Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1889-08-21

be charged for at the rate Of $500 per annum
MISTAKEN CLEMENCY.
A petition Is being circulated, asking
Governor White to commute the sentence
Of murderer Roberts to imprisonment for
life.
Those who, from principle, oppose cap
itaI punishment, may consistently sign
such q petition, and they have a warrant
for asking, further, that the law in
regard 10 capital punishment be 80
changed that the death penalty is
abolished.
But exactly why those who "belieye in
hanging should aslr that this red-hand-
ed murderer Roberts-who openly glories
in his crime, and declares he would kill
Crawford again, if it were possible
should be spared the full vengeance Of
outraged public sentiment as we'll as
Justice, is not apparent. There is no
question as to his having murdered
Crawford in a most cowardly manner,
and there does not appear any justifca-
ton for the crime, except that the two,
at some remote time previously, had
been at cross-purpOses, once to such an
extent that the deceased had struck his
SLAYER with a pitchfork. Had he KILLED
his man" then and there, the public
might possibly have regarded the crime
as having been committed under some
sort Of extenuating circumstances. the
punishment for which might justly have
been referred to the category of one of
the degrees of manslaughter.
But this case presents none of these
phases of mitigating circumstances. On
the contrary, the crime was SO atrocious
that threats of lynching were freely in
dulged in, at the time, and precautions
were taken by the authorities to guard
against such an outrage. Roberts was
given a fair trial, 80 it is universally
conceded, and he did not, nor does he
yet, deny the charge preferred against
him. He did not then, nor does he yet
so far as the public is aware, ask fol
executive clemency or mercy. On the
other hand, he is understood to have re.
peatedly expressed his wish to have the
execution of the death sentence pushed
forward with all dispatch, "the sooner
the better" as he himself stated it, in
substance.
Now, why should executive clemencJ
be asked for this man? Bryson-wht
plead for life, who died protesting bisin
nocence, and whose father begged for ex
executive interposition-could not secure
even a moments respite. And yet Their
were doubts as to his guilt--reasonabl'
doubts, too. But Governor White woult
not open his heart at all, in his behalf
No one will blame him for the short re
prieve granted in the case Of Roberts
but why should this cowardly assassin
Harry Roberts, in the end be spared TIN
full penalty, when others, apparentl!
more deserving, could receive no lenienc.
at all at the bar Of judgment?
This is q question the petitioners ant
the governor should answer before the.
60 any further. To petition the repea
of the law for hanging would be consist
emit, but If the present law is of an!
value and deserves enforcement, the cas-
Of Roberts is one where it deserves full
and rigorous execution.
Fortunately, the new constitution
takes the pardoning power out of til,
hands Of the governor and places it in
board consisting of leading state off
Gals. This will tend to prevent til,
abuse Of this power, which is not infre
quently INDUCED in by the executive
But the case In hand is n which mus
be met by the existing conditions, ant
Governor White and the petitioners will
be held to q strict accountability for an,
such outrageous miscarriage of justice a
that which would follow the further ar
rest of the executioner's hand.