The San Francisco call., 1896-11-21
EXECUTIVE MANSION.
wAsH1NGToN. D. C.. Feb. 5. 1895

My Dear Senator: When saw you few days
ago spoke OF the case of young Worden, sen.
fenced to be hanged in California for train
wrecking, causing death. You said you would
communicate with the Governor on the sub
ject and suggest a commutation, If consistent
with executive duty. have just found on my
table letter from the distressed mother which
inclose with another accompanying it when
II reached Mrs. Cleveland. l remember this
poor mother as happy vile many years ago,
and as the past is tenderly recalled to me by
her letter, my sympathy is very much aroused
l see one of the letters mentions the date
fixed for the execution as the 18th, but mas
much as the writer seems to be uncertain and
this is Friday, the day of the week usually Sc
lected am afraid this may be the day If
there is any justification for merci:ul interfer-
ence, it might be exercised for the sake of an
aged and broken-hearted mother. Yours, very
truly, GROVER CLEVELAND
Hon. Stephen NJ. White, u s. Senate.
Worden's mother, alluded to in this
com munication, was an old neighbor
and friend of the Presidents parents, who
had befriended her In her girlhood days,
and the letter referred 10 was touching
appeal she had addressed to the President
on behalf of her errings boy in the name of
his (Mr. Cleveland's) sainted mother.
Mr.. Cleveland is acting in this case not
as President of the United States, but as a
private citizen. He says he was an init
mate friend of Worden's family, all of
whom were most excellent people. When
he wos young man and Salter d. Wor-
den's mother was young woman, who
made her living as usic teacher, he and
she were very dear friends.
President Cleveland does not suggest a
n
feeling of friendship for his mother
alone, but declares he has carefully in
quired into the past history of the con-
demned and is convinced that he does not
possess normal mind. Nor does the
President ask the Governor of the State of
California to issue the commutation, but
simply says he hopes he may see his way
clear to commute the sentence to life i'm
prisonment.
Another letter which has been received
is from Coils P. Huntington. president
of the Southern Pacific Railroad. 1t is as
follows:
% BROAD STREET, NEW YORK, Nov. IL, 1896
Hon. James II. Budd, Governor Of the State of
California Executive Mansion Sacramento, Cdl-
SIR: This morning Frank 2. Wilcox, of Syra-
cuse, in this State, called on me in behalf of
his brother-in-law, Salter D. Worden, the man
convicted OF train-wrecking near Sacramento
and murder, upon whom the sentence of death
is TO be carried out on the 18th prox. He asks
me to write to you and join in the petition for
commutation OF Worden's sentence to impris-
onment for life, on the ground of the alleged
insanity and moral irresponslb bility of the con-
demned man. Mr.. Wilcox brings letters to me
and petitions from the prominent citizens of
Syracuse, many of whom are we'll known to
me as being among the best citizens of that
city. in support of his appeal.
feel very sorry for the family of the con-
victed man and especially so for those who
m ust for all of their lives suffer the unavoid-
able stigma OF his crime and his fate whether
the latter be disgraceful death or an almost
equally disgraceful life sentence, and if the
petitions and allegations state the actual fact
with respect TO the mental irresponsibility of
the criminal, of course Governor Budd will
need no further ground upon which to base
his ciemency IN this unfortunate case. I
know nothing myself as to Worden's insanity,
but, as wrote to a friend in California on this
subject some time ago, have no personal
feeling In the matter. Assuming the man to
have been in the possession of his right mind
ana res ponsible for his actions at the time the
deed was committed by him, the only question
in my mind is the safety OF society, with
whom, in fact the real question lies.
The legal taking of one mans life because