The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1906-01-26
ANOTHER GIVEN
DEATH SENTENCE
WEST VIRGINIA MOTHER TO
HANG FOR MURDER.
Her Little Daughter stood Beside Her
As Judge, With Tears Streaming
Down Her Face Passed Sen
tenee Upon Her Mother.

Clay, w. Va, Jan. 25.-A mountain
child Of nature, Mary Ann Degg, Is
about to furnish another "hangman.
holiday" West Virginia Is preparing
10 follow the example set by Vermont
and legally slay a young mother he
aueathing a heritage OF shame to hei
innocent children. She has been con
yicted of numbering her husband.
Waiting in an agony Of impatience
the final decision Of the supreme
court on March 6, Mary Ann Legg is
eating her heart out in filthy little
log Jail.
Mary Ann Legg grew up in Gods
outdoors. untaught. At ls she married
Jay Iegg. She is only 25. She went
TO school just long enough to learn
TO spell out words.
Slim and awkward, with wind
roughened skin and dark hair, she
looks more like an ungainly school
girl than a woman held for the gray.
est of crimes. Yet she chews tobacco.
She "rubs' snuff She would laugh
at woman who believed in marital
faithfulness. Her oaths are appalling.
with her husband and two little
children Mrs Legg lived at Log Sho.
ais on the Fix river, when Jay Legg
was killed. on February TO- 1904, jay
Iesg came home from work In the
afternoon and found his wife sitting
by the hearth, the fire almost out and
nothing to eat.
Geo. Dickey. a younger brother of
Mrs. Legg. was in bed in the same
room and the children playing on the
floor. Mrs. Susan I.egg, the condemn.
ed woman's mother.in-law, came home
with her son. She left to borrow some
meal from a neighbor and upon her re
turn found Mrs. Legg supporting her
husband. who was dead from a gun
shot wound in the breast. The boy
Dickey. had been wakened by the re
port of the gun, and had run for
help
Mrs. Legg accused her sons wife OF
firing the fatal shot.
eyes. yes! | did it; It was an ac
cident!" Mary Ann Legg answered as
she wiped the torrent Of blood from
her husbands breast.
There had boen two men in the
house the night before in Legg's alb
sence, and they with young Dickey
were playing the banjo and violin.
Mary Ann Legg was arrested and
taken TO Jail before her husbands
body was cold The mother-in-law
Mrs. Susan Legg. took the little boy
Sherman, whom she had tried to get
before, and Mary Ann Legg has never
seen her child since Her sister, Re
becca Dickey tool, the little girl
Donna
Standing in her dark cell with he'
eyes fixed wistfully on the mountain
tops. Mary Ann Legg declares:
Before God, didn't kill Jay
Mary Ann I.egg was sentenced tt
hang on July T. 1905. Judge Samue
Burdette pronounced the sentence
with tears streaming down his face
Mrs. Leggs little girl stood at hel
knee and heard the words that mean
an ignoble death for her young moth
er. Mrs. Leggs counsel, A. j. Ho
ran and r. O. Horan. secured VIII
OF error which acts as a stay OF exc
cution until the supreme court car
pass on the case.
There are too many criminals-w,
need to eXterminate a few of them!
said David w May attorney genera
of West Virginia, who will represen
the state in the supreme court. "l
doesn't make any difference to ne
whether they are men or women
elther,"
Gov. w. NJ. o. Dawson, a gentle
kindly man, whose home life Is ideal
ly happy, shrinks from even thinking
of the part he may be called upon e
play in Mrs. Legg's execution.
81 believe in upholding the law, o
course" he said hesitatingly wheI
asked If he would allow this blot OF
the honor of West Virginia, But
but"-he frowned and answered ear
nestly--"I hope it will never be III!
duty to say whether this woman shal
live or die hope It will never com'
10 me-"
nnnnarn nf HnlL nEad LAM "a AAnII