Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-12-31
Butler County Citizen Protests.

Bristow, Ia, Dec. 81, l9ub.
Editor Times Republican,
In your issue of the Goth inst. I saw
a communication from a resident OF
Butler county in regard to the Louis
Busse murder case. now under sentence
to hang in January, 1907. This cor
respondent gives his views from
standpoint as one of Buses former
neighbors and one who lives in sight OF
the Busse farm. He also says the peo-
pie of Butler county are not clamormg
for the life of Louis Busse. and that
there is no danger of the people APP
pearing in Des Moines before Governor
Cummins to plead for him to let the
sentence be executed.
They would be there en- masse II they
had the faintest hope 1t would cause
thd sentence to be carried out. but they
had a petition of signers before the
governor long ago, that he let the sem
tence be executed, so what good would
it do to go personally to Des Moines?
The petition for clemency, at the same
time, was signed possibly by men who
signed thru sympathy for the family
and brother of the condemned man, not
for what is right and wrong.
|. He thinks murderer should not pay
the penalty for crime on account OF
his relatives feelings We all know
it is hard for the relatives of con-
demned man I'd think Of him dying on
the gallows, but he allows no consid-
Grafton for the relatives, sister, broth
er, father or mother Of the poor vic
tim, an innocent woman that Busse
took as wife, yowing to love and pro-
tect then in a moment of mad passion
killing her in such a brutal manner and
trying to burn all evidence of crime.
Is it any wonder that so much crime
is committed when it is carried along
for five or ten years, SO the people of
the community will forget about the
lawfulness of the crime? Does any
one suspect that Louis Busse would
have ever gotten to jail alive if the
people had not been assured fair.
speedy trial and justice administered?
Again is it any wonder that men are
lynched and that mob law is so prev
alent thru our country? What assur-,
ance have the law abiding people that
any criminal will be punished when
they have friends (relatives) and plen-
ty of money to carry their case to
higher courts? We acknowledge that
the people are the courts and law by
being on the juries turnout the coun
try, and when jury Of twelve COM
petent men vote man guilty and rec
ommend the death penalty, there ought
to be no question for a superior court
judge or governor to give clemency.
The writer of the article Of December
20 don't dwell on the fact that Busse
confessed the crime; perhaps he thinks
that ought to favor him for life SEN
tence or pardon. The outcome of this
remarkable case is watched with in
tense interest in Butler county. With
few exceptions, everyone that knows
the history of the crime thinks and
says the original sentence should have
been carried out long ago. Cases of
this kind left to drag along thru time
are breeders of anarchy, mob law and
crime, for men get so they have no re-
spect for law, where laws are SO lax
and criminals left UNPUBLISHED. I feel
confident / voice the sentiment of
majority of the people with the above
statements. I hope you will pardon
me for this letter, but I could not let
the article of Goth inst. in your paper
go unchallenged, fearing 1t would leave
wrong impressions.