Los Angeles herald., 1905-02-16
MRS. EDWARDS IS
GWEN REPR|EVE
REHEARlNG GRANTED IN THE
GREASON CASE
Condemned Woman Can Hardly COM
prehend That She Has a New
Lease Of Life--Man Takes
News Calmly
Rv Associated Press.

HARRISBURG, Pa, Feb. 15.--On
recommendation of the board of par
dons Governor Pennypacker today
withdrew the death warrants in the
case of Mrs. Kate Edwards, the white
woman, and Samuel Greason, the ne
gro, who were under sentence to hang
together at Reading tomorrow for the
murder of Mrs. Edwards husband i'm
1901 The case of Greason will now be
again taken to the Pennsylvania su-
preme court and IL the tribunal re-
neys for Mrs. Edwards and Greason
will have to appear before the board
of pardons next month.
The supreme court room was crowd
ed with spectators when the board of
pardons convened to take up the case.
In the crowd were many members of
the legislature and also the Ohio del
egation of women who presented the
monster petition to the governor yes
terday in behalf of the condemned wo-
man.
When the pardon board, which is
made up of w. NJ. Brown, lieutenant
governor; Frank M Fuller, secretary
of the commonwealth Hampton L.
Carson, attorney general, and Isaac
B. Brown, secretary of internal af-
fairs, met today, Elwood H. Doysher,
of counsel for Mrs. Edwards made a
motion that her case be continued.
He made this motion, he said, be-
cause Mrs. Edwards had confessed
that she had committed the crime and
that Greason had no hand in 1t, and
because counsel for Greason wanted to
take depositions and also examine Mrs.
Edwards with regard to the authen-
ticity of the confession. Counsel for
Greason, he said, would not be able
to do this if the case of Mrs. Edwards
was not continued, because they were
both under sentence to hang tomor-
row.
Greason's Attorneys Ask Rehearing
John H. Rothermel and William II.
Saddler. attorneys for Greason, sup
ported Mr. Doysher and also pleaded
for a rehearing in the case of their
client. Mr.. Sadler informed the board
that he had four witnesses in behalf
of Greason who had never been ex-
amined.
After celebrating 20 minutes the
board announced that it had decided
to take up both cases and immediate
ly continue them.
The reason for the boards action
was read by the attorney general. 1t
is as follows:
'In view of the dissent on the part
of the three justices of the supreme
court from the opinion of the court In
refusing the petition of Samuel Grea-
son for an order authorizing new
trial and in view of the statement of
counsel for Greason that there are
four witnesses never before examined
whose depositions they desire to take
and present to the supreme court for
its consideration, the application for
a continuance in the Edwards case is
granted and the application for re-
hearing in the Greason case is
granted"
Will Consider Both Cases
After theN announcement of the
boards decision. Lieutenant Governor
Brown informed the attorneys for
Greason and Mrs Edwards that both
cases would be taken up next month,
together, by the board, unless the su-
preme court in the meantime inter-
fered He expressed the opinion pri-
x,, all hot he ttar nIpht IN he Sat-
tied by a jury in Berks county. The
lawyers for Greason will now apply to
the supreme court for an order re-
opening his case in order to hear the
four new witnesses found by his at
torneys If the supreme court grants
the order the case will go back to
Berks county for retrial In the mean
time Mrs. Edwards case will be con-
tinued But if the supreme court re-
fuses the order the board of pardons
will have to decide the case at its next
meeting, which will be the third
Wednesday in March.
Greasons case has been in the SUI
preme court six times and twice be-
fore the board of pardons. The death
warrant has been read to him ten
times. Mrs. Edwards case has never
been in the supreme court. but the
board of pardons has twice refused to
commute her sentence.
After the governor was officially in
formed of the action Of the pardon
board, a messenger was sent to the
sheriff of Berks county withdrawing
the death warrants.
DOOMED WOMAN HEARS MEMS