Morning journal and courier., 1889-04-10
SWIFT MUST HANG.

! HARTFORD, April 5.
 Special Correspondence of the JOURNAL AND CoURIER.l
 Barring the improbable unseen John H.
 Swift will hang week from Thursday. The
 House decided it to-day beyond any reason-
 able doubt by vote of 121 to 96 against
 passing the resolution over the Governor E ! veto, and thus to the death sentence is added
 the refinement of cruelty in the legislature
 having once granted the life it now refuses to
 take from the gallows. Nothing else was ] done in the House to-day, which convened at
 o'clock, except to waste twenty minutes on
 a reconsideration of the vote to make Hunt
 ington probate district, and then pass the
 same vote over again. A four hours debate
 on the Swift matter then ensued. Practical I ly the same arguments were made that were
 heard when the resolution was first voted on
 week or more ago. The first speaker was
 W. Cecil Durand of Milford, who surprised everybody by asserting that he had twice gentleman from Hartford, but should now ! support the Governors veto. He said:
 He had fulfilled his promise, and now he : would not vote again to commute murderer ! It has been said that men were on the judi \ oiary committee who were opposed to capital "A \ and vote on such question. This resolu- ! tion was pounded through the senate by John | M. Hall as if he had brother at stake. And \ now it is being pounded through the house by the judiciary committee, whose scaven- gers go up and down the aisles begging for ! votes. This committee does not care rap for John H. Swift. They want their resolu- tion passed. have sympathy, but my sym pathy goes not all to the murderers sister. What about the family of his victim? will vote to sustain the veto of the governor. All honor to Morgan G. Bulkeley, whose name will go down to posterity man who had the courage of his convictions.'
 Speaker Perry called General Olmstead of \ Norwalk to the chair and offered an amend ! ment to submit the matter to the board of \ pardons, reconstruct this board so that no ' judge of either superior or supreme courts ' who had had anything to do with passing on \ the case or any person who has expressed an | opinion should be allowed to act as 8 member \ of the board, and that 8 two-thirds vote | should commute.
 MT. Glover arose to point of order on the ! ground that as this was resolution vetoed \ by the governor the house could not now | amend it, but must pass or reject it as the governor returned it. The chair overruled ! the point and MT. Glover appealed from the | chair to the house. The appeal was sustain | ed by vote of 02 to 73, which was supposed \ to be a test vote in favor of Swift, but did not prove to be so. Messrs. Hickox of LitchfeId, \ Kendall of Sufeld, Beckwith of Winchester, Bryant of Orange. Knight of Hsrtlsnd made ! extended speeches against communication Messrs. Hyde and Smith of Hartford said they had never had any agreement with MT. Durand to vote for Swift and hoped MT. \ Durand could reconcile his conscience with ! his memory.
 Messrs. Wolfe of New Haven and Hill of \ Stamford made the best speeches in favor of ! communication and shortly before five Mr. ' Glover closed the debate in favor of sustain ing the judiciary committees report. Mr. \ Lane of Norwich said he had been to see Judge Sanford, whom the judiciary commit | tee quoted in their report as saying at the close of Swift's trial that he was sorry the jury had not brought in verdict for second degree murder which would have been in &C., cordance with the evidence.
 Mir. Lane said Judge Sanford had author ized him to state that he thought the verdict just, and had thought so.
 MT. Hyde said that in the House was sworn affidavit of Attorney Charles J. Cole of Hartford that he heard Judge Sanford make the remark attributed
 As General Olmstead was paired and could not vote on tie, he left the chair to which MT. Wolfe was called. The roll was then called, and resulted in majority of 121 to 96 against passing the resolution over the Governors veto. The greatest majority against Swift was rolled up from the country towns of Windham,
 
 and here more changing of votes since the matter was voted on before occurred. The reason attributed is that these representatives of small towns have been visited by their constituents with great disapproval. One man said that after voting for Swift he went home and was nearly stoned and clubbed by his people.
 New Haven county voted as follows:
 For computing sentence -Messrs. Wolfe, C.. ". BeardsIey, O'HeLlI, Carrington F. J. Terrell, Deo- en, N L. Cooley, Futile, Treat, Chapin, o'Calla- Andrews, Davis Parmalee, Clark Munger, Castle ton, Durand, Gales, Eaton, Bryant, Morse, Gam gus.
 Representatives who originally voted to save Swift's life and changed to-day on &C., I count of Governor Bulkeley's veto some ! other reason were:
 New Haven countyaAsssrs. Gatss M and Durand.
 Hartford county-Damon and G. W. Brown.
 New London county-Willard.
 Fairfield county1Rogers and l. Williams.
 Windham county-Day.
 Mr. O'NeiI changed his vote to the nega- tive in order to be in a position to move to | reconsider.
 MT. Lane moved to reconsider this after noon in order to elinch the matter, while the s anti-Swift men were in 8 majority, but I Frank Hyde moved to adjourn ald take the \ vote upon adjournment by aye and nay. While the clerk was calling the vote, enough | membe rushed out to leave the House with | out 8 quorum, so Speaker Pro Tenn. Wolf declared the House adjorned. There is very little hope that the House will reconsider it's l action, even If it can do so. Attorney H. c. Robinson, of Hartford, says that accord ! ing to the constitution, this vote having once been taken yea and nay, it is settled and cannot be reconsidered.
 The principal hope now left to Swift is an appeal to the courts on the ground that the | three days necessary to make the bill a law without the governors signature expired Thursday night and before the governor ve toed the bill, which was on Friday, hence the original resolution became @ law. This is regarded by lawyers as a very slender hope Governor Bulkeley said to your correspond ! ent after the vote sustaining his veto that 1t | had been 8 pretty tough place to put him in, but ne was convinced that he could rightful- ] ly take no other action. He believes the I legislature is not fit place to try such mat l ters. MISS swIFT's CONTINUED APPEAL TO MEMBERS.
 The veto of last Friday has prompted Miss I Swift to renew her appeals to members of the | General Assembly. Her efforts have been I mainly confined to members of the house | who voted for communication. Evidently | circular has been sent out by the young wo- ! man, and copy which reached Representa- I tive Near, of Bridgeport, reads:
 HARTFORD. Conn., April 5, 1889.
 
 Dear Sir-I remember with gratitude that you Il were one of the majority who voted to commute my brothers sentence. Our anguish for | has been unspeakable, but after the action of the legislature supposed our su6erings at | end We are now again thrown into the most intense anxiety beg that you will be present and adhere to your vote; any change from that vote Know, was wholly irresponsible at the tfnae. and the judiciary committee, after fully hearing the the cage, SC decided. l sincerely trust that you will be present and by presence and your vote spare us further torture
 Very respectfully yours,
 MARY A. SWIFT. |
 CONSOLIDATION.
 On account of the protracted hearing on the Swift case, the committees had ses- sions to-day and the arguments on consoli- dation wsIe postponed until week from A hundred or more prominent New Haveners were present to-day in antici- patton.
 Centennial of Free Masonry.
 The most important event in the history of m asourv fhia vaar will ha fha centennial !