The record-union., 1898-06-14
A RAY OF HOPE FOR WORDEN.
HIS SENTENCE WILL PROBABLY
BE COMMITTED.
The Doctors Report That the Con.
victed Train-Wrecker Was
Weak-Minded.

has been under sentence of death for
wrecking the train near Washington
Yolo County during the railroad strike
in July, 1894, thereby causing the death
of Engineer Clark and four United
States soldiers, will not be hanged after
| all.
Ever since his conviction Worden
| friends have made every effort, DotH
in the courts and with the Governor,
to have the sentence commuted to I'M
| prisonment for life, and eX-Presldent
Cleveland was prevailed on to recon-
mend to Governor Budd the commuta-
tion Of the sentence. Five times Gov
ernor Budd reprieved Worden, and as
many times was the reprieve with
drawn and his execution ordered pro-
ceeded with
Worden's friends have persistently
held that the condemned man is IN
sane, or at least that at the time he
| assisted in causing the derailment OF
the train he was not responsible for his
| acts.
In the face of these contentious the
Governor, about three months ago, ap-
pointed a commission Of experts, COM
posed of DR.. F. w. Hatch. General Su-
perintendent of California State Hos
pitals; DR.. Asa Clark, Medical Super
intendent Of the Stockton State Hos
pital, and Dr. A. M Gardner, Medical
Superintendent of the Napa State Hos
pital to inquire into and report upon
the sanity of Worden. To allow the
commission time to make an exhaustive
report, the Governor repT1eved Woroen
until Friday, June Nth
The commission appointed by the
Governor Yesterday handed in its re-
port, recommending that Worden's SEN
tence be commuted to imprisonment for
life. AS his reprieve will expire on Fri
day next. the Chief Executive must act
before that time There is a bare pos
sibility that the habeas corpus pro-
ceedings in the case, now before
the courts, may be decided favorable to
Worden before the reprieve expires, ana
in that case the Governor would not
be obliged to act on the physician S
recommendation.
The report of the sanity experts is in
full as follows:
Sacramento, June 13, 1898.
Governor James H. Budd-Honored
Sir: Your commission, appointed 10
| investigate the mental condition or
Salter D. Worden find upon thorough
examination Of all the evidence placed
at our disposal the following, VIZ:
First-That Salter d. Worden has an
inherited predisposition to insanity. lie
comes from a homeopathic stock. one
uncle on his mothers side was so mark
edly eccentric that he was considered
insane by his associates, although not
icommitted to an asylum. One aunt On
his mothers side was insane for several
wears. and probably committed suicide.
y &c OF side
epileptic for several years, and after
the convulsions ceased her mind ap-
peared to be permanently disordered
The father of the above mentioned per
sons was a prominent physician and
citizen Of Massachusetts. He died q
town charge in the city of Braintree,
and during the latter years of his life
his mind became unbalanced. wide
testimony of Mary A. Worden, F. u.
Wilcox, Mary A. Wilcox and Whiting
H. Worden.)
Second-That Mary A. Worden, Salter
D. Worden's mother, possesses mark
edly unstable nervous organization, as
evidenced by repeated attacks of neu-
ralgia and infrequent attacks OF MI
Crane; and, further, that during the
time that she was pregnant with Salter
D. Worden she was extremely unhappy
and depressed, owing to family dissen-
sions and differences wide testimony
of Mary A. Worden)
Third - That Mary A. Wilcox and
Whiting S. Worden, the sister and
brother of Salter D. Worden, are both
extremely nervous persons, wanting IN
self-control, and affected with periods
of alternating excitement and depres-
. sion. wide testimony Of Mary A. Wor-
den and F. z. Wilcox)
Fourth-That Salter D. Worden mas
suffered from Authorizations Of sight
and hearing. wide testimony Of Wal
lace A. Noble, Mary A. Wilcox, Mary
A. Worden, Whiting S. Worden, Frank
A. worden and F. z. Wilcox)
Fifth-That Salter D. Worden has
had many faulty beliefs, out of which
he could not be reasoned by adequate
methods, for the time being-that is
delusions. wide testimony Of Wallace
A. Noble. Mary A Wilcox, Whiting s.
Worden, Mary A. Worden, I. l.. X
, Morgan NJ w Kelly, F. c. Wilcox, F.
A. Worden and George E. Masters)
Sixth-That Salter D. Worden had fol-
many years the prominent and system
atized delusions that he is a person OF
great Importance; that he possessed
great wealth, and that he was able tc
formulate and carry out great under
takings. wide testimony of Whiting
s. Worden, A. Jud Northrup. Wallace
A Noble, Mary A. Wilcox, Mary A
, worden, T. L. r. Morgan, Charles E
Wright, Fred NJ. Prime. T. z. Wilcox
]. Emmett Wells, Frank A. Worden
Daniel Rosenbloom and George E
Masters.)
Seventh-That these permanent and
systematized delusions formed the
basis for large number, If not all OF
his foolish, erratic and so-called Grim
inal acts; that owing to the presence
of these delusions he easily became the
prey Of designing and unscrupulous
persons, who were thus enabled to in
fluence him to commit improper acts
by appealing to his delusive beliefs as
before e-mentioned; that the promised
commentator of his associates and the
notoriety that might follow seemed tc
so fully occupy his mind as to exclude
any appreciation of any other possible
result. and If the acts were criminal
he did not seem to appreciate the fact
that under the law he would be SUBJ
ject to punishment. wide testimony
of Charles r. Wright, Fred NJ. Prime
F. q. Wilcox, ]. Emmett Wells, F. A
Worden, Mary A. Worden, Mary A
. Wilcox. Whiting s. Worden and Dan
iel Rosenbloom.),
J Eighth-That, in the opinion of wit
nesses. Salter D. Worden has been in
sane for years, and not responsible for