The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1898-03-12
MOTHER LOVE WON.
Nearly Ten Years Securing Far
don For Her Boy.

~ 0&EIy x00 10SE0 gu AA0
don For Her Boy.
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sentence Of Death Had Been Conmutsd
. Life imprisonment BY Cleveland n
theLast Momsnt-Pard0nsdb by Mckinley
The signature of President Mckinley
to the pardon of Clyde hattox was the
sequel of . pathetic story of heroism,
devotion and self-sAcrifice unparalleled
save in the field of fiction. For eigh,
years q woman has worked unremittingly
to save An only son from IN ignon.inioua
death ON the gaAows or life condemned
to be passed within the walls of state
prison. From the first trial in the United
States Court for Kansas to the Supreme
Court Of the United States, and finally
to the highest power in the land, she ha,
gone with her prayers and her tears fol
mercy. Wives Of lawyers and judge.
who prosecuted and sentenced her son
have aided her with money and influence
and eminent lawyers championed her
cause with no hope or expectation of re.
ward. So great 10 mothers love, &c
powerful are . mothers tears. And this
il the story:
With the first rush of settlers into
Oklahoma on the opening of that coun-
try there came from the South Mrs. Hatch,
widow of DR.. Hatch, post surgeon In the
Union army, and her only son, Clyde,
then high spirited handsome boy of 10,
possessing, largely by inheritance, all the
charscteristics of the Southern race. Mrs.
Hatch and her son settled in Oklahoma
City, which was then rent in twain BY Q
fierce factional township fight. Excite
ment ran high. Young Mattox was ap-
pointed deputy marshal, and like many
of his older brother officers, went armed.
One night in the fall of 1889 he was
out with . boon companion, . young
physician from the South. There was
the usual amount of drinking and carous-
ing, and q colored man was shot aud
killed. His companion made his escape,
but Mattox was arrested and taken to
Wichita, Kan, where = year later he was
tried in the United States Court, convicted
and sentenced to death. An appeal Was
taken to the United States Supreme Court,
which affirmed the judgment OF the lower
court, three of the judges of the Supreme
Court dissenting from the decision in An
opinion which has attracted the attention
Of the legal profession throughout the
country, and by many is regarded as q
much stronger and clearer exposition of
the case than the majority decision.
Upon the decision of the Supreme
Court Mattox was resentenced to death,
and was removed from Wichita to the
Topeka Jail to await his execution.
Thither his Departing and heartbroken
mother, whose meaere fortune had already
become exhausted in the heroic but futile
struggle made to save her boy, removed,
and went bravely to work on the almos,
hopeless task of securing = pardon from
President Cleveland. Being . woman of
refinement, with q beautiful face framed
in premature white hair, she aroused
sympathy for her great sorrow from ALL
She secured petitions from the leading
people Of Oklahoma, and the letters and
recommendations from the judges and
attorneys who had been instrumental in
the conviction Of her unfortunate son,
and, provided with money raised by the
wives Of the State officials of Kansas,
she came to Washington to see President
Cleveland.
Upon her arrival here she learned that
the President was at Buzzard's Bay, and
thither she went, with her great sorrow.
She secured an audience with Mr.. Cleve
land, and told him with tears, the pihful
story of her mission. She pleaded, in ex-
tenuation, her sons extreme youth when
the killing occurred, and the peculiar
conditions of bis surroundings. The
President listened sttentively and gave
her assurance that the case should receive
his earliest consideration, and she was
forced to return West in doubt ~ to the
result of her mission.
Weeks passed, and no word came from
Buzzard's Bay. The day fixed for the
execution drew near, and still no sign
that her plea for mercy would be needed.
The gallows was erected, and all the
dreadful preparations completed for the
awful event that would forever blast her
life. Twelve hours before the time set
for the execution. when all hope had
been abandoned, = message came from
Buzzard's Bay committing the sentence
to life Imprisonment.
Mattox was removed to the pcnitentiary