The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-10-10
STRONG PLEA FOR LIFE
WILLIAM WINDOW MAKES A ORA
MATIC APPEAL TO THE PAR
DON BOARD
TO SAVE YOUNG FERGUSON


Strong Terms, and Says Himself
and His Hearers Would BE Else
where if They All Had Their
Deserts-Case Taken Under Ad-
v1sement-Other Appeals.
The life of George ]. Ferguson, of
1tasca county, still hangs by slender
thread. The state board of pardons at
its meeting yesterday afternoon took the
matter of his application for a commuta-
ton Of sentence under advisement, but
after brief executive session announced
that the matter had not been decided
This gave the friends of the young man
some hope, and it is expected that the
board will announce It's decision within
few days. Ferguson is to hang Oct. N
for murder, unless the pardoning board
extends executive clemency. The hearing
at times was somewhat theatric
Young Ferguson's mother sat through
the session with moist eyes and bowed
head.
William Window made a strong appeal
for Fergusons life, and during the prog
ress of his address made some drastic
CIlllClSlLS OIL capital
eff every man in this room had justice
melted out to him according to his deserts
we would all have been in hell ten years
ago. was the statement which preceded
the somewhat sensational address which
followed.
81 Admirably opposed to the death
penalty. l swear before tbs board that
1 will go before the next legislature, and
try and have it stricken off the statute
books The law of England 100 years ago
recognized twenty crimes for which the
death penalty could be attached. We have
been gradually drifting nearer and nearer
an advanced civilization until at present
there is but one, and in many states none.
AT that time women and children were
burned at the stake for Witchcraft. 1t
was the law. But it was murder just the
same, and those judges who sentenced in
nocent women and children were muir
derers. The law of the Bible does not
permit us to take the life of our fellow
beings. If you hang this boy he will
suffer all through immortality for the
recompense of his sin. There is no chance
hereafter, if you kill him now. He will
go to his eternal punishment, as he is in
capable of approaching the enormity OF
the crime. He is but nineteen years of
age, a mere child. He has not the
strength Of an ordinary man. Some will
say we must make an example of this
case. Why is this necessary? In Wiscon-
sin, where the people are just as good
AMI moral as they are in this state, they
have no capital punishment. I say that
fifty years from now there will be no
need of this board, as there will be no
capital punishment in any of the states
The law has no right to take life, God
alone reserves that right I am told that
the sheriff will resign his office rather
than hang this young boy. But, instead,
he goes down to Minneapolis and gets
murderer to do the job for him for $1,000
or 81, 200. What kind of a law is 1t that
your sheriffs refuse to carry out, and
have to go miles away to hire common
murderer to do the work that is properly
theirs This boy has no moral conception
whatever. The very circumstances of the
crime substantiate this The boy is in
sane"
Judge Start here asked why the plea
of insanity was not entered. Mr.. Win
dom explained that 1t could be easily
proven. The crime was deliberate, and
Ferguson made no attempt to cover up
his tracks. He told beforehand that he
was going to do it, and later, when dis
cussing it, talked of it in the most COM
slightest feature of the crime that ex-
hibited the cunning Of the criminal, but
on the contrary, the wantonness of the
crime and the unconcern of the prisoner
was evidence that there was something
wrong in his make up.
your sheriffS are more merciful than
your laws How many men would BE-
hung if the judges had to execute the
sentences themselves. Mercy is the
grandest element in mans heart. hope
the board will pardon me If have over
stepped myself. I love justice, but I love
mercy more. If this board will commute
his sentence to life imprisonment, 1 will
not come before the board at any time
and ask for his release. 1 maintain chat
this board has no right to take life no
matter what the crime. No man can
take the DEGREES of God and execute
them"
81 wish we could get them direct" put
in Gov Lind
'"The people who burned innocent peo-
pie for witchcrafery were merely execut-
ing lawful DEGREES But it was neverthe-
less murder" asserted Mr.. Window.
"Well, these men acted at least on the
best of their judgment" said the gov
ernor.
1.-THE conditions have changed in sew
eral hundred years." said the attorney
general
said J. r. Donohue, county attorney of
Itasca county, you should commute the
sentence of every other murderer in the
state
"Why is it that you single out this
boy and make him a mark when you let
three or four murderers go before up IN
your county?" warmly interposed Mr..
Window.
Mr. Window here presented petition
! signed by six of the jury asserting a be-
lief that Ferguson was guilty, but that
a life sentence should be imposed. Peti-
lions were also read from D. M. Gum
and a number of other prominent c:ti-
zens.
P. F. Price also appeared in Fergu-
sons behalf. He related the circum-
stances of the crime, showing that the
prisoner deliberately planned the crime
and executed it. The body of Naugle,
his victim, was found on a road a short