The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1905-02-03
REASONS FOR REPRlEyE.
Chief Executive Tells Why He Granted Stay
Of Proceedings,


Montpelier, Feb 3:-Before granting
the reprieve to Mary NJ. Rogers Thurs.
day, Governor Dell gave out the
following statement for publication:
81 grant reprieve to Mrs Mary NJ.
Rogers until Friday, June 1905.
do this expressly and only on the
ground that she claims, through her
attorney, that she has not had q fair
trial and that the evidence presented
against her was false. | do not in
any way pass upon the question as to
whether sucn is the fact. | leave that
question entirely with the court, to
which she now has full recourse.
IL fix the date as June 2, so that it
will enable her to bring her case, with
all the new evidence she claims ID have
before the Supreme Court at its May
term, and the decision of that court
upon her application must be final, so
far as executive power is concerned.
No consideration is given in granting
this reprieve to the complaints made
by outsiders that the laws of Vermont
are cruel and barbarous. | believe
that the laws OF Vermont are just and
merciful and respect the will and wish
OF the people of the state and the best
judgment of the enlightened and law
abiding people of the community. l
shall not by any act of mine attempt
to thwart the expressed will of the
people or undertake to change the
policy of our law OF capital punish
ment. :"
Governor Bell is quoted as saying
that morning: 81 do not believe that
the people of Vermont desire that
Mary Rogers shall be granted a re-
prieve. am greatly surprised that
the Sheritfs of Windsor came before
me with a petition for a reprieve
Their mission is to execute the laws
without fear or favor, and their action
was both unprecedented and out OF
place. | do not regret my statement
to them that any one or all of them
were at liberty to resign their office.
/ consider that they should have been
and we're rightly censured for present
ing petition for a reprieye while
they we're the sworn officers who are
called upon to see to it that the SEN
tence imposed upon Mary Ro yers by
the Supreme Court is executed.
at has been stated that High Sheriff
Peck and his deputies may resign and
thus balk the execution of Mary Rog-
ers on Friday, provided that do not
grant reprieve today. You may
state that II this should occur that the
state Of Vermont would be able to pro.
vide officers of the law within twent y.
four hours who would execute Mary
Rogers according to the sentence i'm.
posed upon her. %s,..
personally, put no faith in the
confession made by Leon Perham at
the ELEVENTH hour, Perham, by his con.
fession, is liar, and why should he
be believed now more than at the trial?
Moreover, his testimony, as given at
the trial was corroborated by other
evidence.
81 consider that the Chief Executive
Of this state is elected to his Office to
execute and not to defy the expressed
will of the courts, the laws and the
Legislature of Vermont. In the event
that should refuse to sign a reprieve
for Mary Rogers today do not doubt
but that | shall be greeted with a
storm Of opprobrium from outside the
confines of the state, but 1t would mat
ter little to me.
81 answer only to the citizens of
Vermont, and l now know and have
known what the sentiment OF the men
and women OF Vermont is regarding
reprieve aud Communication of sentence
for Mary Rogers.
''One thing is certain, the decision
that | made at Waterbury was unsway-
ed by either prejudice or passion, and
was according to my Interpretation of
justice, the laws of the state and my
own conscience
"The contention was made that the
death sentence OF Isabella G. Marsh
was committed to life Imprisonment,
and therefore Mary Rogers should es-
cape hanging. Was not a mistake
Continued on Last Page.