The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1905-02-16

| commanded that Kate Edwards be
spared from death upon the gal
| lows.
If the expression of popular feel
ing cotained in the thousands of
letters, kilograms and petitions
that have reached Gov. Penny
packer and the board of pardons at
Harrisburg can be taken to repre-
sent the mind of the whole people,
then the nations verdict is that
capital punishment of women is a
relic of barbarism that modern
civilization should crush out i'm
mediately.
The case of Kate Edwards, a wo-
man who is charged with murder
ing her drunken and debased hus-
band, became national question
when the truth in her case was
given publicity through the News
paper Enterprise association. From
every state in the union, from the
| high and low, rich and poor, from
men, women and children, came a
flood of appeals to the state au-
thorftieS. 1t would be hard to esti-
mate the number of signers to
! these appeals, but all told they
must number 100000, and if col
lected they would fill a dozen
bushel baskets.
Besides the thousands addressed
to Oliver Lentz, the woman's coun-
sci, the governor, board of par
dons-------- elsn-n OpW .iU-GO TO
dons and the attorney general of
the state, hundreds were addressed
to Mrs. Edwards at the Berks
| county Jail.
No less than 100 women in vari-
GUS parts of the country volun-
teered to adopt Alma, the name
less mulatto child, born in prison
nine days after Mrs. Edwards ar
rest, and the reputed daughter of
| Samue Greason, convicted Of be-
ing the woman's accomplice in the
crime
Most of the women who applied
for little Aim atold in their letters
of their circumstances and prom
Used the doomed mother to love.
cherish and protect the baby girl
as their own.
One woman in Pittsburg, Pa,
said that she had eight children of
her own, but, said she, 81 can find
room for one more, and | will love
her as | do my own. | will bring
her up to be a Christian woman.
| will educate her to the best of
my means, for l am compelled to
work to care for my family.
But it will be no hardship for
me, and, Mrs. Edwards" the wo-
man concluded, Il will ever keep
fresh in Alma's mind the love of
her mother. Please let me have
her."
But little Alma's future had been
provided for before these letters
came. She will have good home
in a city out of the state. Nm one
except the lawyer and those who
will adopt the child will know of
her disposition. The provision
made was that Alma was to be
adopted by this family whether
Mrs. Edwards was executed or
committed to penal servitude. The
secret will be kept for the child's
future comfort and protection.
The storm Of protest at the pros
pect of Mrs. Edwards execution
on the gallows has led an awaken
ing to responsibility by the law
makers of the state. At the pres
ent session of the legislature bills
will be considered making murder
by women punisha bic by life i'm
| prisonment. 1t is believed that a
bill along these lines will be
passed.
| In a pile of 200 letters in Law
yer Lentz's possession 10 states
were represented and the signers
were men and women about
equally divided in number. There
were bankers, lawyers, physicians,
farmers, blacksmiths, bartenders,
union leaders, reporters, librarians,
bookkeepers, railroad men, labor
ers and many other vocations of
man.
Most of the letters signed by wo-
men were from housewives. Many
told of what their motherhood had
meant to them, and they expressed
the belief that Mrs. Edwards was
not mentally responsible when the
crime was committed.
| Nearly every letter contains in
its contents the biblical quotation
LET HIM WHO is WITHOUT
SIN CAST THE FIRST STONE
Several bibles were sent to Mrs.
Edwards at the prison. One wO-
man tore leaves from her bible,
marked passages of scripture and
mailed them with letter of SYM
pathy. Hundreds wrote, telling the
woman to be Of good cheer, and
assured her that she had share
in their prayers.
A Cleveland woman said: Every
hour in the day l go to my room
and on my knees ask our Hea-
venly Father to . support and
strengthen. you in your last hour.
| know that my prayer will be
answered, for | have lost that ter
rible fear | had for you when |
first read of your pitiful circum-
stances"
Mrs. Edwards is not permitted to
have any of these letters.
Little Alma has not been for
gotten Children by the score have
addressed letters to her. Some
contained picture cards and others
money.
Il send a dollar to YOU said a