The Republican journal., 1875-02-25
Gordon and Wagner.

| Mrs Gordon the aged mother of John True
| Gordon, who, on Friday next, is to pay the pen
| atty of his terrible crime came to this city yes
| terday, in company with Hon. Reuben W. Files
| of Unity, for the purpose CT making last APP
| peal to the Governor and Council, for the life
| of her son. She was given an attentive hearing
| in the Council chamber Yesterday afternoon.
| She said that she came to ask that her son
| might be pardOnetl. and if that request could
not be granted, that his sentence of death be
| committed to imprisonment for life. She said
| that she could not believe that her son com
| mitted the deed, although she could not imagine
| who did it. John was in the house the night
of the murder, and if he had wanted to commit
| the deed he could have done it before. She
! said that another son of hers. now dead, had
tits of insanity. on account of blow he received
when young. but that John, to her knowledge,
never manifested any signs of insanity; that
| there had never been any insanity in the family
except in the case stated. She lost one son in
| the army. She did not claim that any new evil
| dence had been discovered bearing upon the
case.
| Mrs. Goruon's appeal was made in tears, and
with all the feelings of mothers heart. The
Council, however, did not feel that they had any
right to interfere to avert the penalty which has
| been provided by law and the sentence imposed
| by court, especially since the legislature had
refused to substitute imprisonment for life for
| the death penalty, and the evidence in the case
| which had been reviewed seemed to be cOncll!-
| sive as to the prisoners guilt AS the Governor
| cannot commute the sentence unless so advised
| by the Council, there can of course be no escape
| for Gordon. Mrs. Gordon is a good looking
| well preserved lady, between 90 and 70 years OF
| age She left for home on the afternoon train
/, Judge Tapley, one of the counsel for Wagner,
| has returned from Bangor where he went to
| consult with Judge Peters in regard to obtain
| ing writ of habeas corpus or writ OF error.
| He was unable to obtain one, and he sees moth
| ing more that can be done for the prisoner. 1t
1 is rpUOrtpd that the ju0SeS who have been con-
| suited, think there is nothing in the point made
| relative to the insufficiency Of the warrant
for the execution. The Governor has ex-
| pressed his readiness to postpone the eXecu-
| ton if any judge will issue writ OF Which
| he can take an official notice. Should this
be done, of which there is no prospect, both
| prisoners will be reprieved for thirty days
| The present council, as well as the former one
has refused to advise the communication of Wag-
ner. sentence. Should nothing be done in the
direction indicated, the execution Of Gordon
and Wagner will take place at Ihomaston, on
Friday next. Sheriff Torrey has nearly all the
! arrangements for the execution completed.
| Wagner is still under the impression that he
will not be executed, and thinks that something
/ will yet intervene to avert the doom. GOrden
| has become quite calm and resigned. lie talks
| freely with his religious adviser. The Warden
| thinks that both prisoners will refuse to make
any confession of the part they bore in the ter
| rible tragedies.
| Since writing the above we learn that Judge
l Tupley expects to secure a delay of execution
| of Wagner. by instituting proceedings to day
| for writ of error on the grounds, first, thai
| Wagner was not sentenced by the same Gov
| ernor as found him guilty on review. Second
that the law requiring the Governor to fix the
date of execution is unconstitutional. This las
ground will also be raised in the case OF Gordon
by his counsel Application will probably be
| made to Judge DantOrth for the necessary writ
| [kcnnebec journal, Wednesday.