Las Vegas optic., 1913-09-12
CIVILIZED While.
CONFINED in
prison
MRS. EDWARDS, CONVICTED OF
MURDER, SHOWS SIGNS OF
AWAKENING INTELLIGENCE

Reading, Pa, Sept. 12.-Another ef-
fort is to be made next week to free
Mrs. Kate Edwards, who has been in
the Berks county Jail for u years
under sentence Of death for the mur-
der of her husband, John Edwards
The case was quite unusual and at
tracted considerable attention through
out the country at the time. Every
where a great deal of sympathy was
manifested for the woman and num-
erous efforts have been made in the
past to bring about the granting Of
pardon for her. -Four governors have
failed to set day for her execution
and as a result Mrs. Edwards has spent
12 years in prison, probably longer
than any other woman ever sentenced
to death in this country.
She was sentenced in 1901 during
the term of Governor Stone, who
left the case for Governor Pennypack-
er, who in turn left the fixing of the
date of the execution to Governor
Stuart. The latter passed it along
to Governor Tener, who has never
made move in the matter. The case
has been through all the state courts
and has several times come up be-
fore the board of pardons without sue
cess. New lawyers have drawn up
a petition which will be presented
to the board of pardons when it meets
next Wednesday.
There are many remarkable fea-
lures to the case of Mrs. Edwards
not the least remarkable being her
transformation from an uncivilized al
most british creature into woman
of fair school education and even a
certain refinement and culture. She
came to the prison vicious to the last
degree. a drunkard, unkempt, desper-
ate and intractable, almost like a wild
, beast. Good women, patient minis
ters and humane prison officials work
, ed years to civilize and reform her
, | and accomplished wonders. They
, have awakened her conscience, taught
y her something of religion and have
J. changed the whole course of her life
r She learned to read and to write and
r something Of other branches of a com
q mon school education and during the
h many years undeE the shadow of the
d gallows she acquired knowledge oi
e sewing. knitting embroidering and
S other feminine occupations and be
;, came a good housekeeper.
The life history of Mrs Edwards
p does not make cheerful reading. Borr
r in squalor and extreme poverty, she
e became an orphan at the age of sever
d years. At the age of II she was mar
2 ried to John Edwards, drunken anC
ignorant quarryman. She was abso
lutely without education like her hus
) band and soon developed into a drunl,
} ard like Edwards Edwards used t
beat and choked her and made her hi
beast of burden. Five children wer
y born to them and the family lived lik,
animals in a small hut near the guar
> ry where Edwards worked when h
: was not too drunk. Their only assc
ciates in their drunken debauche
we're negroes working in the quarry
: for the white negihbors would hav
nothing to do with them. One of thei
most intimate companions was ne
gro named Samuel Greason.
On the morning of July 4, 1901, Johl
Edwards was found dead in the vicin
ity Of his home, with his skull crushed
by some blunt weapon, probably ;
stone. Kate Edwards, his wife, he
daughter, Mary, aged IA years. Sam
uel Greason and three other negroes
were arrested on suspicion of havint
murdered Edwards.
Kate Edwards was tried at the Sep
tember session of the Berks count!
court of oyer and Terminer and wal
found guilty Of murder in the frs
degree. The death sentence was i'm
posed in December and at the samt
time Greason was tried and likewis,
convicted and sentenced to death. Th
other prisoners were discharged.
For four years upon one allegation
Oh another, the case was kept befor
the board of pardons, but the boar
refused to commute the the sentenc
OF the woman The superior cour
and the supreme court likewise re
fused to interfere and in Februar,
of 1905 it seemed as If nothing coul
save the woman and the negro Coy
ernor Pennypacker signed q documen
fixing February 16 for their execution