The copper era., 1905-10-19
THE TRlMBLE CASE.
The People of Graham County Greatly
 DiSDIeaSed With the Pardon.

The pardoning of Walter Trimble, life prisoner from Graham county, who was convicted by jury of re- sponsible citizens for one of the most revolting crimes ever perpe- trated in Arizona, is universally con- demned by the people who are familiar with the facts. There is no question in the minds of the people of this section as to the guilt of Trimble, and his pardoning is there- fore regarded as travesty upon justice.
 However, that the people of this county may know the ''reasons" as given for granting the pardon we quote the following from the Phoenix Enterprise:
 Walter Trimble SCI wing life sen tence for rape, alleged to have been committed in Graham county was pardoned by Governor Kibbey and will soon be released from the terri torial penitentiary at Yuma.
 In Graham county in 1902, Trimble and his wife were jointly charged with the rape of a young girl 13 years of age and in October of the same year, Judge Doan sentenced him to a life sentence in the penitentiary.
 Mrs. Trimble was convicted but ob- tained a new trial and change of venue to another county, but when the case came up for trial it was dis missed, the district attorney of Ora ham county being convinced that the prosecuting witness, the girl was lying.
 Before Mrs. Trimble's discharge, her husbands attorney had appealed the case to the supreme court, and the appeal dismissed. This left no alternative but to force Trimble to serve his time in the penitentiary.
 Pardons were asked of Governor Brodie, who gave both sides ample opportunity to present the facts as they believed them. Hundreds of pages of typewriter manuscript were presented.
 At the time Governor Brodie re- signed his position the matter had been undecided, and was turned over to Governor Kibbey, who has made an exhaustive investigation of the merits of the petitions for pardon, deciding that Trimble should be re- leased.
 In the story told by the girl, Trim ble's wife held her while he commit ted the offense. She displayed to the jury trying Trimble's case a scar on her arm, which she claimed had been caused by his biting her when he committed this offense.
 Later investigation of the case proved that this particular scar which the girl displayed with such telling effect, had been caused by vaccina- tion as was proven by the statement of the physician who made it.
 Judge Doan and the district attor- ney of Graham county both made in- vestigations into the matter, and af- ter they had thoroughly probed the criminal duplicity of the girl, they came to the conclusion that she had deliberately lied in every statement made and that Trimble was deserving of a pardon.
 The girl in the case is the daughter of Mrs. Trimble by a former mar riage. The only reason that can be given for her action is that she wanted to repay a grudge.
 The ERA has always understood that Governor Brodie positively and most emphatically refused to grant the pardon. So skeptical was he of the veracity of the letters filed as to Trimble's former good character, that he caused an investigation to be made into them by Sheriff Parks and District Attorney Rawlins, who spent some time in Fl Paso, and there learned that every man who reCom- mended Trimble was not only looked upon with suspicion, but most of them had been in serious trouble at different times. They came home with an adverse report, in which they were backed up by the chief of police of Fl Paso, and by many other responsible officers of that section. These facts were of common mo- toriety throughout this section at the time, and doubtless the reports of these officers are still on file in the case in the governors office. If they are not they should be, for they were made and given to the gov ernor.
 The trial of Trimble cost the tax payers several thousand dollars. His guilt was established beyond ques- tion. He was given fair and inn partial trial, and the verdict was approved by all of the people of the county.
 Governor Kibbey has certainly al lowed himself to be imposed upon in this matter.
 The ERA is just in receipt of a let ter from District Attorney Rawlins asking that the statement of the Phoenix papers that he recommended the pardon of Trimble be denied The record of the present district attorney is perfectly straight in the matter. Some of the Phoenix papers also stated that the jurymen who tried the case recommended the pardon. This is also an error. So far as the ERA is able to ascertain at the present time not single man who served on the jury recommended the pardon.
 Try Flap Jacks at Smiths.