The Cairo bulletin., 1905-12-18
JUSTICE WEIGHS
SCALES OF LAW
Anxiety in West Virginia Where
Woman May Hang
CALM NEAR HER DOOM
LITTLE DIRECT EVIDENCE 1T is
CLAIMED WAS ADDUCED
BY THE PROSECUTING
ATTORNEY.

| Charleston. w Va, Dee. 1.-THE
State of West Virginia now wrestles
with the same problem that Vermont
solved in a bunging way Dec 'mber
iS. and one which New Jersey also is
considering. A woman sentenced to
| hang is pleading through her counsel
/ for her life The scales OF the law,
weighed on one side by justice to be
carried out on doubtful evidence. and
on the other by the horror of the
anced. awaiting the word that shall
cause one side to 'sink.The case Ii now
in the hands OF the Acknowledgement
| of the state at Charleston, and he Is
preparing the evidence To be taken BE-
fore the supreme bench of five justices
in January when the fate of tie WON
an will be decided,
] IN the meantime Mrs Sarah Ann
Iegg, The condemned murderess. is
confined in the Moundsyilla penten-
tiary awaiting her fate, She shows
little emotion as the day draws stead
lily near for the hearing She has
passed through the ordeal of being
tried and convicted, and further
move concern her little to outside APP
pearances. She is Indifferent TO all
who address her and refuses to talk
of her case.
q. 49, For Killing Her Spouse. 80.
The crime of which Mrs. Legg was
convicted was the murder Of her hus-
band The evidence addneed by the
state from the few witnesses who
husband were in their home in Clay
County. West Virginia, alone in the
Kitchen The onl witnesses. two in
number. were in the next room. The
report of a gun was heard ana the Wit
nesses rushed in 10 find Legg
stretched on the floor. his lifeblood eb-
bing from wound in the head. lie
died in a few minutes.
Mrs. Legg Historically stated that
She had taken the rifle down from the
wall 70 hand it to her husband 70 be
cleaned. when II was discharged and
the bullet struck him. She was ar
rested and tried.
There was little real evidence Their
life together had been happy one,
No angry words were heard 10 pass
between them by the Witnesses. The
verdict of the Jury was guilty" and
the courts sentence was 10 hang by
the neck until dead on July 7. 1905.
No influential Friends
Mrs. Legg was removed 10 Mounds
Vile The appeal Of her attorneys TO
the higher courts was successful If
The verdict OF tho lower court is
affirmed. there remains one hope,
Communication OF sentence by Governor
Dawson
The woman has no influential
friends and no money Her counsel
win make the effort, however should
she be doomed, to move the executive
to prevent the stigma of hanging a
woman to attach 10 the name of West
Virginia.
The same interet. is manifested by
the Vermont people in the case of
Mrs. Rogers is being shown by West
Nirginians in Mrs Legg. She Is not
pretty. On the contrary she is plain,
everyday woman of about 30. neat.
however. in dress and with a quiet
ton of voice that W Ms The ymphthy
of any one who approaches her.
TiGlly attired She Sis in her cell and
reads, not trashy novels but news
papers Her demoanOr is that of a
woman who viii calmly meet the re-
qurements of the law, just or other
wise The sympathy of the people Is
with her and they may act through a
petition. If the decision Is against her.