The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-11-20
TO SAVE WOMAN
FROM GALLONS
Determined Movement on to Pre-
vent Wakefield Hanging

New haven, Conn Nov 2O.-"Bcs-
sic Wakefield will not hang. When
the women of an entire state rise and
:ight for the life Of T. human being
mercy must be shown"
The women of Connecticut are MAX
ing determined fight to save the life
of Mrs. Bessie Wakefield and this
was the confident assertion of Mrs
Sarah Devlin, one of the leaders in
the fight. The state pardon board VIII
meet on Dee. s, and petitions signed
by thousands will he presented asking
that sentence be committed to life i'm
prisonment
In the state penitentiary Bessie
Wakefield IS awaiting her death, set
for next March. and shut OF from
communication with those seeking to
aid her. In the same prison IS James
Plew, the murderer of Mrs. Wake
fields husband. lie also is 10 be
hanged
Stigma on Children.
In a poor little house near Wood
bury are the father aud mother II
Bessie Wakefield and with them the
two children of the condemned woir-
an Mrs Dcvlin has talked to thu
children aud to their grandparents.
Think of it, The children know.
siad Mrs Dcvlin, as her eyes filled
with tears. Those poor little things
have been told. They can not grasp
The meaning of it, hut they know
that som" power has claimed their
mothcr Thc little girl Is I; the hoy
9. VIII humanity always permit sucn
things as this? II has been l27 wears
since woman WAS hanged in Con-
necticut Are we now to revert to the
customs Of a century ago."
When this movement first started. "
Mrs. Dcvliu continued, many women
i'm my organization and others said
they would not take part for fear it
would hurt the suffrage cause. This
isn't . matter Of politics 1t is mat
tor of lie ana death. ! would fight for
this woman's life if knew it meant
would never get the ballot.
Has Two Babies.
"Wc are lighting for the life of %
human being, a poor, ignorant girl
She has performed the highest duty
of "a woman for her state having
borne two strong. healthy children
But the state would now crush on;
the life which gave it two lives, be-
cause of the act of a man.
AN who knew Bessie have said that
hci love for her children was the one
bright SPOT in her otherwise duIl ex-
istencc Of want and suffering. They
were always with her. Had Bessie
been well educated, she would never
have been convicted. She would have
been able to tell her story"
When BESSIE Webster was II years
old she secured employment nursing
children Some one wronged her She
knew Wakefield then and ncighbors
declare her parents insisted that she
marry him. Wakefield. who was be-
tween - and 80 years old. abused her.
The children were without shoes and
stockings and their clothing in rags.
Wakefield bought nothing for them.
Then Plcw appeared. He was kind tn
the children. He brought little things
10 the house for them and worked his
way into the mothers heart.
Trace Mans Ancestors.
Those who have investigated Plew's
ancestry have traced the family back
To 171O. The declare he is member
of the notorious luke family. invcs-
igated by II. l.. Dugdale former
member of the executive committee
of the Prison association Of New
York. He traced an almost unbclicv.