The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-11-25
FLOWERS COMMITTED
Not to Hang Because Idiotic--
Prison For Life.
Man Who Last Summer Committed lrcsst
Against His Ten-Year-0Id Daughter
in Wilson Deemed an

Governor Aycock yesterday committed
>cf John Flowers, of Wilson, the white man
who last August committed incest aaginst
his ten-year-old daughter. Flowers was
convicted at the September term of vii
son court and sentenced on September
10 by Judge Ferguson to hang on October
3Oth.
The Governor gave him respite until
December LIST. and on yesterday committed
the sentence to Imprisonment for life.
While the evidence was clear against the
man, the sentiment in the county was
rather against his being hung, as he was
known to be idiotic and irresponsible.
Governor Aycock gives his reasons for
the commutation as follows:
THE sentence of prisoner in this case
IS committed to imprisonment in the States
Prison at hard labor for life The enor-
nifty of the crime committed by him
would, under ordinary circumstances, call
for the prompt and severest penalty of the
law, but in view of the low intellect of the
prisoner it seems that he could not have
understood the nature of the crime which
he committed. Judge Ferguson who tried
the case, writes me that he is of the opin-
ion clearly fixed that the defendant is a
man of low order OF mind and OF thought.
Reliable citizens in the county write that
he is IN fact an idiot DR.. w. S. Ander-
son, the County Superintendent OF Health,
who has carefully examined him several
times, writes that he seems perfectly obliv-
ious of the penalty hanging over him;
that his family both sides are very
weak mentally and some of them idiots;
that the prisoner at the time of the COM
mission of the crime could not realize the
enormity of the crime. DR.. Anderson re-
commends executive clemency.
Being unwilling to interfere in case
of this nature except upon the strongest
grounds, l asked DR.. John F. Miller, SUI
perintendent of the State Hospital at
Goldsboro, to examine the prisoner for me.
His report TO me shows that the prisoner
has always been regarded as weak-mind
ed that some members of his family have
been idiots and many other facts tending
TO show the condition of the prisoners
mind at the time of the commission of the
crime. Summing UP all these facts DR..
Miller gives his opinion as follows:
THE result of my examination of this
man Flowers, and the information 1 re-
ceived from various intelligent and re-
liable sources. impress me with the con-
viction that he is congenitally defective
and but slightly removed in mentality
from idiocy.
Mr.. l.. F. Lucas, a prominent and re-
liable citizen of the community, and who
has ever stood for the sternest enforce
ment of the law, writes that prisoners
uncle is an idiot; that prisoner himself is
very weak-minded and that the knowledge
of nls mental condition prevented the
same degree of indignation in the commun-
ity where the crime was committed that
1t caused elsewhere. We earnestly recon-
mend the communication. The jury who
tried him unanimously asked for the com
putation. This course is likewise recon-
mended by great number of prominent
and reliable citizens known to be to be-
lieve in upholding the law, and whose
opinions are valuable because of the char
acter of the men offering them