The record-union., 1897-08-19
WILL HEAR THE PETITIONERS
THE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
WILL ACT.
Prominent Citizens Will Plead for
Benjamin Hills Life-The
Story of the Crime.

A very strong pressure has been
brought to bear on Governor Budd for
the communication of the sentence Of
death on benjamin l. Hill of Oakland
to imprisonment for life, many proml-
nent citizens Of that city in all walks OF
life having signed petitions to that end.
Hill was sentenced to be hanged on
the 2Tth of this month for the murder of
his wife, public opinion being against
him at the time Of his trial, but re-
vulsion has taken place since. Governor
Budd, in response TO the petitions and
letters from prominent men IN tnls ana
other States, has determined to give a
hearing to the petitioners and mas re
quested Lieutenant-GOvernor Jeter to
hear them on Monday evening, the 23d
inst.
Hips testimony at the trlal, Wh1ch
was borne out to considerable extent
by corroborative testimony, was to the
effect that, being out of employment
his wife urged him to go to Oregon and
seek il. He went and was gone some
months, being unsuccessful. On his ar
rival, he found that a few days before
although knowing Of his coming-she
had changed her place Of residence. He
finally traced her and met her on the
street She told him that he might
have known that she did not care for
him and did not want to live with him,
and openly boasted to him Of her inf
deity. the upshot being that he shot
her.
Mrs. G. Paul, sister to the murdered
woman, has written to the Governor
under date of August 18th, adding her
petition to the others. She says, among
other things:
You may think it strange, as no
doubt it is unusual, that a sister Of a
murdered woman should join in the
petition for Executive clemency, but
strange as it is, and unusual as it is,
still in such petition do 1 join, and do
SO purely and simply for the reason that
l consider the death penalty too severe,
and for the sake of his child, and my
action is without any solicitation from
anyone, and after careful reflection and
consideration.
I know Ben Hill well, and know him
to be a kind and indulgent husband, and
an affectionate father, and there is no
doubt that his criminal act was COM
mitted under the greatest prOv0cation-
Further than this last statement L
cannot go. I cannot reflect upon my
dead sister. Ben Hill never had murder
in his heart. He should not suffer death,
and l trust and pray that in your wis
dom you may see the right and that you
may be led to clemency in this case"
Attorney P. J. DAILY of Salt Lake
writes that he knew Hill when a boy,
and that his early training, youthful i'm
pressions and the teachings of his
mother controverts the idea that he
coolly or deliberat ately committed the
crime. He also thinks the Supreme
Court should have granted Hill a new
trial on account Of the oversight of the
trial Judge. who did not hand to the
jury a verdict of murder in the second
degree when he gave them the other
verdicts, as he thinks that, had this
been done, the verdict would have been
murder in the second degree.
Several prominent lawyers, among
them Carroll Cook, say that had Hill
had good counsel, instead of a young
and inexperienced lawyer to defend
him, he would not have been convicted
of anything more than manslaughter,
in all probability.
There are affidavits by several women
showing that to their knowledge Mrs.
Hill led a fast life, and that she was ex-
PEELED from her boarding house on ac-
count of her conduct, which continued,
according to the affidavits, up to the
night before she was shot. They also
detailed her condolences to them, which
showed her unfaithfulness to her hus-
bapd