The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-05
WALKER ID HANG
 FOR WIFE MURDER
Governor Refuses to Inter- fere-The Man Set
 Wife on Fire

1 Atlanta, March 4.-(special )-William B. Walker will be hanged in the county jail at Macon next Friday, March s, for the
 murder of his wife.
 This was definitely determined today
 when Governor Joseph NJ. Brown, accord ing with the action of the state prison commission, refused to interfere with the sentence of the court
 Whether any further step will be taken
 in the effort to save Walker from the gal lows rests with his attorney, Judge John P. Ross, who made strong and elo- quent plea before the prison commission and the governor, in his behalf. Judge Ross does not believe Walker guilty; he
 considers his conviction due to the eX- ] citement incident to the occasion and | charges that the witnesses were worked | upon, if not coerced into testifying as
 strongly as they did against the con | dcmned man.
 Be that as it may, if he did murder his
 wife, and some of the strongest and most
 convincing circumstantia evidence ever | brought before a court indicates that he unquestonably did. Walkers crime was l one of the most horrible in the annals | of the state
 l He took a pint or so of gasoline from a 1 gallon jug, poured 1t over his wife clothing and ignited if, causing her to burn to death The jug or other recepta- cle was found with pint or so of gaso- line taken from 1t.
 Walker In contendng that he did not commit the crime, testified that he tried | to save his wife by pouring water upon | the flames. Witnesses testified that when l they sgot there he was pouring water on | her from a dipper-not enough to have | done her any good
 | There was abundant testimony regard | ing his cruel treatment of his wife: he | would abuse her. beat her and at times
 bang her head against the wall. l On one occasion just before his wife S death, it was shown that a man to whom
 he owed sum of money for mule had
 called upon him for payment. Walker | replied in substances
 ,'I haven't the money now, but will have
 $4O0 before long and then I'll pay you' | It was shown that s40o was the amount
 of insurance carried upon the life of his | wife.
 | It is said Walker was convicted several l years ago of burning a ginhouse belonging | to one of his neghbors and served seV- | eral years in the penltentiary for this | crime. He is said to have become angered
 because the owner of the ginhouse refused
 to permit his daughter to marry him. He threatened tie girls life, if she didn't run away with him, and then committed ar | son, it is charged, to get even with her | father.
 These and other circumstances in evil | dence indicate that Walker is and has
 been for some time a bad man. The crime for which he is sentenced to be
 hanged was committed in August 1910 and he was convicted in the superior
 court the November following. The case
 has been through the supreme court, which affirmed the judgment of the su- perior court, and as last resort he went
 to the prison commission and the gov
 elnor asking communication to life impris- onment.
 It is said Walker has been supremely confident that the governor would com
 mute his sentence and the news that he has declined to do so today will undoubt- l edly be a severe shock to him | Walker was to have been hanged Fri \ day, March l. but in order that he might | have time to make thorough examination l of the case the governor granted him a respite until next Friday, March S. Hay | ing finished his investigation of the case. | the governor announced his decision Sat urday, allowing Walker five days before his execution to make his peace with God In order to prevent the execution at that time it would be necessary to discov- CT new evidence which would justify an extraordinary motion for a new trial, or to induce the governor to appoint a lunacy commission on the ground that he is insane. Whether either of these courses
 will be adopted by his attorney has mt
 been indicated.