The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1900-08-03
pROTasvs AaAlhsr Pardon.
tnMNtN Au0rNss JUhNs,0N WllnhA Mm
DDNAln khuMlN kOt w I,lhnWtMl,

@'ef'tB 'f'A'tbty w Ni tpIIFIbu
i his city hnA sent linz following protpl
10 tho state board OF pAnlOm AnAin,
Me pardon granted BY the governor
the enar OH Nj Mcdonald, who N sep
my lth sentence undpp conviction
murdprin the second degree from yellow
atone eDnntyl
VI nm IN receipt OfA notice from you
board, 10 the effect that the AOvpuho
has parlOnpd one j. Nj Mcdonald, pol
vietpd Of the crime Of murder In III
second degree, IN this county, In th
spring Of iADb, and sentenced ID lib IN
prlaonment ID the state prison, and tina
n hearing Oh this pardon viii lp held b'
your honorable board, ANN. IL,
'This crime VIM committed lWO dAy
before ! came 10 Montana, and Mellon
AID waA Tried about a month AFTER
warda' ! was III no way Interested II
either The prosecution OF the defense,
u attended CONT during the whole D
the trinl, and heard AL Df lllp p~vItlpnpl
produced IN court and have never
doubted for one minute that Mcdonald
WINS guilty Of WIlfNl mupdph and hnvt
always believed Thai M had nothing
to complain Of IN The sentence hp No.
eplyed Mr. H. II Allen was nj thai
time county attorney, and think WAa
assisted IN The prosecution by d. Her
ford, u lOrnlpr county attorney Of tllIa
county, Mcdonald waA very ably do
Tended by Judge 0OsH Of lhIa pIly, and
everything possible WINS done TO secure
hlS aequlllhl, Personally ! have 40 In
lpIest IN This matter but ! deem II would
be doing M injustice 10 thia county and
state 10 pardon a man guilty Of the
crime committed by Mcdonald,
" mn ignorant Of the REASONS urged
by M%el)Onald'H friends for hin pardon,
pspepl what ! have aopn IN The pupprs,
can aay nothing Nv 10 whether the peu
ports IN The daily papers are true, but
u they np True the facts have bppngpoasl
" nnlsrpprpsented 10 the governor
have This day written Mr., krpIdlpr, al
Miles City, court slpn0praphpr for this
district, md asked HIN 10 prepare and
forward 10 your board, Il Transcript Of
,nll tho evidence In this caap, No thai your
board could lDtplllApDlly examine Into
the facts Of this easp, and decide whether
or Ilol The pardon should DO approved
"As remembers the trial, Mcdonald
set up Two dplpnsps@ INSANITY and seIf
deltnse-1and failed slRnalIy 10 establish
either one, Or ID False II reasonable
doubl IN the mind " any reasonable per-
son aH 10 hlH guilt, Az ! remember tho
Testimony Moran, the man killed, had
Ind a quarrel Win Mcdonald In the
saloon u few minutes prior 10 lhp shoot
Ing, Dut ll,al Ip had started 10 leave tho
which was ID n basement, and
was standing In the doorway with one
IOOt Oh lhe first step when Mcdonald
walked behind The bar, quite Il distance
away, laid his revolver on The bar, held
L ~ both hands, took deliberate aim
ma iired, II seems THAI Moran wnA A
here nnd no one scented par
leulariy Interested IN TIM matter, and
or thai reason McDOnald's friends have
md n clear field In making any mIsppW
entatlOns they saw NJ TO Tho governor
"1f by any possibility, II should hap
Den that Mr., kreidlpr cannot prepap
hIs transcript In time for the hparing
~ Aug, II, | would asA you To posts
zone The hearing for a ftw days, until
he transcript can bp prepared | bp
eve thai from an examination Of The
pstimOny you can come tO no other
.oneluAIOn but thai The killing WA lnur
pr, ana you certainly must agree that Il
tile more than five ypars Imprisonment
not sufficient punishment Tor murder
nc IN then we should amend our primiI
N laws /.
when we rplnplnbpr the frequency
,lth which murders are committed In
iiA state, and how seldom any murder.
N are adequately punished, IL would
that The officers Of The state, and OfI
~ different counties, owe n duty To The
Iw'abidldg people Of this state, fully IN
'teh ~ any duty they may owe To hitfs
srers who have been Justly convicted, |
Df The prisoner never Tire IN
ielr efforts 10 secure his release, while /
70 general public, IN u si,Or time after +
II crime IN committed, loses all interest /
the matter, and every particle 0f spHs !
iheht N arrayed on the side Of the !
'isOher"