The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1905-11-03
rHE EPRES liURDER CASE.

part in the dastardly murder Of Hon. N.
w. Eppes, in September, 1904, with the
particulars of which melancholy event
our readers are familiar. His execution,
in accordance with the sentence Of the
law, will not, however, close the chap
ter Of the incidents connected with this
great crime. for two others, already
convicted Of completely therein, Nelson
Larkin and Geo. Caldwell, are, through
their legal advisers, making desperate
effort TO escape the just punishment
which has been decreed by the same
court which condemned Edwards to an
ignominious death upon the scaffold.
The application for pardon, or com
mutation Of sentence, on behalf Of Lar
kin and Caldwell, has been before the
pardoning board for several weeks, and
proceedings in their cases have been
suspended, awaiting the result Of their
appeal, 1t having been announced that
no final action would be taken by the
board until after Edwards had been ex-
ecuted
Some weeks ago Governor Broward
visited the scene Of the murder, for the
purpose, 1t was said, of obtsining light
upon the matter as a preliminary to the
decision of the board in the cases Of
Larkin and Caldwell but just how an
inspection Of the spot where the crime
was committed, more than year after
the event, could, by any possibility, at
feet the decision Of the board, which
Is supposed to act alone upon the evil
dence belonging to the case, or evidence
that may have been discovered since the
conviction, is one Of those problems to
which there appears to be no answer.
Again, on the occasion Of Governor
Broward's recent visit to Jacksonville
he Is reported as having visited the con-
demned men in their prison, also with
view TO ascertain the facts. The facts
in the case, aside from the evidence Of
record, he could only procure from one
or all Of the three condemned felons,
Is that the kind Of testimony proper to
be relied upon to sustain the action ofR
pardoning board?
From Edwards, the man who, before
these words can be seen by a majority
Of our readers, will have gone to render
his account in a higher than any earthly
court, Governor Broward Is said to have
received a positive assurance that he,
Edwards, was alone guilty Of the crime,
and that Larkin and Caldwell were in
nocent. Will the Governor and the board
accept this statement against the legal
testimony upon which Larkin and Cald-
we'll were convicted in the court? Ed
wards had already told half a dozen
different and irrecOncilable stories about
the crime. Can Governor Broward or
the board assume to decide which Of
them was true and which was false?
1t is distinctly to the credit of any
member of the pardoninR board that he
should manifest an intense desire to
learn all that is possible to be known
about the events upon which the deci-
siOns Of the board are to constitute the
court Of last resort But such testimony
as may be furnished by convicted felons
II unworthy the attention, much less
the deliberate consideration, Of such a
body.
The circumstances above referred to
remind us OF another case which was
before the same board only short time
ago II was not a murder case. II was
one in which no one sought a reversal
or modification Of the sentence Of the
court based upon the testimony. The
appeal made to the board was based
purely and simply upon grounds Of mer-
cy. The application was made by glO-
rious company of more than three hun
dred noble and tender hearted women Of
Leon county. Did Governor Broward or
any other member Of the pardoning
board visit the humble home Of the con-
demned person to verify the grounds of
the application On the contrary. when
these gentle and refined champions Of
mercy appeared before the board. they
were confronted by coarse and brutal
opposition to their plea. by paid agent
OF the inhuman prosecutor, whom the
board permitted to insult and browbeat