The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-09-14
MOTHERS PLEA DENIED
Mrs. Aliens fearful Appeal to
Governor Smith.
A MURDERER'S LAST DAY
Thanks the People for Their Interest in
Him-Only Few Hours Away From
q Shameful Death, He Eats.
Laughs and Sleeps.
Special Dispatch to the Standard.

Helena, Sept. 13.-Early tomorrow
| morning Joseph Allen will be executed
in the yard of the county Jail for the
murder of ]. S. Reynolds. All efforts
| to save his life, if only for a few days,
have proved unavailing. The governor
| has remained as solid as a rock in the
| face of the pleas and entreaties that
have been made to him, first to COM
| mute the sentence to life Imprisonment
and then to grant Allen short respite.
| 1t has been trying situation for the
| governor, one that he hopes never to
| have to face again. He has listened
the young mans life, assured them of
his profound sympathy but told them
in the end that he could not consistent
| ly act. Gray-haired mothers, sympath-
| etic fathers, young women and young
men have besieged the executive of
| Montana to strain a point and spare
the life of the young man who to-mor-
row must pay the penalty of his crime
| upon the scaffold
! All the arts of human persuasion
! have been resorted to in vain. The
| governor has found himself in an unen-
! viable position for the past few days
and deserves the respect and sympathy
| strain he has undergone and the fear
lessness he has displayed in determin-
| ing to make 1t known to the people of
! this commonwealth that when man
is fairly tried and convicted of the
worst of crimes, the dictum of the
courts shall not be set aside because
human sympathy breads the idea of
hanging. The governor will leave in a
! few days for a brief trip to California
to welcome home the 1st Montana. Any
one who has seen something of the un-
| pleasant position in which he has been
| placed because of the office he holds
and the power with which he is clothed
| will trust that he has an enjoyaol
trip.
The Standard has told of the futile eff
forts made to prevail upon the gov
! ernor to change Aliens sentence to life
Imprisonment To-day he was asked
to respite the condemned for few
| days. Aliens mother called to see the
governor this morning. She was ac-
companied by Mrs. Charles Dahler and
Miss Helen Clarke. both of whom have
! earnestly championed Aliens cause.
| They asked for short reprieve of
day or so. that Aliens mother, who
| had not seen him for 16 months, might
| at least be granted the privilege of
| few days final visit with her son.
4 The scene in the governors office was
| a sad one: the half-breed woman, plain
ly dressed, but with mothers love for
| her son written all over her tear-stained
! face, and the other two, more refined
| in dress and appearance, pleading for
a few days more of life for the unfor-
| tunate young man. The governor gave
| them one ray of hope when he said he
would consider the matter and notify
the sheriff if he granted the respite.
They returned to the Jail, where the
mother spent the balance of the day
| with her son.
The governor looked through the
codes and hunted up authorities. Final
| ly this afternoon he came to the con-
| clusion that respite would only pro-
long the agony, only lengthen the sus-
| pense for both mother and son and
| friends, and at the same time work
something of hardship upon the Off
GERS who are to carry out the law and
| necesstate resentencing of the con-
demned man. He failed to see wherein
a few days respite would lessen the
mental suffering that would come to
| all concerned when the final moment
| arrived He therefore sent no word to
the sheriff, an indication to the anx-
| ious waiting ones that all hope was
gone. This ended the last attempt to
bring executive power to bear. The
Standard reporter informed Allen of
| the governors conclusions. He re-
| ceived the news in the same manner as
that the supreme court had decided
against him, and finally that the gov
| ernor could not commute his sentence.
oh, I did not expect he would do
anything" was the way he met the
| reporters statement
He spent the day receiving callers,
talking to acquaintances, consoling his
| mother, receiving spiritual consolation
from his confessor and writing letters.
| he gave the reporters tonight the fol-
lowing, which he had written in a fair
ly legible hand with lead pencil on a
| piece of the janitors Office paper re-
| questing that it be printed:
ITO My Friends and the Public: In
| consideration of the good will and kind
ness shown me during my applica ton
to the honorable governor for commu-
tation of the sentence, permit me to
thank, through your paper, the good
people of Helena for the interest they
| have taken in me- Although the gov
| ernor has refused to grant my petit
ton, / bear no ill-will against him, but
| rather thank him for the considera ton
| he has given my petition. 1t he ar
| rived to his conclusion conscientiously,
no one should blame him for his de-
cision, although l am at a loss to know
| how he came to that conclusion. l wish
also to thank particularly those who
may have circulated or signed Pc
titions in my behalf. With malice to-
|
| respectfully, ]. r. ALLEN"
He says he will make no other, state
ment, either in writing or at the gal
lows tomorrow. If he has any bit
terness in his heart against those who
have fulfilled their duty and brought
| him to this untimely end, he refrains
from making it known. He spent his
| last day about as he has many others
| since he was condemned to die, except
| that perhaps he was given few more
| liberties in the shape of the privileges
of the Office of the jail, and everything
he wanted in the way of eat and drink,
| excepting liquor. for which he possesses
| no appetite. He got up about O'Clock
| and ate what would be called hearty
| breakfast, composed of various deli
cacies the market affords. At this aft
| ernoon he ate a substantial dinner,
consisting of fried chicken, green corn,
| sweet potatoes, peaches and cream, ice
cream, canteloupe and coffee, winding