The Green Forest tribune., 1907-07-05
-BUTTe ePARDONED: ....
 :..4 BY. GOVERNOR PINDALL,

tIl0Ttu tu0 p6ull0IluldIy 0lo llISU day of last January under 8 sen- tence of two years for alleged bribery while member of the state senate in 1905, was par doned on Thursday of last week by acting governor Pindall. 7 Mir. Butt arrived at his home in Eureka Springs on Friday and on Monday morning opened the doors of his law office to resume the practice of his profession.
 Those who understood the status of affairs have been look. ing for the pardon of Mr. Butt for sometime and even those who are the most outspoken in their condemnation of the crime for which he was sentenced and those who believe Mir. Butt guilty of the charges preferred against him do not seem disposed to criticise Governor Pindall for his act in granting the pardon.
 The poodle prosecutions, which were inaugurated something ov- CT two years ago, have been the slowest and most unsatisfactory in the whole annals of criminal history in the Uuited States where similar cases were in- yolved, and at the present time men are walking the streets of Little Rock, who have con- fessed to being not only boodlers but perjurers also, and no at- tempt has ever been made to. prosecute them.
 While this has nothing to do with the guilt or innocence of Butt nor does not fix the quanti- ty of punishment that his case deserves, there is, nevertheless, such thing as relative justice and this has caused petitions signed by thousands~ of citizens from all parts of the state to be laid before the governor asking for MT. Butts pardon and thous- ands of personal letters have been addressed to the governor in his behalf, both by those who believe in his innocence and by those who believe him to be guilty.
 THE TRIBUNE has never at tempted to say whether MT. Butt was guilty or innocent of the charge under which he was con- victel. His punishment has certainly been very great and, if guilty, was richly deserved but whether guilty or not he has borne it like a man, without a murmur or word of complaint, and has made a model prisoner. Acting Governor Pindall's reasons for granting pardon to Butt are given in the following communication to the defend- ants wife:
 Little Rock, June 27, 1907 Mrs. F. o. Butt, Eureka Springs: i My Dear. Madam-Soon after I came into the governors office you personally presented your appeal for the pardon of your husband, for the crime of brib- ] cry, I told you at the time that I co. Id make no promise in the matter, as I felt that this was particularly a case concerning which I must act with the great est amount of deliberation and carefully study the matter in all it's phases. While your personal appeal impressed me at the time as being not without merit, l felt in duty bound to make the state- ment to you which l made. Since that time I have given the con- sideration of this case all the attention and thought which the congested condition of affairs in the governors office would per- init, and while I am now thor oughly satisfied in my own mind and conscience that the conclu- sion 1 have reached and of which this communication is to inform you are just and merited conclu- sions, I feel that occupying the position I do, the wide latitude allowed in our free country for criticism or commendation justi- fies me in~msking tfliscommuni- cation to yod arF open letter to the public.
 I Your husbands case is a cele