The Carson daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1865-1870, 1870-06-19
THE CASE OF JOHN GILHAM.

y
the recent pardon of John Gillian, VIII
was sentenced from Lander County I
the State Prison for life upon conviction
OF murder in the second degree, the &C
ton of the Board of Pardons is regarded
IN the ssGteat East as extremely i!
advised. District attorney Mayen baum
who seems to entertain a very decided
prediction toward the severe punish
uIent of such criminals as be is called
upon to prosecute, wrote a letter some
days since to Judge VIM. Fl. Beatty in
rhich he is particularly severe upon the
Board, and wherein he uses the follow
ing extremely violent and bitter Ian.
gaage. We quote from the Reveills of
June i6:
FRIEND BEATTY WV greatly affected
and gratihed in reading your letter and finding
that you share my feelings in reference to
this sweet Board ofPardons. Talk abou: re-
spect for law. If such be law or justice, he
VINO respects it respects anarchy, worships
tyranny, bows to villainy, glorihes the assas-
sin and deifes the devil.
Inou see poor Dinkle with eleven gaping
wounds made by the assassin knife, his life
blood streaming from them. Again see the
great Governor. the wise Supreme Judges and
tie diligent Attorney General yclept, Board
Of Pardons, opening the prison door. and
With tears in their eyes, tehing the assassin
never ~ould have been here. Let not Wonder |
CHASTITY skeleton Brighten you, you have but |
cut on his worldly miseries and sent his soul /
70 heaven or hell" For in spite of law and |
the evidence before them, in spite of our SOL
ennn protest as Judge and District Attorney.
oftnis county, in spite of the Jury, verdict,
justice, public opinion and decency, the Board
say that they doubted that he was guilty of
more than IN anslaughter.
This is merely par. of the letter;
bitit is Sufficient TO convey an idea Of
the state of mind in Which Mr Mayen-
baum finds himself when he contem.
plates this pardon of a man who was
convicted through his Efforts.
Judge Beatty replies to Mayenbaum'si
communication in q long letter under i
date of June II, in which be recites the |
facts as deseloped upon the trial, before c
him, of this man Gillian, and INDUCES :
IN a little quiet sarcasm at the expense
IT the Board. The Judge winds up hisI
letter as follows: J
| have this general observation to make in L
,oncinding this letter. Since l have been q
'udSe IN this State, have tried twenty-one
ri nsr rAr.f. n - I n
n many OF those cases there were convictions
Il murder either an TIE first or second degree.
'ix or seven of the defendants in those cases o.
re now IN the penltentiary serving out long II
efms of Imprisonment and have no hesi.a-
Ton IN saying that there is not one of them u
mo, on the merits of MS case, does not better
eserve pardon to-day than John Gillian.
oeiieve that those men are entitled to some L
They perhaps have no intiu- "
ntlai friends to beseise the Board OF Pardons
nth Importunate applications for their re- 1e
'ase, but that body should no more need the
our OF such opportunities to do justice, than
ley would be guilty of yielding TO them TO VI
. injustice. lfthey have been Just to Gil Of
I'm, they have been unjust to Watkins,
,oadwater, Richards, Pendegast, All Chow,
cCluer, Harwood, and Jones. l hope they OF
u consider this. n
Now whilst We are By no means in. al
med to ae: as the apologist of the pr
bard of Pardons and willis, We are no, OF
epared to deny that there are men -,
mined in the State Prison who are be-
well or better entitled to pardon than Ire
'lhsm, We feel constrained by sense 'oe
fairness, to state one fact which has g.
me to our knowledge mot through any sen
smber of that Board) which was, we cit
lieve, taken into con sideration BY the 60.
ard. and which is, We feel bound to iec
Mess, one very good reason for the Ha
ereise Of their eIem.ncy. Ii is, that lea
ham had been suffering, for upwards I
year, from a physical weakness Lor
ich is frequent among men who are GER
u long in prisons, and which, if not M,
eved By natural restoratives, results Grs
impoteney and madness. Moreover, and
hams record as an inmate ofthe pris- ~. We,
was good one; and 10 infer that ced
youth and good character previous hav
be murder of Dinkle we're taken into at
sideration. NJ
Te have stated this and alluded to hsvi
matter while feeling as far as posi- the
oui,e neutral a. he,~.., IN. Ro.d frou
ardons aud its critics. va lar