The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-07-29
TWO NEGROES
 MUST HANG Governor Denies Mercy to StarkS and Means. EXECUTION NEXT FRIDAY Jefferson County Negro Makes
 Remarkable Plea. Felix Hall, Condemned, Granted Respite to Give Him Time to
 Prove an Alibi-other
 Cases Considered.
EXECUTION NEXT FRIDAY

As the result of protracted conference | between Governor Jelks and the | State Board of Pardons, the application for the communication of the death sen | tence of Will Starks and Alex. Means of county, was refused. They | will be hanged Friday.
 Executive interference in the execution | of the death sentence of Will Hudson and Will Jones of Jefferson county, was de- l nied. a communication of the death sen- | tence of Abe Williams and Albert Jones of Jefferson county to life Imprisonment was granted, and Felix Hall of Jefferson county was granted respite of sixty days.
 It was capital case day with the Board of Pardons. Never before since the es- tablishment of the Board has 1t been called upon to pass upon the execution of so many death sentences. Perhaps never before in the history of the State has the Governor had so many appnca- tions before him to commute sentences of death to life Imprisonment. These peti- tions came from the two large counties of the State, Montgomery and Jefferson.
 The petitions were evidently due to the action of the State Supreme Court in clearing the docket of all capital cases be- fore its summer adjournment. Before the court adjourned in July, all the capital cases pending before 1t were disposed of. Where the capital cases were affirmed by the Supreme Court the date of the execu- ton of the prisoner was, in most cases, fixed for July 31.
 The pleas made to the Governor for commuta don were taken up yesterday.
 The Board of Pardons declined to make any recommendation for mercy in the cases of Alex. Means and Will Starks Their petition for clemency was thus in- dorsed by the Governor.
 "The Board of Pardons sitting this morning with the Governor refused to dis turb the sentence of the court in these cases"
 Means and starks will be hanged in the Montgomery county jail next Friday. They are under sentence of death for the murder of Elem Foster. another negro in Beat 10. Means and Starks were robbing the store of Charles Stanford. when they were interrupted by Foster, who passed while the robbery was in progress. They shot Foster to death with a shot gun. Three negroes of Jefferson county who are under sentence of death for robbery, petitioned that the death sentence be commuted to life Imprisonment. The negroes Abe Williams, Will Hudson and Will Jones last January entered the store of J. B. Messer, suburban storekeeper of Birmingham, and covered him with two pistols and a shot gun. They robbed him of what money he had in pocket and cash drawer, amounting to $156, and a gold watch, worth $20.
 The evidence against the three con demned men was conclusive. Abe Will Hams confessed all the details of the crime. They were sentenced to be hang ed Aug. 2. The Governor declined to in- terfere in the execution of the sentence of Hudson and Jones. They will be hanged at the appointed time.
 The sentence of Abe Williams was com muted to life Imprisonment. On the com mutation the Governor made the follow ing indorsement:
 This man is one of three convicted and sentenced to be hanged for the crime of robbery. It is set up that he was more ignorant person than the other two and that in fact he was led into the com mission of the crime by influence which the other two brought to bear upon him. On the trial of the case Williams was used as a witness. Without his testimony there might have been some doubt that a conviction would have been had. A number of jurors, the trial judge and the solicitor think, for the reasons stated, that his present sentence of death should be commuted. Communication of the sen tence from death to life Imprisonment in the penitentiary is therefore ordered" Albert Jones, a negro, who killed white man, was allowed a communication of the death sentence by the Governor. Jones cut to death in Birmingham, Wal ter Cotton, a white man, but there were extenuating circumstances to the crime The two men were employed in the same store. Cotton cursed the negro, who is said to have tried to avoid difficulty. The negro went to the back part of the store where Cotton followed him. No witnesses were present In few mo- ments Cotton emerged with several knife wounds. He died in a few minutes. A number of citizens of Birmingham inter ested themselves in securing commuta- tion of Jones' sentence.
 In allowing the communication, the Gov
 ernor said:
 Because of the showing made in this
 case by petition to which several memr
 bers of the jury who tried him are affixed,
 the advice of the trial judge and solici- tor, and the recommendation of the Board
 of Pardons, communication of the sentence
 of death to life Imprisonment in the peni-
 tentiary is hereby ordered"
 A startling claim was made before the
 Governor by the attorneys of Felix Hall,
 a negro of Jefferson county, who was to
 have been hanged July S1. The negro is
 under sentence of death for the murder
 of Norwood Clark. The claim Is made
 that Hall Is the unfortunate victim of a
 case of mistaken identity.
 | It is asserted that he was in Missisis-
 sippi when the crime for which he Is to be hanged was committed. The attorneys plead with the Governor for time in
 which to bring witnesses to establish an
 alibi. Upon the showing made by the at
 torneys. Hall was allowed respite of
 sixty days.
 Hall was convicted of wantonly firing in tent of a railroad camp, killing Nor
 wood Clark, a young white man, who was
 employed at the camp.
 The respite for Hall was granted in these words by the Governor:
 This man is charged with a most atro-
 cious crime. The sentence of death is
 deserved unless he should be able to
 prove that his is a case of mistaken iden-
 tity, He declares that he was not even
 in Jefferson county when the murder was
 committed. His attorney asks for such
 a reprieve as will allow him to bring some
 witnesses from another State to estab- fish such alibi. If Hall should be able
 to establish before the trial judge the alibi, his case would be further consid-
 cred. In the meantime a reprieve is granted and the execution of the sentence of death is ordered suspended until Wed . nesday, Sept 30, 19O3."