Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-08
President Has Decided Not to
Save Prisoner.
EXECUTION JANUARY q
Prominent Medical Experts Believe
the Murderer Is Now Insane.
SANE AT THE TIME OF CRIME
Factor in the Case That Has Not
Been Considered by the Courts
Of the Country.

President Taft today refused to com
mute the sentence of Andrew Con
| zales, convicted of wife murder. from
| death to imprisonment. The President
| however granted a respite to Gonzales
who was to have been executed next
| Monday. until January 81, in order that
| he might prepare for death.
The Presidents decision was worded
| as follows:
"In this case there is not the slightest
reas son for committing the sentence from
a capital one to one of Imprisonment, en-
| cept on the ground of insanity. Ihe
| prisoner has been subjected to expert eX-
animation by Dr. White of ST. Elizabeth's
! Asylum for a period sufficient to enable
| the doctor to give a careful judgment as
| to the mental condition of the convicted
man.
From this report and the report of the
| Attorney General, 1 am satisfied that
that condition is not such. and was not
at the time Of the crime such. as to eX-
enlpt the convicted mon from RESPONSE
| bility for committing murder In the first
| degree. / shall, therefore. not interfere
| further with the sentence. except by max
ing a further respite from January IL
| until January 81 next in order to give
| Gonzales time to prepare for death
Will Open a Controversy.
| When Andrew Gonzales is hanged in the
District Jail. insanity experts of the coun-
| try will have the beginning of contre-
versy that will rage for years and must
Eventually be settled by the highest courts
| of the country.
The petition for communication of the
| sentence, together with the recommends
| ton of the Attorney General and the
/ pardon attorney of the Department or
10 g
| morning. and was passed upon by the
| President this afternoon. 1t is under
stood that the President went over the
case with the Attorney General late yes
| terday and that the President then reach
| ed the conclusion not to interfere In the
| execution of the sentence.
Hinged on Question of Insanity.
The fight for the life of Gonzales has
| hinged wholly upon the question as to his
| sanity. That he killed his wife in cold
blood, without extenuating circumstances,
is not denied. Gonzales, since the crime.
has admitted that for days he had in
tended Staying his spouse. but he has as
serted from the first that he did IT to
save the world and that he is Jesus
| Christ. He would not kill her in the
house where she lived. first sending her
| to a store, then getting his knife ready
| and cutting her throat on the street as
| she returned.
From almost the day he was placed in
| Jail. Gonzales has urged the ofhclals TO
hang him, saying that nothing would suit
| him better. and he has consistently acted
| the part of an insane man. He made nc
effort to save himself from the gallows,
and all that was done for him In the
| courts and since then, has been volun-
| tary on the part Of those who wished &c
fsee Justice done. At his trial medical ex-
perts were of almost one mind in declar-
| ing that he was shamming insanity.
Experts Believe Gonzales Insane.
! AS the time drew near for his execution
Pardon Attorney Finch of the Depart
ment of Justice personally investigated
the case, watched Gonzales in his cell, OBJ
tanned details of his history, which showed
| that he had served term in Dannemora
| prison. in New York, where he was sent
! as temporarily insane, and he had Con
| zales sent to the Government Hospital for
| the Insane for observation. Gonzales has
| been reprieved from time to time to allow
| thorough investigation by insanity eX-
| perts headed by DIR. White, superintend-
ent Of the asylum.
| The reports Of these experts were made
| some days ago, but the exact facts may
| never become public. But 1t is known
| that although the experts. including DR..
White. agree that Gonzales is insane
they QudllIy the OplHlOii W d !dl sc cAISh''
expressing the view that the insanity
orig1nated since the crime and is not be-
| ing slammed. Briefly. Gonzales was sane
when he commaaed the murder, but the
| terrible deed together with the fear or
| the consequences have unhinged his
mind.
| Not Passed Upon by the Courts.
| The courts of the country have never
passed upon the question OF qualifying
| the mandates of the law where insanity
| developed after the commission of the
| crime The fight in all tribunals has
been over the question of insanity at the
time of commission of the crime. A brand
| new element has therefore been injected
4 into the case an element that will cut q
big figure in criminal cases in the future
| Present laws contemplate that insanity
shall excuse crime to some extent where
IL existed prior to the breaking of the
| laws
| According to the new thoughts ad-
| yanced in this case, and said to bt
| recognized by many OF the leading eX-
| perts on mental disorders, it is possible
| for an ordinarily sane mind, under some
| great stress like tho loss of a dear rela
tive, heavy financial reverses or fear OF
the consequences of a crime. to become
| unbalanced. otherwise there would bt
| fewer insane.
In the eyes of the law, and that is the
way the President and the courts lool
at It, Gonzales is sane and must pay the
| penalty Of his awful crime, but In the
| ewes OF some Of the best medical experts
| OF the country he is insane, as have
| been many other men who have died or
the gallows or in the electric chair. Other
experts hold other opinions, as Is Away: