The morning news., 1894-01-06
LITTLEFIELD'S PLEA VAIN
The Governor Declines TO Grant Him
a Pardon.

the Delay Done For Revenge And
Not In the Heat of Passion.
Atlanta, Ca, Jan. 5. Gov.-Northen to-
day refused the application of S. p. Lit
slefield, of Jesup, who killed his wife
and McCaull, iof Brunswick, her para
mour, for a pardon.
The case is one of the most remarkable
on the criminal record Of the state, and
the executive order which accompanied
the refusal of clemency adds another
chapter to it fully as remarkable as any
that have preceded it.
Ldttlefeld kept hotel at Jesup and
also ran a newspaper. He was convicted
of his wife's murder in 1891, but
was never tried for killing Nc
CauIl, and the application for
pardon therefore referred to the wife
murder only. In opening his order, Gov.
Northen says. "As the application is un-
usually indorsed and strongly argued, /
deem it proper TO depart from the custom
of the Office and give somewhat at length
my reasons for refusing the application" "
He then reviews the case as made out by
Iittlefeld's attorneys and the record.
The governor gave Littleheld's own ac-
count of the tragedy and upon this bases
his refusal to grant a pardon. In other
words Lttlefeld is condemned by his own
words.
LITTLEFIELD's STORY OF THE KILLING.
The account of the killing as quoted
from Littlefield is as follows: "Mr. Sur
rency and McCaull and myself were all
around at Surrency's store and McCaull
left me and Surrency and said he was 60
ing to the postofice, but would be back in
a minute or two. l suppose one half
hour after that l came around in the
house and came up stairs and McCaull
was lying on a bed in No. II, think
asleep. 1 did not bother him, l went
down stairs and knocked around there
until after supper. Mr.. McCaull got up
and came down stairs and knocked
around till after supper. Awhile after
supper / came up stairs went
in my room and went TO bed. While ]
was lying there McCaull came TO the door
and pushed IL open and came in and sat
down on the foot of the bed and asked me
to get up and come down, and l noticed
that he reached over me and was trying
to be familiar with Mrs. Littleheld and
that made me suspicious of him. 1 got
up then and put on my clothes and told
Mrs. Littleheld / would go down and heat
the coffee ready for the train. When l
came out put the night latch on and the
door locked as pulled it TO.
McAULL TRIES TO GET IN.
"After lighting the lamps I locked the
door and started up stairs again. and
when l got to the foot of the stairs Nc
Caull was at my,door trying to get in my
room. The door being locked, he went
out on the piazza AS he did so | went to
the door myself and saw McCaull outside
70. -, el,,. rfv,11 l,,,e 4
not succeed in getting in that time, and
/ saw him get up aud l stepped behind
the door so that he would not see
me- He came out and went
to his room and stayed
short time and came back again. He
went around to the same window and
succeeded in raising it, whether by him
self or with Mrs. Littleheld's help l do
not know When he went in | stepped
along to the window, where / could see
what was going on, and when ] got to the
window Mrs Littlefield was up and she
and McCaull were whispering together
] could not hear what was said She I'M
locked the door then to let him
out, for what / do not know,
but suppose to see where |
was. He went down stairs and she
remained at the door till he came back
and he came In the room and she locked
the door and went to the mantelpiece aud
turned down the light and they retired
/ thought / had stood it about long
enough. pushed the curtain to one side
with my left hand and with my pistol in
my right hand l went in the window"
THE GOVERNORS DECISION.
Gov Northen then disposes of the case
in the following language: This case,
in my Judgment, is outside of
any decision cited by counsel
In its final q termination it is
md tl,ott In, I -
tlefield had slain McCaull under the in
dignation and surprise of the moment
when McCaull sat upon the foot of Little
fields bed and reached over Littleheld's
body for the purpose of being familiar
with Mrs. Littlefeld as she lay beside
her husband, the Staying would have
been justihable homicide, and the courts
would have so held. If not, the present
executive would have released him at
once from the custody of the law If
Littlefeld had gone further just at that
moment and slain both McCaull and Mrs
Littlefield in the sudden passion of the
moment l could recognize some resem-
blance between this case and the author
titles cited When he witnessed this bold
advance on the part of NicCaull and qui-
city observed the acceptance on the part
of his wife, he knew full well the infdel-
ity of Mrs. Littleield and needed no fur
ther evidence. He did more. His failure
to resist McCaul was an absolute giving
of his wife into McCaul's keeping. Lit
tlefeld did not need to watch to
know anything further of the in
fidelity of his wife. He then
knew her guilt, and there was
no occasion for him TO watch. He de
clined TO act with full knowledge of his
wife's intidelity. Any violence done
either TO McCaull or to Mrs Littlefeld
after Littlefield left this scene and went
about his duties below stairs, was without
right or law on Littlefeld's part. This
case under this view, is especially ag-
gravated when we consider the number
of steps subsequently taken, as appears
by Littleield's own statement. When,
after all these steps, Littlefeld finally
slew his wife, he was prompted not by
sudden passion or desire of defense, but
by malice and the desire for revenge"
Te,.1- IT,, rr;.-.--....-