The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-02-06
HAWORTH CASE IS
AGAIN CONSIDERED
Pardon Board Has Life PriS-
0ner'S Fate in Its
Hands.

For the second time in a few years,
the fate of a life prisoner at the state
penitentiary rests in the hands of the
board of pardOns. All day yesterday
the members of the board sat in special
session to hear new affidavits in support
of the abb of Nathan T. HaWorth, once
convicted and twice sentenced to be
shot, for the murder of Thomas Sandal,
nightwatchman at the Farmers Union
store at Layton, on the night of March
IS, 1899.
The board was in session until nearly
6 o'clock last night listening to the ar
gument of A. J. Weber on behalf of Mr..
Haworth, whose sentence was COM
muted TO life Imprisonment by the
board of pardOns four years ago. The
case was taken under adViSement by
the board which met in the supreme
court room, all Of the members being
present, including Governor William
Spry, Chief Justice d. n. Straup, and
Justices w. NJ. MCCarty and }. r.
Prick and Attorney General A. R.
Barnes.
The murder of Sandal at Layton and
the arrest and conviction of HawOrth
will go down as one of the most noted
criminal cases in the history of Utah
While Sandal lay sleeping in the store
at Layton on the night of March y,
some burglars broke into the place and
he was killed by charge from shot
gun. Sandals revolver was found the
next day by d searching party hidden
away in a straw stack north OF Lay
ton. With the revolver was a shotgun.
Information which first pointed the
finger of suspicion toward Haworth, a
horse trader, came to the prosecuting
officers at Layton through a Gypsy
horse trader. An old coat identified by
some as having been worn by HawOrth,
was found in a field near Layton few
days after the murder. HaWOrth was
traced 10 ogden and then to Portland,
Ore, where he was arrested. Brought
back 10 Layton, he was convicted of
murder in the first degree chiefly
through a confession which he made and
through the web of CiTCJunstantial evil
dence which was woven around him.
The defense was that HawOTth was in
sane, due TO alcoholism, and that he
had made the confession while out of
his mind. The jury, however, found him
sane and passed the death sentence
upon him in June, 1900.
With the death sentence hanging over
HaWOrth, the case was appealed TO the
supreme court Of the state, which at
firmed the judgment of the lower court.
Then motion was made for a new
trial, as new evidence had been found.
This was OveTruled, which for a time
sealed the doom of HawOrth. But a
stay of execution was obtained, in spite
of the second order for the execution
of the convicted man by the district
court in 1904.
Afte" the second order that HaWOrth
be shot, the matter was taken before
the board Of pardons for communication
of sentence. This was in 1908, and the
board of paTdOnS committed the death
penalty TO life imprisonment Follow
ing this, application for a pardon was
filed with the board upon the ground of
new affidavits establishing an alibi for
Haworth. This has been postponed
from time to time, and was not taken
up until yesterday.
The affidavits are from Ogden people,
stating that HawOTth was seen in Og-
den as late as 10 o'clock on the night of
March IS, the night of the murder.
Much interest has been aroused in the
case throughout this part Of the state,
and among those who have followed the
trial there is about an equal division as
10 the guilt OF innocence Of the prisoner