Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-15
MATTE LOMAX PREFERS
DEATH TO PRISON LIFE
Slayer Not Pleased With Glenn
ency Shown by Presi-
dent Taft.

| Matte Lomax this morning received
official information that President Taft
| had decided that she should end her day s
| in prison instead of paying the extreme
penalty of the law, hanging, for the muir
der of her husband. Cecil IomaX, more
| than two years ago Supt. Znkhan read
the official document TO her, although she
had been told two days ago by Asst. Supt.
Ladd that her case had been acted upon
She merely shrugged her shoulders when
| told that her life would be prolonged.
! The Lomax woman does not take kindly
I to the act of President Taft.
| Il preferred the rope or free air. she
said this morning to John Roberts, evan
gelist and spiritual adviser.
| Her life having been saved, the LomaX
woman. whose mental condition is be-
| ing closely observed by prison officials,
announced today that she is going to
take an interest in politics. She was
| considerably wrought up over the action
of the President and made the announce
ment that hereafter she will be demo-
crat.
| Favors the Democrats.
| Everybody ought TO vote the demo-
| cratic ticket she said.
| She was in anything but good humor
this morning when Roberts visited her.
She smiled when he spoke to her. al
| though she said she felt worse than she
had felt for long time. The woman ex-
pressed wish that she might write a
letter to President Taft to let him know
how she feels about his having directed
that she be imprisoned for life instead of
being executed and she made it plain
that the letter would contain nothing
plea sing to the President.
| Matte, said the negro religious work.
er after the brief interview, would you
like to join in singing a hymn?'
! 'Hmyn?" queried the Lomax woman.
| NO; lets get down to business"
She soon made it plain that her bust
! ness was general complaint because
she was not freed or executed She has
| spent much of her time during recent
| weeks making dolls and playing with
| them. 1t is thought at the Jail that her
| mental condition is much worse than it
| was few weeks ago. and officials are
satisfied that she soon will have to be
| N0Sane.
Goes to Prison Next Week.
Supt. Zinkhan is anxious to get the
| woman out of the Jail as soon as posi-
BILE, and in order that there might be no
delay he hurried to the Department OF
| Justice soon the official order stop
| ping the execution was received to ar
! range for transportation to the prison at
| Lansing, Kan, where the woman will be
| taken. She probably will be taken there
early next week.
The Lomax woman has been anything
| but model prisoner during the time she
| has been in jail. 1t is said today that
she has given officials OF the institution
more trouble during recent months than
all others.
| Rev. Simon P. W. Drew. pastor of the
| Cosmopolitan Baptist Church. who was
| a member of a committee that called on
| the President to intercede for the con-
demned woman, has written a letter to
the President expressing his appreciation
| of what the latter did for the woman.
| Representative Caleb Powers of Kentucky
| acted as spokesman at the meeting. Pres
| ident Taft made it clear from the start
| that executive clemency would never be
extended because of the sex of the
prisoner.