The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-03-12
ALEXANDER NEWTON.
His Sentence COmmuted to Penitentiary
for Life.

ernor OF It's concurrence in the COmmu
tatiOn OF the death sentence passed upol
Alexander Newton to imprisonment a
hard labor for life in the State peniten
tiary. The Governors message to tn
Senate was as follows;
STATE OF LOUISIANA,
Executive Department,
New Orleans, March 8, 1876
To the Honorable President and Members of tn
transmit herewith to the Senate pc
titions presented to me praying that The
sentence OF death passed by the Supe
rior Criminal Court of the parish Of Or.
leans upon Alexander Newton, for the
murder Of Justin Bourdonnay, on the
night of the first OF September, 1874, be
condemned to perpetual Imprisonment
in the State Penitentiary.
! have given to this subject anxious
consideration. No part of my official
duty as Governor has seemed to me
charged with graver responsibilities
than the obligations imposed upon me
by section 1913 of the Revised Statutes
to issue warrant under the seal Of the
State, directed to the sheriff of any
court wherein sentence OF death may
have been passed upon q prisoner, di-
recting him to cause the execution to be
done on the person so condemned in all
things according to the judgment
against him. 1t has seemed to me that
the insecurity Of human life and the
unpunished prevalence of crimes of
violence have been among the chief evils
which have retarded the development
of the State. Under this belief l
have endeavOred as far as possible to
ment of the law in capital cases and
during the three years of my admins
tration have signed thirteen warrants
for the execution Of the death sentence,
and am compelled to admit, however,
that with every desire on the part of the
executive to enforce the laws equally
against rich and poor, the influential
and the friendless, the peculiae condi-
ton of public sentiment with regard to
crimes against human life has prevent
ed the equal administration of justice,
especially in the city Of New Orleans.
Popular prejudice has dealt unjustly by
from punishment.
In the case of Alexander Newton, the
facts are Of very peculiar nature. AS
set forth in the paper accompanying this
message, the crime Of which he was
convicted was committed at time of
intense public excitement, when politi-
cal bodies were parading the streets
with arms, seeking the enforcement Of
their political views by violence and
bloodshed. Newton and his victim
were absolute strangers to each other
there is no proof. no suggestion even of
malice or. premeditation. Words ut
mission of the deed, appeared to give
political significance to the crime and
enlisted against him the strong
est prejudices. From the time of his
arrest until his conviction, he was de-
nounced in the public press, and his
summary execution was more than once
threatened. The extraordinary scenes
of excitement which attended his trial
will be remembered. / have before me
the affidavit Of two members Of the jury
that eleven Of the twelve jurors were in
favor of verdict of guilty without
capital punishment, but after holding
out for ten or eleven hours were intimi-
dated into rendering an unqualified YER
dict of guilty. Seven OF the jury sign
a petition for the communication |
Of the sentence. Judge Braughn,
who presided at the trial and sentenced |
the accused, indorses upon the petit
ton, $50 far as the appeal for cOmmu-
tation is concerned, 1 heartily join the
A statement OF facts and
an appeal for mitigation OF sentence is
signed by a very large number OF citi
zens, including prominent members OF
both political parties. l am Of opinion
that the verdict which members of the
Jury state they would have rendered had
they been left untrammeled to act as
their consciences and the evidence die
lated, namely, Guilty, without capital
would have been justified
by the facts; and il the Senate concur,
[ will commute the sentence to the pen
atty which the law awards in such cases,
imprisonment at hard labor for
life in the State Penitentiary.
VIM. p. KELLOGG, Governor.
Among the petitions accompanying
he message were the following:
To His Exoellency william P. Kellogg, Governor
of the State Of Louisiana:
The undersigned, citizens OF this State,
appeal to you in behalf of Alexander
Newton, now in the Parish Prison in
his city under sentence Of death for the
killing Of Justin Bourdonnay. This
vas a case in which two men, strangers,
net on a street in New Orleans, on the
hight Of political mass meeting, very
shortly preceding "the fourteenth of
September, 1874"
A difficulty which resulted in death
vas the result. The peculiarly excited
condition of the whole people at that
time, the prevalence of disor-
Ter throughout the State, and the fact
hat at that time almost the entire com
nunity went armed, are circumstances
within the knowledge of every one who
vas living here then.
This homicide was not in qualification
# any antecedent grudge, for the men
we're strangers. Tt was directly due to
he excitement incident to the times
nd the occasion.
These circumstances address them
elves to you with all the force Of facts.
They are held before you by an aged
mother, whose heart is bleeding for her
on; by sorrow-stricken sisters and
evoted brother, all Of whom look to
our course in this matter with an anx-
ETY. that is agoniZing.
Enough blood has been shed. plead
or life. The law has been vindicated
nd we ask that you leave death in the
ands of the God who created life.
Save from destruction a life-perhaps
soul. Exercise the divine attribute OF
mercy attached to your position and
within your power, and avert this dread
ul doom. Commute this fearful SEN
ence.
LOUIS MUssE,
ETIENNE DUBOIS, JR.,
w. HUBBARD,
F. THOMAS,
J. B. SEAToN,
GEORGE FOSTER,
PETER METZGER,
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