedom and a Wall paying Job to Mississippi s resumption of an old Southern Lia Dilion using i nun in males As servants in the antebellum governor s mansion. Only prisoners convicted of violent crimes qualify to Servo the slate s Dusl family and inmates facing life sentences Are preferred says Joseph Nix director of executive Security at the mansion in Jackson the lend to make Iho Bost workers Nix says explaining thai the Tilers have the most to gain in Hoy Don t bal May the governor s Trust for four years Ghosar whipped up everything from gourmet French sauces to Down Home Cornbread in the Kitchen of the Wiite Pill Rod governor s mansion Buill m 1842. When Bill Alloin loll off co As governor last january he kept the tradition of commuting the sentences of his faithful servants and Ghosar is now on the payroll of a Maz Lehurl Oil company owner to met while at the mansion. Ghosar a d2-Yoar-Otd former Oil yield worker recall a serving Lime at the isolated state Penitentiary at Parchman in the Mississippi  be been behind Whoso Walls and  to says you go to Parchman and you think mat that s it but in in t if you i by to improve yourself he s now working As a general repairman at Hood Petroleum co. Inc offices in Hazlehurst. But Gholar s employer says he plans la train him to become a manager of one of the Hood convenience stores. The program at inc mansion gives you a Chance to prove a Ersoll Gholar says everybody Ain t Gamst you they la Trust you Ghosar was sentenced to info in prison for the 1981 fatal shooting o Tho woman he lived Wilh in the Smalt Southern Mississippi town of Prentiss. He claimed to shot Hei in sort defense Ghosar had no previous criminal record. But no matter How Good his behaviour Al Parchman Ghosar probably would have stayed behind bars much longer than Tho minimum 10 years before he became eligible Foi parole if he had l been selected Lor the mansion Post says his new employer Carroll Hood. Hood is a Good Friend of Allam s and visited the mansion olten. A s also on the slate parole Board. Chotar was among the four mansion servants Whoso sentences were commuted in january two Lor murder and two for manslaughter. Nix h who has been Al the mansion since 1965, says some previous governor s had As Many As eight in males newly inaugurated gov. Ray Mabus has tour inmates cooking cleaning and doing other Odd jobs the inmates live in a trailer behind the mansion. Because of the housing situation Only male inmates Quality Lor the program. Nix says Fiill Waller was the Only Mississippi governor in recent years to doctrine to use prison trustees. A1977 Book co authored by Waller s wife Carroll and University of Mississippi history professor David sensing. A history of the Mississippi governor s mansion explains How the tradition of commuting the sentences of the mansion trustees began. In 1912, Mississippi voters elected Earl Loroy Brewer governor and Theodore Bilbo who later became governor and Kingpin of slate politics for Many years lieutenant governor. The administration was Rife with political intrigue and Bilbo was indicted. According to the Book during Tho sons Lional bribery trial stemming from charges against Theodore Bilbo and his Law partner g a. Hobbs a series of Anonymous threats against gov. Brewer and his family forced the governor to Lake special precautions to protect his  Henry tilt one of the trustees on duty at the saturday May 28, 1986 mansion was assigned to guard Friewer t a year old daughter Claudia against the possibility of kidnapping for several weeks Henry accompanied the Small child whenever she Tell the mansion sometime  the Book says. Gov Brewer discovered a note under his dinner plate in his Young daughter s scribbled hand the note read simply please set Henry free " although inmate had been used As servants at the governor s mansion throughout Mississippi s history Iho stale legislature paused a Resol Ulton in 1912 permitting the governor a Small allowance Lor the prisoners Lood and clothing. Customarily Only negro prisoners who had been convicted of murder committed in passion Ware selected,." Waller and sans no wrote. Beginning with gov. Brewer and continuing through his successors inc inmates received an executive Pardon mowing the service Al Iho mansion. Partly duo to Iho new Patlon of race relations in Mississippi and in part due to general prison a Corm. And in Spile of its record of Success the practice was discontinued in the Waller administration the practice was resumed when William Winter succeeded Waller As governor