Pocahontas star herald., 1914-06-05
FOUR WHITE BOYS
FACE DEATH PENALTY

Lile Rock, June 4-ln three
short years a wonderful change has
come over the people residing north
OF the Mason.DHon line. Less
that number OF years ago, nine
tenths Of the daily papers Of the
north were contributing unlimited
space to advertising the alleged fact
that Arkansas was to legally mur.
der a negro boy. Today, with
-four white boys in the shadow of
the electric chair at the Arkansas
penitentiary, not a word is said by
our northern friends IN their behalf.
Earl Gilchrist, an overgrown
negro youth, in a spirit of revenge,
and with the wantonness of saw
age, murdered a playmate. He was
convicted and sentenced TO hang.
The northern papers took up the
fight, and thousands of letters
poured IN daily on Gov. g. w.
Donagbey. The result was that
the sentence OF Gilehrst was com
muted, and be sent to the peniten.
tiary for life, where he has since
gained an unenvisble reputation as
an unruly convict.
None of tue sentiment lavisbed on
a negro is to be found or expressed
for the four, bright faced white
boys who are soon to be executed
unless executive clemency is shown.
-Four handsome, yet unfortunate
boys all sors Of good mothers, look
through the barred windows of tie
death cells at the Arkansas peniten.
tiary, receiving but few words of
cheer, at time when they should
be prepared for life work.
Arthur Dewein, a runaway youth
from East st. Louis, occupies a
death cell with Arthur Tlllman,
twice convicted of the murder of
his sweetheart, Amanda Stephens.
Both boys are frank of countenance,
have piercing black eyes and coal
black hair. No one would lock at
these beardless youths and suspect
they had committed murder, or
that 1t would be possible for them
to. Dewein has confessed that he
took part in the murder of an aged
merchant at Benton. A boy not
used TO the hardships Of the world,
throwD'on his own resources, con.
sented TO rob the merchant and IN
the act, tho old man was struck on
the head and killed. Tillman Is
charged with numbering bis sweet.
heart by shooting her IN the bead,
and then weighing the body and
casting il IN a well. The most
damaging evidence against him was
that Of neighbor who testified to
seeing Tillman go to the well at
night aud look over Its brink. Till
man claims the crime was commit.
ed by a married man of the vicinity,
to cover another crime of which he
was guilty. The jury evidently be.
Ilieved the witness and not the
youth, yet it does seem as though
there is a sufficient element of doubt
to spare the life of the boy and
leave it to later years to unravel the
mystery. 1t would be a rather sad
affair for Tillman if, in later years
a deathbed confession would remove
from him the stain of guilt, and
Tillman had been executed fol
the crime.
Arthur HodgIns, red beaded
freckled faced, and possessing al
the energy Of the country youth, il
deserving of possibly more sympa
thy than any of the other convicted
youths. Hodgins "just grew up"
Like Topsy, he lacked the guiding
hand Of a mother. He never knew
what mother love is, and from early
childhood he was forced to shift fol
himself 1t is claimed that he was
Eaffllcted with a mental afiiiction,
and this did not add to his chances
of success. About a year ago he
got into trouble for some trivial
offense against the peace and digni-