Arizona republican., 1911-07-27
HANGS
IN BALANCE
Governor May Arrive Too
Il
TO COMMUTE SENTENCE
Gallegos Prepared for Death
is Unaware of Henry
Yaeger's Efforts to Save
Him From the Gallows-
Actg. Gov. Petitioned.
TO COMMUTE SENTENCE

VIII Governor Richard f. Sloan,
now absent in California. return to
Phoenix in time to be again appealed
to for the life of Allejandro Gale
gos?
That is the question which has
filled the mind of Henry c Yaeger.
the father of Gallegos' victim, ever
since Acting Governor Young re-
fused to commute the sentence of
the murderer upon his own RESPONSE
bility. Finding all appeal vain at
the capitol during the governors alb
sence, Mr.. Yaeger, thoroughly de
voted to the thought of saving the
Mexican from the gallows if human
perseverance can accomplish it, still
hopes to move Governor Sloan by a
final appeal for clemency.
Gallejos expects to die next Friday,
and is preparing himself for death.
Since he was placed in the terri
torial prison at Florence he has been
tractable prisoner, and has i'm
pressed the prison officers with a
peculiar feeling of pity for his fearful
mental condition produced by his re
morse for "A crime committed when
he was under the influence of liquor
II was Mr. Yaeger himself who said,
When he is not drunk, GallejOS is a
good man, and if he had been sober
that day he would never have in
jured my son. | know that the crime
was not premeditated, and no matter
how brutal il was, the murderer was
not aware of his own actions. l in
sist that il would be crime to
hang him and l will use all the in
fIuence have got to get his sentence
changed to Imprisonment"
During the last few weeks Gallejos
has spent "A large part of his time
with Franciscan fathers of the Roman
Catholic church, who have admins
tered every comfort possible to a
man in his extremity. All the fathers
who have come in contact with him
believe that at heart he is not a
bad man. and that. had he been in
his right mind on the day Of his
crime. Yaegcr would have been the
last man on earth he would have
moIested
L. G. Wilder, the assistant super
intendent of the territorial prison
said last night that Gallegos has been
very quiet lately, but is evidently
borne down b va feeling of mingled
terror and remorse He has little or
nothing to say except to the fathers,
who administer the sacraments To
him. and he seeks all consolation n
religion. He has not been informed
of the efforts made on his behalf by
the father of Louis Yaeger. and has
l,,,o Of death
The unusual picture of the father.
the wife, and the entire family of
murdered man entreating for the life Of
the murderer at the hands Of the
authorities. has drawn the attention
of every citizen to the struggle go
ing on between a desire for mercy
on one hand, and the rigor of the
law on the other. A willingness to
forgive the perpetrator of such
crime could only come through
conviction that he was innocent of the
guilt attached to a cold blooded, pre-
meditated murder, and. because that
is his conviction. Henry c. Yaeger
will cry out next Friday. if the SEN
.tence Of GallegOs is carried out and
the murderer is compelled to mount
the scaffold.-"It is n crime"
The office of Acting Governor
George u Young at the capitol yes
terdav was beseiged by citizens who
came to him. some with entreaties
to grant the request of Yaeger, and
others with the stern advice to him
10 let the prisoner suffer the extreme
punishment for his crime. To all
solicitations Mr. Young had but one
lNN~ u i'm
terdav afternoon to reporter of
The Republican who asked him If he
proposed to take any action In the
matter
ct feel that it would he very dis
courteous for me to take this mat
ter out of the hands of Governor
Sloan. to whom il was first referred |
on the tenth of July. If it had been
referred to me i'm the first place
might he able to do something about |
il. hut il will have to rest in the |
hands of the governor, who will de |
eide after his return whether there |
is to he any Communication of Gale |
Cos sentence. believe Governor !
Sloan will return in time to prevent
the execution if he considers such |
action advisable
Governor Sloan is now en- route |
from Los Angeles to Phoenix. and |
unless he is delayed in Prescott. will |
probably reach Phoenix tonight or
tomorrow morning. Mr.. YaeGer will |
see him as quickly as possible, with |
other persons who have interested |
themselves i'm securing "A communta |
ton of Gallegos' sentence and he will /
he urged to prevent the execution |
II is possible that the governor will |
reach this city after the hour has |
come for Gallegos to be led from |
his cell In that case he will be
compelled, in spite of the efforts