The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1906-08-10
Will NOT HANG.
Sentences Altered in the Case Of
Murderers by
GOVERNOR HAYWARD

For Good and Suiilcient Reasons. Luke
Cray Rsprlsyea Unit! Last Day 81
Month and William Gibbs Sen. 3a
tence Committed Refused
to Respite Marcus,
Within the borders Of South Caro-.
lima, says The State, three men were
to have been hanged Friday, three
men to have paid tho penalty Of the
old Mosaic laW-'an eye for an eye. q
tooth for tooth. - Or these three,
only one was BwunR ineo eternity, for
the others have had their sentences
altered, one temporarily, 1T is true.
The strangest part Of the incident
is that the two men whose deaths
nave been deferred are negroes, while
ne who was hanged was 8 white man.
This Is q tribute to the State and q
refutation Of the slurs so often oast
by alien lips upon the justice OF the
courts Of the Palmetto common wealth.
Thursday tho governor on the ad-
vice of the hoard Of pard0ns, fapriayeti
until August 81, Luke GEay, q negro
murderer of Aiken cdunH, and COM
mutcd to life imprisonnent the gan.
tence of William Gibbs, alao mur
derer, whose crime was committed In
ae0ryetoWn county. In both instan-
ces, dhe chief executive was guided by
strong recommendations and the ur-
gent advice of the board OF pardopg.
He declined to interfere with the
course Of the law In regard to2William
Marcus the Oharleston murderer.
The change In the sentence ,C}r Shay
was made because his attorneys claim
GO have mitigating circumstances
which will, they are confident, induce
| the pardon board to recommend o def
mite alteration In his sentenoe. The
governor has reprieved this man, only
at the instance OF the pardon boards
advice and the solicitation of various
oitizens of Aiken, among whom are
numbered many prominent names. j;
Two weeks time will be given I'm
which these mitigating circumstances,
II there are any, are to be- shown, or
else the man will be hanged on tho
last day OF the month. The governor
will write the petitions that this full-
Ing must be complied with and bhs9
o,nile ne feels blIae @ eey IS d ndurders
or, he grants the repriave beoause the
man Is o triendless negro and beoauaa
che pardon board SO recommended.
The attorneys who assisted the 80.
iioitor are lighting any commuta-
tion. Their version Of the killing ia
that Gray asked Clifford Woodward, q
white man of Montemorenci, what he
mad said to Grays wife during the
morning hours. Gray, according to
their STORY, said nothing and advano-
ed toward the negro with his hands In
the front pockets Of his trousers, when
the negro, backing away, killed the
white man with q shotgun which he
carried. OF course this statemenb is
necessarily biased, on account of the
position Of those who make It,. The
killing occurred on February 3, 1905,
ana Gray was tried at tho summer
term Of court. The negro had no at
torneys, and B. II. Wyman and w. M.
Smoak were appointed by the court.
Son Oliver, the brother. .in.law Of
Gray, and who was tried with him,
was given life sentence In the State
prison.
1t will be remembered that Gray la
the negro who walked into Governor
Heyward's Office and surrendered, say.
Ing he had killed q white man down
In Aike1.
William Gibbs, who, 1T seems, kill.
cd Ned Anderson by suabbing him on
April Q Of this year, has been given o
good recommendation as an honest,
hard working negro, and an entirely
reverse character was given to Ned
Anderson, colored, the man whom he
killed. Many prominent citigsns Of
Georgetown, among them Mr.. s. M.
Ward, testified and wrote that Ander.
son was bully and q desperate Of
the worst type. Judge Watts recon-
mended the alteration Of sc sentence
to life imprisonment. Mr.. Lewis
OBryan, Gibbs attorney, has been
unceasing In his efforts to secure q
change in the sentence.
But Marcus had to die. This mur.
derer who 30 brutally slew with an ice
ptck q trusting woman who lived
with him and who believed that he
mad no other wife, paid for the awful
deed committed on tine sands by
the Reashore. The governor re-.
ceived another telegram Thursday,
purporting TO be from Marcus wife In
Cincinnati, Or rather written In her
interest. If the telegram ba bona.
tide 1t Is only another indication of
The ruling passion" The dispatch
read
Governor d. O. Hayward, Columbia,
s. O.
Lizzie Marcus has known two days
only awful plight Of her husband, fa.
ther Of her live tots. Penniless, TREND
less; she could not go Immediately.
Have pity, Governor. Don't deny her
chance to say last good. bye.
Rev. Joseph Jasin,
326 Clinton.
AS all South CarollnanB know,
there was never more humane or
feeling executive than Governor Hey
ward, but In this instance, although
ne and the pardon board have given
the matter full consideration, ne does
not feel that he could interfere.
| s------~--~------------s--.--.
Strong Dslnk An Nowberry.
Senator Tlllman spoke at Younp,s
Grove NeWberry county last week tC
about 300 people. During his speech
nc referred TO Maine, Iowa and Kan.
sss, socalled prohibition States. Az