The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-03-21

was then petitioned TO exercise clemency,
il being alleged that Mrs. Place was in
sane. al the time The crime was committed,
and he appointed Drs. Dana and Polk Of
New York city, 70 report TO him on this
point They informed the Governor that
the woman was sane when she killed her
stepdaughter and was sane now. This de-
stroyed her last hope of life and on Marcn
Is Gov. Roosevelt announced his refusal
90 interfere, accompanying il with the fol-
lowing memorandum:
mo more painful case can come before
a Governor than an appeal to arrest the
course of justice in order TO save woman
from capital punishment when that wo-
mans guilt has been clearly established
and when there are no circumstances
wha tever to mitigate the crime. If there
were any reasonable doubt of the guilt,
If there were any basis whatsoever for
interference with the course of justice In
this case l should so interfere. But there
is no ground for interference. The nc
cused was condemned as guilty of murder
In the first degree after fun and fair trial.
although, as all men know, a jury in such
a case is always reluctant TO give a YER
diet against "a woman if any justification
whatsoever exists for Withholding it.
This verdict was then reviewed at great
length by the Court of Appeals, and was
affirmed without a dissenting voice,
though this court always scrutinizes with
the most jealous care such a case, -desir-
ing that the benefit of every doubt shall
be given to the accused. / wrote TO the
district attorney and TO the judge who
tried the case 10 learn whether they
thought there was any ground for eXecu-
tive clemency. They both answered that
there was none whatever, and that the
case was one of peculiar outrage, the let
= \ en-
Was Shocking Crime.
The record before you will show
crime of shocking atrocity followed by
another, the attack on William Place. hav-
ing murder for its object; that both crimes
were premeditated and deliberate there
can be no doubt; in my opinion the verdict
was eminently JUST ! think the application
entirely without merit, and i know of no
ground for interfering with the sentence
II went carefully over the evidence,
which showed that the accused had first
blinded her stepdaughter with acid and
then strangled her, ana, after waiting in
the house all day, when her husband re-
turned at dark, had attacked him and en-
deavored to kin him with an AK
Her attorneys and her pastor appealed
to me for clemency. They raised no ques-
tons to her guilt, but claimed that she
mitted, and was now insane the clergy
man stated that she was undoubtedly
sane at present. but that he believed her
60 be insane when the deed was commit
ted, although he did not then come per-
sonally in contact with her
Il accordingly appointed TWO doctors OF
the highest standing, upon whose profess
| sional capacity common sense and deep
conscientousness I could implicitly rely,
and directed them to examine the accused,
to decide whether she was or had been
insane. They reported to me that she was
not insane; that she was sane at the time
| of the murder ana before and since
Guilty and Sane.
There is thus no question of the wo-
mans guilt and no question o. her sanity.
| All that remains is the question as TO
whether l should be justified in interior
| ing 20 save u murderess on the grouna
of her sex when no justification would ex-
| list 10 interfere on behalf OF a murderer
| The only case of capital punishment which
| has occurred since the beginning of my
| term was for wife murder, and ] refused
| TO consider the appeals then made 10 me-
on behalf of the man who had killed his
wife after 1 became convinced that he
had really done the deed, and was sane
In THAI case woman was killed by a
man; in this case a woman was killed by
another woman The law makes no dis :
tinction of sex in such a crime.
This murder was one OF peculiar DELHI
Grafton and atrocty.
TO interfere with the course Of the law
| in this case could be justified only on the
ground that never hereafter, under any
circumstances should capital punishment
oe ln1leted upon any murderess, even
though the victim was herself woman.
and even though that victims torture pre-
coded her death
| fhere IS but one course open to me.
decline 60 interfere with the course of the
| law"
Not SentimentaIist.
several weeks before his official decision