The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-02
.STR|PEING CASE: |S
 SET FOR APRIL 6 Most Interesting Case in
 Many Years PARDON IS EXPECTED Prominent Atlanta Lawyer Posted up as Owing His Club $726.25
 and Membership Is
 Suspended
PARDON IS EXPECTED

Atlanta, April 1.-The hearing of the
 pardon application of Thomas Edgar
 Stfipiing. ex-chief of police of Danville, 1 Va, recently brought back to Georgia
 as an escaped murderer with a life sen
 tenee, after having been at large IA
 years, has been definitely set for April l by the prison commission.
 No case in all of Georgia's criminal an-
 nals has aroused more general or wide
 spread interest than has that of Strip
 ling, and two states are figuring promi-
 Eently in the petitions for and protests
 against elemency for the defendant. l Besides Georgia and Virginia, petitions
 for pardon for Stripling have also
 reached the prison commission from Ala
 bana and from far-away Texas. The
 papers in the case already fill two or
 three pigeon holes-big ones-in the com
 missions file case, and they are still ac-
 cumulating. There will be another big
 batch of them filed when the petitioners attorney, T. T. Miller Of Columbus. ap-
 pears before the commission to present 1 his clients case
 Owing to the interest in the case 1t .s
 more than probable the prison commis- sion will have to adjourn for the hearing
 to the senate chamber, or perhaps even d larger room. For besides many direct 1 ly interested there will be numerous spec tators present out of curiosity or genu- inc interest in the case from one stand
 point or another
 Opinions vary widely as to possible ac- 1 preponderance both of hope and belief
 in the granting of absolute pardon.
 One prominent Georgian who has mani
 fested a deep interest in the case, and
 who is urging pardon, said:
 "Of course, l don't know what the commission and governor are going 10 do, but indications lead me to believe that Stripling will be compelled to go
 10 the penitentiary for a short time preceding his pardon.
 Tt is true there Is no authority in law for specifying such d course as this, nor can the commission enter into any understanding that a man is to serve portion of his sentence and then be pardoned. But there are ways of doing these things, and from my study
 of the case it has come to be a be- lief with me that Stripling will be compelled to serve about a year and
 then be liberated"
 Others take the view that the hear
 ing will be followed by almost inlme- diate pardon, while his opponents will
 urge the enforcement of the penalty There are said to be number of things in Stripling's favor which have not yet come to light. One story goes
 to the effect that shortly after he went
 to Danyille he recovered a large amount of money belonging to the Southe ern | Fl lxrfax- s.,.~ 1 l for every cent It is known, however.
 that he did recover for the railroad company large amount of stolen property and succeeded in running
 down several gangs of carbreakers. l 1t is the fact that he shot William
 cornett after the manner of an assassin l that Is going to operate most strongly
 against him; that is the one fact which
 is put forward most prominently by those who oppose clemency.
 The hearing promises to be mem orable one and if the commission goes
 into every detail of it as 1t is now re-
 ported it will do there is a Likelihood
 of its extending over two or three
 days. tlssaI,il & &tI1RMNER How would you like to be posted at
 your club for non-payment of bills az | gregating s72625?
 That Is the unenviable and unfortunate poSltloH Tn Wnlcn a well known Atlanta | lawyer finds himself, nor is 1t through his own fault. But his name is there on the club bulletin board all right, and he is under suspension until he comes across with the S726.25.
 It happened this way. A well known college fraternity had convention in Atlanta not long ago, and one of the fea- lures was a big dinner dance at the aforesaid club house. Of course, the club couldn't charge up the expense to the fraternity, as it has no corporate organ izatton, so 1t made out the bill to the aforesaid lawyer. who appeared to be the chief engineer of the affair The local members of the fraternity were slow about remitting for their part in the affair In fact, many of them for got all about it and didn't remit at all
 The club management got tired of wait ing, so the man to whom the dinner dance was charged up, was bulletned under suspension to the tune of $726 25,
 just by way of hurrying things. up. The lawyer went before the board of governors and explained things, but they | couldn't see it in his light; the club need
 ed the money and they wanted 1t paid So an appeal-a stirring appeal-has gone forth to the local members of the l fraternity to hurry in their subscriptions, | and as this is the only way they can get l their brother out of the trouble in which he finds himself, 1t Is rather be- | lieved that In a little while they will all
 pay up.