Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1909-08-26
MOTHERS PLEA
FOR ZELLERS.

inotner love ana devotion; the threat
OF determined woman that if her son
goes to the electric chair for murder
she will Immediately fill a suicides
grave, and a feeling that perhaps it
would not be the part of wisdom to
send an 19.year- youth to a felon s
death, have combined to stay the
strong arm of New Jersey law.
Walter Lewis Zeller was only II
years of age when he conspired with
his comrades, Griggs and Wheeler. to
kill his grandfather, William Reed at
Vineland, N. j., and steal the pile of
money he told his companions his
relative had. Swift conviction follow
ed, and to day Zellers is confined in
the death house of the State prison.
counting the days when he will 20 to
the death chair, where recently his
companion in the living tomb, the
burglar murderer, Bertchey, met his
fate Zellers was to have been electro
cuted during the week of August 2,
but mother pleaded for more time on
earth for her boy. On July 80 the
Court of Pardons Of New Jersey met at
the Little White House at Sea Girt
and heard Olin Bryan, of Phila.
delphhia, plead for communication of
sentence for the youthful murderer.
The court voted on the question of
communication Of the sentence from
death to 80 years Imprisonment. The
vote was that the youth must die.
Those voting to sustain the verdict of
the Cumberland county jury were
Governor Fort, Chancellor Pitney,
Judge Gray. Judge Vredenburgh.
Those voting for Communication of the
sentence were: Judge Vroom, Judge
Bogert.
On Saturday night, July 81, woman
appeared at the Governors house at
Sea Girt and announced that she was
the mother of Walter ZelIers. She
begged the Governor to spare the life
of her boy. Amidst her tears she de-
clared loudly, gesticulating wildly,
that all the sin of the crime of killing
her father had been laid at the door of
her son and that his two companions
had been sentenced to 30 years each,
which gave them a life chance.
Suddenly turning on Governor Fort
she declared: ''If you kill my boy
will kill myself, for I cannot live
without him There will be the blood
of two human beings on your handsl -
Before the Governor and his attend
ants could catch her the unfortunte
woman was seized with a violent at
tack of hysteria and fell to the floor.
Medical aid was necessary to save her
life
The Governor hesitated between duty
and humanity, and the love of the
mother scored triumph. The man
who the previous day had voted
send the youth to legal death, quickly
wrote reprieve, giving young EZellers
until September 30 to show why he
should not be executed, Leslie Fort, the
Governors secretary, was dispatched
early on Sunday to Head Keeper Os
borne, at the State prison, and the
latter was relieved of a disagreeable
task
Whether the Governor intends to re.
call the Pardon Court and plead to
overturn his own law arguments with |
his associates and commute the death |
sentence. or whether he intends to per-
NIT the law to take its course after |
Septem mber 80 he only knows and will
not tell Nearly one-half of the time
limit has expired and the Governor
will not return here for couple of
weeks at least. The members of the
court were scattered and there will Tsebe
no regular meeting until December
next.
Judge Vroom, who voted for com.
mutation of sentence, is anxious for
the court to meet, hoping to save
young Zellers, with full bench,
which would include Judge James B.
Dill and Judge Joseph Congdon. and
reargument of law points. Judge
Vroom does not hesitate to state
publicly that he thinks the sentiment
Of the court can.be changed.
A most remarkable feature of this
case is that in arriving at the decision
70 electrocute the youth the judges
dovernor Fort was recently Supreme
1uoge-did not take into consideration
any sentiment or the age of the con.
aemned. They arrived at their con.
customs on hard law points alone, and
ne 70 tne cold fact that person could
plan and help execute so foul
murder as the killing of grandfather
oy a grandson for money was not a fit