Palestine daily herald. [volume] (Palestine, Tex.) 1902-1949, 1908-06-12
CAMP BELL WILL ACT
Austin Correspondent Tells of Execu.
tive Example and Precedent In
the Famous Pierce Case.
(By James Fitzgerald.)

(By James Fitzgerald.)
Austin, Texas, June 11-As stated
in former article on the subject, the
belief is well grounded in Austin that
Governor Campbell will take every
step that the law empowers him to
take to secure the return of H. Clay
Pierce to Texas to stand trial on the
charge of perjury pending against
him in Travis county. And it is fur.
Their believed, surmise and guess work
to the contrary, that when once
Pierce shall be back within the con-
fines of Texas, the governor will
promptly put the judicial machinery
into motion to either prove the oil
magnate an innocent man or to be
guilty of the charge held against him
in Travis county. We know the gov
ernor will do this, because he has
said he would many, many times
since he has been governor. AS the
Denison Herald remarks, the oil
| organs may not be overjoyed at the
prospect of Mr. Pierces return to
| Texas or the assurance that he will
get a fair trial when once he shall be
brought within the purview of the
| Texas criminal code; but then, the
said organs are oversuspicious and
sensitive to a nerve-wrecking point
! where oil is concerned in the slight
est; they have a weakness that way
which weakness they invariably mani
fest on occasions when oleaginous
subjects become entangled within the
law, physics or divinity to which
statement the Denison Herald adds
the following Endorsement: "Just be-
tween US and not for publication,
some of the Texas newspapers don't
really seem to enjoy that decision of
the United States supreme court in
the matter of the state of Texas
against Henry Clay Pierce, late of
st. Louis, now of New York, and pos
sibly a little later on of some place
in Europe"
OF course the Herald does not say
why the said newspapers are dis
turbed over the action of the SUI
preme court, but the fact that they
are disturbed will not deter Governor
Campbell from promptly acting in the
matter when in his eXcellency's good
judgment the time for prompt eXecu-
tive action shall have arrived. Why
do we know that the governor will
act promptly? Because he has illus
trious example and precedent to
guide him to a prompt decision
Everybody will recall, that is, ev-
erybody who is interested, will recall
how promptly and energetically Gov
ernor Sayers acted in the HUMPHREYS
Killing affair up in Henderson county
IN May %, 1899 1t will be recalled
that Governor Savers promptitude
and energy in the HUMPHREYS affair
were melted by determination that
the criminal laws of the state should
be upheld at all hazard and that the
murderers would be driven to the
gallows. And of course Governor
Campbell cannot afford to be less
vigorous, less prompt, less determ1n-
ed to stamp out crime in Texas or to
bring the criminal to justice than was
Governor Savers.
Governor Sayers employed able
legal talent in the person of Hon. N.
B. Morris, if the writer mistakes not,
to put the law and the executive will
into effect in the Henderson county
murder case.
That is example and precedent No.
l.
Example and precedent No 2 was
set by Governor Lanham in the Bus
by case. and example and precedent
No. was set by Governor Lanham in |
the Warren Moore and Kirby case,
and the writer believes that Governor
Campbell has no desire to be less
conspicuously alert in the enforce
ment of the criminal laws than were
Governors Savers and Lanham in the
charge pending against Pierce.
The writer wishes it thoroughly I'M
derstoOd that he is not seeking to
forestall the issue between the state
OF Texas ana Mr.. Pierce. He is not
charging Mr.. Pierce with crime of
any kind or character whatever. He
is merely seeking to impress upon
the people of Texas that Mr. Camp
bell will act in this matter as be-
comes chief executive bent upon