The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-04-22
EARNEST DEFENSE
OF THE GOVERNOR.
Mr.. Samuel Z. Adams Replies
Through Advocate 10 OBJ
e. N. servers Structures.

In .he Christian Advocate of this week,
Mr.. Samuel L. Adams, a lawyer OF AL
ton. Halifax county. replies to the stric-
lures on Governor Montague. and other
officials made recently in the Advocate
by ''Observer,'' under the caption,
"Plaglc Of the Chicken Heart" Mr..
Adams says:
"Seldom have ever seen In your coll
su!nrs anything that seems as tll-timed
and unjust as the thrust at our excel
lent Governor in your last weeks pa
per. written by Observer under the
caption, The Plague Of the Chicken.
Heart us
beyond what has appeared in the daily
papers. 1 know nothing Of the case which
calls forth the article. written evidently
hy Observer, while in an ugly frame
OF mind; but the poor. condemned Grim
iral. according to Observer asked our
Chief Magistrate for a brief respite IN
which to prepare for death on the gal
lows, and the request was seconded by
an editor of tho tear-mongerin9' species
not say by whom, and "a few well mean
ing. but indiscrect' and almost silly
preachers
Gle Gays the Governor in fit OF sick
~ sentimentalism. put Off tho sentence
and gave the man q chance to escape
and pruys earnestly for deliverance from
Officials afflicted with 'chicken-hcart,'
eff the Governor of Virginia were to
ignore the request of a condemned man
who asks for short time to got ready
for death, and, that, too. where the cd-
tor near the scene of the crime, and min
listers OF the Gospel-who must have had
auto as good means Of knowing fully
Of tnu case as Observation-Disclosures the pc
ttltion for respite, there would be a
stormy protest from he shores OF Acco-
mac to tho mountains, of Highland.
II wonder If Observer. who seemed To-.
be afflicted with marble h,art.' ever
lenew of single instance wherein the
Governor OF Virginia, or any other State,
refused to grant a respite OF criminal
who asked for time to prepare to meet
his God? sf
Gas ono who has read the papers close
Hly for a score Of years. and had some
what tc do with applications for eSecu-
tive clemcncy In more than one Commons
wealth, the writer never heard OF such a
request being declined.
.''Obselver's' dlatribe should have been
directed towards unreliable keepers of
prisons and insecure jalls, which are re-
s,,onsihlo for the evil of which he com
plajncd, and not the Governor OF Yir-
ginin!
nRob Taylor. the pardon Governor of
Tennessee, is the most loved man in that
State. perhaps to-day, and II he would
say the word could probably h, elected
tho Fourth time as Governor Perhaps
he is chicken-hearted,' but that malady
is not half so dreadful ms marble heart
"4)bserycr,' / suppose. is Il Methodist,
and If so, 4 hope before he assails our
Chief Magistrate and ministers Of the
Gospel again, he will read parasraph 70,
or chat portion of 1t on page is OF our
Discipline, where We are cn1oined 70 re-
fraln from uncharltable and Improbable
conversation, particularly speaking ell
Of magistrates and ministers
observer complains of other evil
acknowledgements or them real, others
perhaps, are fancied. hut ! hope If he
ever writes as harshly again about peo-
ple who are striving TO- III conscien-
t!ously their places no VIII not hide be-
hind an assumed name, but come out in
the open--it Will be more many