The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-04
FALK CLOTHING co.
NO PARDON FOR DEREsFoRD.
Gov. AtkinsOn's Grounds for Refus-
ing to Grant Him One.

Gov. At<insOn's Grounds for Refus-
ing to Grant Him One.
Atlanta. Ca. Sept. 3.-sidney Lascelles,
better known as Lord Beresford," the
bogus nobleman, now doing time at the
Gress convict camp, will have to serve
out his fun sentence so far as Gov At
kinson is concerned. To-day the governor
passed an order refusing to extend execu-
tive clemency to Beresford whose case is
one Of the most interesting on the criminal
records of the state.
After a checkered career in various
places on the face Of the earth, incident
ally marrying Miss Lillienthal, a mil
lonaire heiress of New York, he was
sent TO the Georgia penitentiary ror seven
years for forging the name OF d. 3.
Hamilton of Rome. He was masquerad-
ing in that town as an English lord ana
by that means secured the confidence OF
the Hamiltons.
Beresford, in his application for pardon,
claimed that he has reformed and quoted
scripture. He asserted that he was
victim of. persecution by his wife's fam
lily, abetted by a rejected sutton They
wanted her money, he declared. To force
her to sue him Tor a divorce, which she
has recently DONE he recited that they
had shut her up in a private insane asy-
lum. Altogether the bogus lords plea for
pardon, as he presented It to Gov. Atkin-
son, was most remarkable one. But it
didn't work, as the governors order to-
day shows.
In his order, after reviewing the case
and showing that the law had been ex-
hausted In Beresford's behalf, Gov. At
kinson says: THE claim insisted upon
that the defendant should be pardoned
because, If required to serve
the fun term of his sentence his wife will
be induced by the persuasion Of others
to abandon him and seek a divorce, can
not, even if it is true she is not acting
on her own judgment and not of her own
free will and accord abandoned him, JUS
tify the exercise of the pardoning power
in his behalf. 1t is the applicants own
voluntary act that has placed him in the
penitenuary. He knowingly and deliber-
ately did that which forfeited his rights
to liberty and required the state to pro-
coed against him for the protection of
society. The state cannot undertake for
him or any other married man in the peni-
tertiary to guarantee that their wives
| will not of their own accord, not through
| the influence of Others abandon them and
/ seek a divorce. 1t is his own act which
gives his wife the opportunity and sub
/ jects her 10 this temptation. If she
| chooses that course he must bear
/ it rather than society suffer by a fail
/ ure TO inflict proper punishment.
THE claim of good behavior is when
| established of value in application for a
| pardon, but does not of itself justify the
/ exercise of executive clemency. Good be-
| havior under our law entities the convict,
without the exercise of the pardoning
/ power to a liberal reduction in the term
/ of his sentence and this reduction the au-
/ thorities are careful to see is accorded
/ them. The records. however, show that
/ the behavior of this man has not always
! been good. 1t shows that on one occasion
/ he escaped from the penitentiary and was
/ captured after an absence of several days.
! If the character of this man is estimated
/ by transactions of his as stated in docu-
ments filed with me he should not be dis
! charged from custody without the strong
est and most mandatory reasons.
IF his character is TO be estimated ac-
/ cording to his own statements and the
! darkness which surrounds his origin and
his history and upon which he declines TO
throw light, to turn him loose upon So
| ciety before he has served out the SEN
tenee of the court would be a hazardous
/ experiment"