The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-01-25
TO SAVE BROOKS NECK.
Counsel for Condemned Man Max
ing Hard Fight for Com IN utn ton.

Counsel for Condemned Man Max
ing Hard Fight for Commute ton.
A strong effort to have the death SEN
tence of Henry Brooks, the convicted
murderer of Patrolman Harry B. Fen
der, committed to Imprisonment for life
is being made. A petition was circu-
lated among the members of the bar
yesterday calling upon the Pardon
Board to reopen the case.
The petition put the request On the
ground that the testimony of the wit
ness Patterson was unreliable. and that
there is grave doubt of the guilt of the
man. Attention was called to the fact
that Brooks has persistently denied his
guilt, even when within an hour of his
apparent end. Those interested in the
Negroes case contend that even if the
condemned man had been thoroughly
coached to act as he did and had been
told TO stand firm until upon the trap.
that he could not have done so under
the awful strain that he must have OK
perienced. Those who believe in the
innocence of the negro do not think he
could have held up as he did, no mat
ter what instructions he had received
in advance, and are of the opinion that
the case should be re-opened.
Solicitor General Osborne has not yet
heard from Gov. Gambler and would
not discuss yesterday the letter that
he addressed to the Governor. 1t car
ried its explanation with it. The pros
ecuting officer did not express a desire
to have Brooks hanged, but only called
attention to the fact that several tri-
bunals had passed upon the case, and
that there can be doubt of the fact
that the negro killed the police officer.
Mr.. Osborne would have nothing to
say about the petition that was cir
culated by an attorney representing
counsel for Brooks. He felt that he
had done his full duty in briefly review
ing the case to the Governor, and I'M
less he is asked for further informa-
ton from that official it is not prob
able that he will take any further ac-
ton.
The friends of the dead patrolman,
and those who feel certain that Brooks
was his slayer, do not look with favor
on the plan to further delay the ex-
ecution of the prisoner, even though
the sentence is not committed. If
Brooks should hang on Feb. q, it will
be over a. year after the killing OF
Fender. Those who protest against any
| change in the sentence say that the
solicitor fully covered the grounds
/ IN mis- letter 10 dON. Odu-
! dler. They say that Brooks
! actions from the moment of his ar
| rest were those of a guilty man. He
was as persistent in his denial that
| he shot the negro barber as he has
| been of the charge that he inflicted the
mortal wound upon Fender. The off,
| GERS friends say that Brooks did not
admit the first shooting until after the
fact had been proven conclusively by
his own friends at the trial of the
| case, and that this shooting was with
| out provocation.
Those VINO insist that Books should
pay the penalty of his crime insist that
he was given a fair trial and that his
| counsel ably took advantage of every
point that the law allowed him. In
the efforts to secure a new trial and
a Communication of the sentence they
| failed signally and both the Supreme
! Court and the Pardon Board decided
that the negro had been fairly tried
and properly convicted. They say that
| the Governor himself approved the
! finding of the Pardon Board and that
| since that time not a new piece of ev-
idence has been discovered, although it
is sought to have the case gone into
again. With Brooks neck as the stake
the game is being played for all that
it is worth. In the mean time the pris-
oner is in the county Jail with manner
| and appearance unchanged.