The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1905-07-21
IN BEHALF OF
w. L. TAYLOR
Three Hundred Ladies Appeal to the
Board for Mercy.

No public event has occurred at the
State Capitol recently that has caused
quite as much cOmmotion and comment
as the somewhat dramatic appeal made
to the State pardoning board on We'd
nesday Of this week by over one hun
dred ladies' of Leon county and Talla-
hassee, bearing a petition for the
pardon, purely upon the grounds of
mercy, of Walter l.. Taylor.
At the request of a committee repre-
senting the movement, Governor Brow
ard appointed a meeting of the board,
and when the time arrived the ladies
appeared in a body, more than one hun
dred strong, and were usher ed into the
audience room of the executive Office,
where the members Of the board were
assembled.
The petition, to which were appended
the signatures of nearly three hundred
of the most prominent women Of Talla-
hasse and Leon county, and others, was
presented to the board by Miss Annie
Flagg, in touching and eloquent ad-
dress. Both the petition with its sig
natures, and Miss Flagg's address, as
we'll as others made at the time, we
hope to have space for hereafter.
Brief remarks were also made by Mrs.
Howard Gamble, Mrs. Woodward and
others.
The matter was taken under advise
ment by the board, and the sequel will
not be known until the board sees fit to
announce it's decision.
The incident thus briefly described
was in itself sufficiently unusual to ex-
cite comment, but its most disturbing
and exciting feature remains to be
mentioned. In order to procure the
exact facts as near as possible, a rep
resentative of The True Democrat on
Thursday interviewed a number Of
the ladies present who were prominent
in the movement, and they described
the events referred to with picturesque
fidelity.
AS the ladies, after the formal per-
Torrance Of their loving task were
about to retire, Judge B. S. Liddon, of
Mariana, (who acted in the court pro-
ceedings of the Taylor case as the paid
attorney for the prosecution, and who
had been noticed as being present, but
who was unknown to most of the ladies',
and by many supposed to be some one
friendly to the holv cause they repre-
and Immediately began an elaborate
argument Of the legal aspects of the
case, rehearsing the proceedings Of the
courts and expressing contemptuous
disregard of the present movement, UNI
dertaken in the name Of mercy, for the
sake of the victims five helpless little
children (who, by the way, were pres
entD, and for the sake of his distressed
and sorroWinQ wife.
Referring 10 this episode, Mrs. Geo.
Greenhow thoughtfully remarked that
the entire company of ladies present
were utterly astounded at the presence
of a paid advocate against the unfortu-
nate man, as we'll as at the form and
manner Of his interference in the mat
ter. MANY OF the ladies'" said she,
"openly protested against the intrusion,
and one appealed TO the Governor ask
ing him why such thing should be al
lowed when tho committee had re-
quested the appointment for the spe-
cific purpose OF presenting the appeal
without dreaming of legal controver-
sy. Governor Broward replied that the
meeting, as was customary, had been
advertised, and any one had right to
be heard.
I'm the course of his speech Judge
Liddon sn@eringly remarked that this
thing of 'woman's tears and sympathy
was old, and we all know all about It,
but ne wanted to present the justice
and the law of the case. Interrupted
by myself with the protest that all that
was past, and we had heard it all two
years ago, and that the legal aspects Of
the case were not now under consider
alton, Judge Liddon avoided any direct
reply. In speaking of the act for which
Taylor was now to be punished, Judge
Liddon used the terms murder and
kill, but when requested by me to de-
fine the difference between those terms
he was silent. One lady cited the case
of Sylvester, who had been pardoned at
ter an unprovOked assault upon Master
Mechanic Burton, at Fernandina, whom
he killed; another referred TO a still
more recent and quite similar case.
Still protesting at the rank injustice
of confronting them on their erraud OF
mercy with legal argument from q
maid attorney who had not even been
invited to be present, the ladies with
drew, escorted TO the east stairway by
the Governor, who said in parting
Ladies, was as much taken by sur
prise as you were, at the presence Of
Judge Liddon.
Mrs. Chas. A. Cay added TO the test
imony" of Mrs. Greenhow some exceed
inRly strong impressions Of Indignation
at tke way the ladies had been treated,
and remarked that she had heard Of no
one Sgho had seen any advertisement Of
Ska hOord meeting as referred TO DV