The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-08-21

peraileied Ia the history ef the county
fnfrty-six years At hard labor. No GEO
IN seattle al thai time, fcy ere nornsst.
Questioned the Justice q the sentence. FOR
there was not . feature Ia tfc case which
entitled the Two ps~n 20 nserey frum the
eozzrt Their completely In the attempt
10 murder TIE taller added eonssseeahsv
70 the length ct their senserscsx- No sn>
~ Seattle wi1o knows Davis doubts that ne
r. ~ desperate criminal az ever lived.
state Newspapers Reass the ssveFnss
state newspapers to take q bold stand
against The governors attitude toward
the beard Of pardssns. In lis s1ue OF
August II contrasts the Davis ease
WITH sssst Of Enos Bley. Of wAilA Waltz
county. vito Is now serving the sass half
~ 4 twenty years sentence for mur1er
committed eleven years ago under, II In
Claimed. great provocattor- Bley Was
deeply renaorsefas. and at his trial con-
ceaasd nothing and threw himself abso-
lgte!y upon the mercy ~ the court Since
his term began he has besn an exemplary
convict, st Is said. and has the sincere
respect ard esteem % many friends who
knew him before his misfortune. ard
tered the prison doors. The Union. In
comparing the two cases. says:
T7USe acquainted win the unfortunate
Enos Bisy case. I'm which Waiia Waiias
best citizens have voluntarily and With
ore accord interested themselves TO OBJ
tain = pardon. but ignomirsaously failed.
may well excsaisn. %. consistency. thou
art a 5ewes" Carefully review the two
cases and note the fragrant. IL not GRIM
inai. abase, before God and man. Of the
pardoEing power in the hands OF Gov.
John r. Rogers Compare the crimes ard
the characters and note the gross intas-
t.cx-"
Further commenting. the Union says:
THE board OF pardous unanimously rec
ommended Bey's pardon, but the COVER
nor. undoubtedly under some unknown in
fuenee. perefnptoriiy refused the petition.
notwithstanding the recommendation %
the board, II IL had come from q lot
OF Cinnamon instead OF some OF the most
reputable citizens Of the state. He could
not have treated IL or is s3glers with
greater contempt"
The general inquiry Is: What pun has
the convict Davis or the governor that
he should grant him an unconditional par
don?" Is the conclusion of the Unions
editorial.
That Famous Stevens Case.
The pardoning Of George r. Stevens and
the subsequent ugly rumor that his re-
lease was that he might pilot d number
OF the governors personal friends to an
Alaska gold mine discovered by him be-
fore his incarcerati ton. Is still so recent
that the circumstances OF the case will
be readily recalled. Stevens and two
others were charged with stealing certain
ship tackle and apparel from the schooner
Lizzie Colby In Skagit county in 1894. and
were tried and convicted before, Judge
Henry Mcbride. Stevens got ten years and
the others five and three, respectively. The
exact influence OF the board OF pardons
In this case. II it had any. Was never
made fully plain. but there were many,
even In the governors own political party,
who considered that he had acted entirely
from selfish motives. and that considera-
ton for Stevens and his mother and chill
dren had little influence on his action.
IT rs well authenticated that Stevens WAC
far from a model convict. The story thar
he was released partly on account Of mis-
ili-health, making ic doubtful that he
would serve much more OF his sentence,
vas. 1t Is alleged. given a flavor OF Inn
probability by the fact that Stevens,
rallied for Alaska with several of the per
SONS alleged 10 have been most interested
In obtaining his release.
A Fugitive PardOned.
Another case in which Gov. Rogers used
his pardcning power for ends not wholly
jus'ifabie. In the opinion of many critics,
at least. was that OF William Ksech.
Whitman county convict, who. while
fugitive from justice, was pardoned that
he might give testimony in the superior
court OF that county ageins, an associate
In crime. The granting Of this pardon
xxf fxan VrtS
for Whitman county. In the first place.
IL induced keech, who had betakes him
self 10 Canada to avoid the arm OF the
law. 10 return. and this the good people
OF the county felt To be an imposition. In
the second place, Judge Mcdonald. a Pop
Mist friend of Gov. Rogers was not salts
fed with the testimony given by Keech
and refused ia deliver the pardon after
receiving II from the governor. His action
precipita;ed u rev between himself and
Keech's mother. In which the different
county officials took sides and spattered
one another with mud. OF which Judge
McDonala's ermine received the lions
share The people OF whitman county
say they have no desire TO see the gov
ernor NEEDLE again with criminals who
are safely cut OF the county or behind
prison bars.
Other cases in which. 1t is claimed, the
governor has declined 10 follow the ad-
vice OF the board o. lMf8ois aid mas
apparently followed hss o~n incliGations
are those of PM n, fssnsee GsSsrge h
Krumn and W. II. f,ddon- isensee il
tire emlsexxilng city treasurer Of What
com. who h serving a four years term.
The hoard last spring recommended taii
pardon Il Was refused kGumni Is
King county convict A; about the same
time the board recommended that he be
parloned. Gov. Rogers declined to in
terferp. ard krumai Is serving "A two
years sentence fer forgery. fAdon Il
a lincoln county mar. who has Yet six
years To serve for murder In the seesond
degree Tho board asked for his pardon
Gov Rogers quietly saus1ched tho re-
quest