The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1881-07-28
COzveSponaence.
To the Editor of the ESrrnFa1sr.

The history of James Adams, as ex-
emplified by his conduetin our village,
is too well known to need writing in
detail. Suffice it to say, that, after a
series of escapes from justice, he and
several others were at last indicted for
grand larceny. One of the number had
his trial, and was sentenced to two years
imprisonment in the Penitentiary.
Through the influence of one of our
citizens, Adams's case was put over to
the next term of court, and some thought
he would again be helped around the
corner and escape justice altogether,
while others less guilty were punished.
Public feeling was aroused, petition
was circulated and heavily signed, ask
ing that Adams should be tried, and if
guilty punished. One of our respect
able ex-Mayors presented the petition
Pleas. Our Prosecutor gave assurance
that Adams would be tried at the next
term of court. Here the case rested
until the next term, when Adams was
|
term of two years in the penitentiary
for grand larceny. Now comes the
strangest part of this strange story. The
mother and wife of Adams circulated a
petition for his pardon, and before six
months had rolled around after Adams
left, without any extenuating circum-
stances, reason or evidence other than
that upon which Adams had been con-
victed, the aforesaid ex-Mayor headed
the reprieve petition, followed by our
then acting Mayor and q majority of
the members of the Town Council and
long list of names of the business
men of the place.
With this list of petitioners, and letters
of introduction from some of our leading
representative men, accompanied by q
Bible-class teacher in one of our lead
ing churches, those brave women, true
hearted women, laid the trophies of
their tears at the feet of our Chief Exec
utive as an atonement for the misde-
meanors of the unmitigated scamp,
James Adams. Notwithstanding all this
pressure, the practical good sense of our
Governor led him, upon general prin-
ciples, to refuse a pardon unless better
reasons could be given than those as
signed by the petitioners, who upon
being interviewed gave about the same
reason that Adam did for stealing the
apple-simply that the womea wanted
them to,-except one Hon. gentleman
who said he wrote his letter so carefully
that after reading it Foster could not
tell which side he was on. And so a
petition OF about eighty names and let
ters of Introduction were obtained and
presented to the Governor of Ohio, ask
ing for the par don of man, not because
they thought he ought to be pardoned,
but because (using their languagel the
women cried and wanted them to. No
disrespect is intended to the wife or
mother OF Adams, for it is perfectly
natural that they should do just as they
did, nor does any one blame them for
their action in getting up the petition.
Let US inquire wher a thief has ever
been punished upon conviction of crime
in our village without tidal wave. of
sickly, cowardly sympathy setting in
that has nearly defeated the ends of
Justice. 1t is hardly safe even for our
marshal to arrest or interfere with a
hummer at the hour of midnight, lest he
overstep the strict letter of his authority
and be prosecuted. The Irregularities
of the young men of to-day are but the
legitimate result of the example set by
their progenitors. Penalty is the force
of law, and as long as law is necessary
to society, oloEg penalty will be neces-
sery to law. There are times when men
should be made of sterner stuff than to
compromise justice for women's tears.
We blush when we remember how men
have been Influenced by them to sign