Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1895-09-24

"rhere is absolute and universal
dissatisfaction on the part Of the
people Of Piuos Altos at the COM
mutation Of the sentence of Will
liam Davis, convicted and SEN
fenced to the penitentiary for the
murder Of Hugh Fox On Sep
TENDER 10th we editorially refer
red to the matter aud among our
comments we are on record as
having stated that: Some of the
worst criminals convicted Of crime
in this Territory have gained their
liberty through the pardoning
power Of the Governor"-this
could in no wise, however, be con-
strued to apply to any particular
governor. We further said that
"it is the prevailing opinion that
the pardoning power should, in a
measure, be curtailed." Every
statement made above can be YER
fled. We did not hope to pro-
woke newspaper discussion at the
time we stated these facts, nor do
we now wish to argue the matter
and we only print this statement
in order to prove that the New
Mexican has taken great pains to
not only theoretically sustain the
Governor in committing the SEN
tence of Davis but to attempt to
show that "this action was taken
at the earnest solicitation of many
good citizens of Grant County"
This is what the New Mexican
said on Sept. 10th, under the cap
ton of Sentence COMMITTED"
Some Grant County newspapers
are wrought mp over the action of
the governor i'll the case of Davis,
a convict sent to the penitentiary
for seven years for killing a nan
at Pinos Altos. They treat the
case as if it we're a full pardon for
the prisoner, which is not the case
at all. His sentence was simply
commuted to five years and three
months. This action was taken
at the earnest solicitation of many
good citizens of Grant county
The Silver City Eagle says the
people of Pinos Altos acquainted
with the facts in the case approve
the action of the executive.
When the New Mexican made
the statements above it did Sc
either through ignorance or a dis.
position to misrepresent the case
In the first place no newspaper il
Grant County has ever held thai
the Governors action meant "a
full pardon for the prisoner
just what is to be understood from
the statement that the Governor
committed the sentence Of Davis
"at the earnest solicitation Of
many good citizens of Grant
County" is not apparent, for the
reason that no petition for the
pardon of Davis was ever circu
lated, openly, in Grant County
much less in Pinos Altos where
the crime was committed. Anoth.
er gross misrepresentation made
by the New Mexican is found il
the statement hat "the Silver City
Eagle says the people of Pinoi
Altos acquainted with the facts il
the ase approve the action of the
executive" Now listen to wha.
the Eagle really did say in its is.
sue of September 18th:
The issue of the SENTINEL oil
last week contained some pretty
severe structures on the governor
in connection with the commute.
ton of the sentence of William
Davis, now serving a sentence in
the penitentiary for the murder OF
Hugh Fox, at Pinos Altos. III
commenting on the matter, the
SENTINEL says: "His sentence al
first appears light enough and
now TO reduce even that, appears
to be open perversion of Justice
This is drawing it mildly enough.
No one who is acquainted with
the facts in the case pretends that
it was any thing but a cold blood
ed murder and Davis was indeed
lucky to escape with as light d
sentence as he did. What led the
governor to commute the sentence
of the court is a matter of consid-
cradle speculation. This is one
of the cases where the governor
would have done we'll to have re-
Trained using his pardoning pow
er.
AS to whether the statements
made by the New Mexican are
true or false we leave for an I'M
prejudiced public to decide.
In referring TO the original
question and the facts which led
up to the statements first made