The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-08-25
Romantic Story Of Wayman Sutton Who
Was PaTdOned Yesterday.
HIS SCAFFOLD MAS TWICE BUILT.
Ills Death Was Prevented by Providentiai
Interposition Zach Time and He No"
stand. Forth a Free Man by the
Cemency OF Governor o'ierrah'


bv the neck Until dead. and may the
Lord have mercy upon your soul"
LIKE 4 ROMANCE.
The story OF Wayman Sutton reads
Ike 4 romance conceived by brain ac-
clsto,ned 10 weave tie widest faucies.
Away back Ia lss1 Peter Har7 el. 4 native
og ysthe county not lar from tho town
u Nyl.eyl.le. was found de-c ~ a lonely
WOOD. l.s Looy udllld with shut H2rvei
bore tAs reputation or semi-despesaho'
ana t.ere were none, outside Oi a w1ie
aaa daughter, 60 mourn his unumoiy
lreease. but che laws of The LAID had
D,..D broken. ana though tAe world bad
a..u r.l of 4 n0klous weed. bis slayer
ul48l D- punished
.las o...ess of lie Jaw - once went
% w0IA Oh the ease, and it Was found
tllt one Waymlu S-tiou had been tue
last DsisOu VINO la4 Lec1 seen with the
dead uan. sutton and Dis fatner-in-la"
had been walking Win Harvel, the for
msr carrying witA nIn gln as DO was
going squurel-lurung Tho father-in-
law left nrsL Shortly after hafYei ana
Suttou separated. tie latter sOing into
"A piece or woods 10 look Tor game. 1t
was shortly thereafter that the body OF
Uarvel was found as above described.
sutton was arrested and tried Tor his
uf. lie had the misfortune Of being de-
Tended by H. young lawyer appointed for
that purpose by Tie court. As witnesses
against him appeared Harvels wife and
daughter. who sWore point black mat
they had seen Sutton shoot the husband
and father. Sutton's lawyer, with the
overconldcuce Of youth, felt sure or Sc
curing tho acquttal OK his client. He
made the enOrl OF his ITO iu his ei0-
quent appeal o. the jury, but unfortunate
ly he pldgiaiizld the speech OF a famous
LAWYER and Incorporated 10 into his own
dcsultory remar-s. one OF tle jurors
recognized &c and proclaimed the fact To-
hs brother jurors. Needless to say their
verdict was adverse TO the prisoner al
the bar IL was murder iu the first de
gree.
RESCUED by ERIENDS.
Public feeling ran high 100 favor of Sut-
ton. who before the fatal occurrence
had always borne b.4meiess character.
and had been on excellent terms with
Hafvel During his stay in the county
jail awaiting death. DIS friends rose en-
masse and rescued him. Kindly hands
furnished him morry. and ne fed 10 the
State OF Washington. There he lived for
some time I'm peac. and quiet. making
friends ON eI-ry side. lie secured the
position of clerk .l q store. became a
teacher IN the Sullay-schOOl ana joined
a military company.
1llluck followed him Ike q Nemesis.
however His place Of refuge was dis
covered. and he was brought back 20 the
scene OF bis alleged crime Again be
stood before tho judge. heard the solemn
sentence and was placed 800 "a strongly
guarded CELL through the grated window
- ]. a.
and hammer as his scaffold was erected
But he was NOT - die yet. By some
oversight the Judge in pronouncng SEN
fenco on him had fxod uDon Sunday as
the date of his death. This. NJ course.
would not DO Ae be was led heavily
manaclod before fhe JUDGE and again
was sentence of death pronounced Tie
was taken hack fo bis cell where he
gave mp an hope Three times had the
death sentence been nrorounced against
him and uaturalir be thought death
would follow further Formally But no.
some tochnlcaltv fs % time between sem
tcnce and execution had been overlook
Cd and for The fourth time be was sem
tcnccd 10 die.
FALSE WITNESSES.
Meantime. however. something had hap.
noncd which made greatly in favor % tho
prisoner The testimony of the wife and
daughter OF Warui had been imreached
in n trial shecrcnt 10 that or Sutton,
in which thov h1l appeared as Witnesses.
This fact. along vlfh others. was Brought
~ tho attention Of Governor r. w. M
Kinney and no c1mmutcd the death sem
tence - in'nrisorrcnt for life.
ON The -th DAY Of June. iN2. sutton
was brought 20 the Sfafe penifenuary
and hos eince i0rrrished there. He mas
been model prisoner. ard his c7fo has
ovoif.d widespread evmnafhv AN 'hfonfh
hfe ir,nrieornort SuttOn's friends have
hecn WORKING for him ana netl,'on
witch fourteen hundred signatures has
boon iaiH hefrre Governor OFerrau as
Tho result ~ their lator9
The Go,ornor. artuate1 as he alwavs
i= hv q desire - 90 iusticc 20 an. care
frrv examined rho case. and Yesterday his
nar4o was signed fo tho document which
giyo7 freedom 20 Sutton
TIrr r0v1,RTOR's REASONS.
The Governor Gives the following res
SONS for hir reroiful action.
This ca-e has rsceivol my most earn
oct consi1aration Nv predecessor. Gov
orror Mckinney. Crmmufcl the sentence
OF death pronounced 70 lIfe imprlson-'
mont I'm the rcnft'ntiarv Petitions. eu-
lrQcinC about I i" names ct i'pl4la''i'
citizens Of he Southwest section ~ tho
state for the pardon - the prisoner have
hecn presented. conspicuous among the
petitioners ARE Hon. T.. IT, Brown tho
trial iufro. and IT, T.. Graves the aftor-
nov ror the Conn lnwc1lfh. who prosocut-
el. Hon. C. Hoihrook lafa iudre ~
Wvtho county Court. Hon G.. II. Fudge
Judge NJ sn-vth County Court. Hon Mar
tin williams. Judge ~ Bltnd COUNTY
Cour+. Hon. D. o. Miller. late judge
Snvth County court: Hon. J. TToge Tv-
ior late Tfoutenarf-Go Hon. =. p.
Shafyov nrosent Circuit Judge. Hon r.
T. buchanan. state senator; Hon. 2. 6.
Rlair 1afe Attornev-General:J J. r. Hard
raker sheriff Of Wvthe county: william
p Foster clerk n Wythe county: u. II.
Porter W p. sizer. and william A.
Uardraker. supervisors of Wythe county;
George w Richardson. present Common
v-aaith's- Attorney of Smyth county; 4. II
Dfofenson. late Commonwealth's-At
of Smvth county: John z. Sexton. clerk
circuit Court Smvth county; John W.
Richardson. late treasurer Snyth county.
and ministers of the gospel. mechanics
nbv-icians rSrchants. bankers. and law
yers IN great 9umofis.
T, e my opinion that the conviction was
Ma &, Great measure upon the test-
,,,,v ~ the mother and wife Of the
rourtered man. and that no verdict OF
guilty, would have been found put lor