Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-10-05
Mr.. CRIST SPEAKS OUT.
Makes a Clean Breast of the Davis
COmmutatiOn-Served as Attorney
and Was Paid For 1t.
WHAT'S CATRON'S CASE TO DO WITH IT7
Invites the Bar Association to Investi-
gate Gov. Thornton's Pardon
Record - A Satisfactory
Comparison.
To the Editor of the New Mexican.

To the Editor of the New Mexican.
Santa Fe, N. NJ, Oct 4, '95.-My atten-
ton has been called to some correspond
ence in the Albuq uerque Citizen and the
Las Vegas Optic during the current week
touching the Communication of the sentence
of Convict Davis, and noted what the
NEW MEXICAN had to say in that connec-
ton. Inasmuch as the Citizens CORE
spondent implies crookedness near the
governors office and talks lndifferently
about "ugly facts' and "a very bad look
on the case," while the Optics CORE
spondent says sit is thought that Gov.
Thornton can be implicated in the scan
dial ESQ., called) to his detriment," a some
what more extended statement of the
facts than the New MEXICAN gave ought
to be made in justice to ar upright ex-
ecutiye and clean administration.
Ordinarily neither Gov. Thornton, nor
his friends, nor any of the Democratic
administration, federal, territorial, coun-
ty or city, would display good Judgment
or serve the public interest by noting
anything the well-known, partisan and
untruthful Santa Fe lawyer-editors say in
the Citizen; but the people, generally, are
jealous of the good name of the peniten
tiary, ever since they have learned and en-
joyed its good name, which is only since
the cleaning out of the Augean stables in
the days of Queen Ada, and the lawyer
editors know they can reach the public
ear and obtain an audience better, and
perhaps only, by
CRYING SCANDAL
at the penitentiary, while they, like
sneaksbies, inferentiaily and implicative-
ly attack Gov. Thornton, or other mem.
bers of the Democratic administration.
When these lawyer-editors SO shrewdly
adopt such deceptive means to secure q
public audience they become as danger
GUS to tho public peace as was Satan tc
Ewes when he sat at her ear in the form
of an ugly toad. They are as resourcefu
arc similar in their methods as was that
distinguished "father of liars" when he
astonished Eve and got converse with an6
attention from her through the mouth Of
snake. 1t is because of the premises
as we'll as because of the fact that this il
the first apparent opportunity for mon
gering scandal these lawyer-editors have
been able to seize upon since the advent
of Gov. Thorntons administration, that
think their insidious attack is worth eff
fectual repulse
WITH THE FACTS,
lest the mongers grow in Importance and
persistency by what they are feeding or
with so much pleasure.
To the facts then. The penitentiary
records show that on March IL, 1894
Davis received $3.50 from Baltimore. Or
the 18th following he wrote me letter
saying he had received from his friends ir
the east some money to employ counse
to present his case to the governor fol
pardon, and that he would like to see me
with reference to the matter. Ihad never
heard of the man or the case before.
went out to see him. He stated his case
fully to me, and offered to pay me the
money to take his case and prepare it for
presentation to the governor for pardon
told him did not think that on his
state ment of the case he was entitled to a
pardon, but that, if his statement of some
facts could be substantiated on investiga-
ton, 1 thought could get his time re-
duced year or two by Communication. He
then, on March II, 1894, gave me an order
on Supt. Bergman for 1925 to pay for
time and expenses of looking up some
facts bearing on the case, and agreed to
pay the balance of the money when any
result was accomplished in his favor.
A short time afterwards Davis told me
of conversation he previously had with
Judge McFie and suggested to me to 60 to
Las Cruces to see him and District Attor-
ney Newcomb. I accordingly went and l
also spent some time there
LOOKING UP THE RECORD
of his trial and in talking with some
other people about some facts connected
with the case.
also opened correspondence with sew
eral people in different places where
Davis had lived since he has been in the
west-two places in Colorado, one in
Arizona, and at Pinos Altos where the
crime was committed. During the seven
teen months that followed my employ
ment and up to the time of the commu-
tation in August, 1895, wrote over fifty
letters and made two trips away from
home in the case.
presented the matter to the governor
for the first time early in August, 1895,
about seventeen months after my en-
ployment by Davis, and then told him
the results of my investigation into
Davis general character since he had
been in the west and into some facts con-
nected with the crime, and also that
took personal interest in the matter be-
cause college classmate of mine in
Baltimore knew the Davis family there
and solicited my friendly influences in
behalf of the convict. asked for COM
mutation of his sentence, which, after q
few days. consideration, Gov. Thornton,
on August 22, granted. 1t Was not until
September u that I called for and re-
ceived the other 1925 due me according
to the terms of my employment almost
eighteen months prior thereto. That
money was paid to me by check, was de.
posted to my credit in bank, and was,
with other money, checked out in pay
ment of labor and materials on my home