Arizona republican., 1912-09-18
The Perverted View

We have learned that the officials of the state prison resent the bringing of convicts to that institution; that Warden Sims of the prison as late as last Sunday spoke feelingly to a deputy sheriff of this county of he practice which prevails in our courts of conyicting persons of crime; that he charged that the county attorney and his attaches. by suborning wit nesses and fixing juries were filling the penitentaly with people who uught not to be there and that the machinery of justice itself ought To be locked up.
 We have been told further that the warden pointed to the case of Jose Rodriguez, the condemned Phoenix wife murderer. That poor boy said the warden, ought not to be here; the man that sold him the liquor should be here in his place, '' all Of which shows that the warden is not at all familiar with the cir cumstances of the Rodriguez slaugh- ter. Nor. is it likely that he is any more familiar with the circumstances surrounding the cases of the other innocents." who by packed juries and the subornation of perjury have been condemned to the pleasurable pre- cincts of the penitentiary
 Now, lest some facts in the record of the Rodriguez case escape the at lention of the governor when he takes up the application for a com mutation of the sentence of Rodri- guez We will briefly recite them. Sev- eral days after his arrest Rodriguez stated on his own motion to an of ficer of the sheriff that he had some lime before determined to kill his wife unless she should return to him ,She had left him because he had communicated to her d loathsome dis ease)
 Rodriguez was not drunk when he committed the murder On the after noon before he bought the revolver with which he killed her, and the proprietor of the store testified that he was then sober. At another store he bought the cartridges and ht was then sober For an hour anC q half before the killing Rodrigue1 walked about town with his wife urging her to return to him and when near her place of residence a the home of her sister. when sh, turned to leave him and had gone { short distance he shot her When sh, ran he pursued her, shooting. Ano when she sank to her knees, begging for life he fired the remaining bulle into her body In her ante morten statement she said that he had no been drinking; that he was quit sober at that last interview.
 Following the shooting. ROdrigue ran mile and half before he wa captured and he had the forethough 10 throw the pistol away in hi flight. When he was taken he had bottle of whisky from which no drinl had been taken. The arresting of ficers said that he was perfectl sober
 Again. we commend the record 0 this case to the governor and W further suggest that copies of tn records of all cases be sent to th warden along with the convicts t the end that he may speak with in formation and authority
 We believe that Warden Sims honest but we believe that with hir like most other prison reformers. Ire form has become an obsession. H takes the convicts view and gradual and unknowingly arrays himse against orderly society Every con vict is either innocent" or else some body else is responsible for his laps Perhaps, even this foul and cowardl murderer Rodriguez feels that h dead wife is the sole cause of h present troubles and that he is Il victim of circumstances which could not overcome This is al: the general view of every half bake prison reformer, with respect to evel convict
 Arizona will some day be a >su ferer from these policies which no prevail in the handling of our crin1 naIs If, as it is expected to be, len ency is extended to the condemn'