The copper era and Morenci leader., 1914-12-04
FED. PRISONERS TO
BE RELEASED WITH
ARIZONA DRY
Argue They Have Been Imprisoned
on False Testimony and New state
Law viii EFFECTIVELY Prevent any
Future Trouble.

The new statewide prohibition for
Arizona, and a letter from several
prisoners in the Gila county jail, to-
gether have. combined for another of
the several new and novel PROPOSE.
tions which have arisen in this state
since the election. There is now q
move on foot for petitioning the fed
eral authorities that the sentences
of men serving time in the state pri./
sons on charges Of selling liquor to
Indians he commuted. Others would
have the sentences shortened, SO that
the men may regain their freedom
shortly after the new state law be-
comes effective.
The grounds for the movement are
based on the argument that with no
booze to sell to the Indians, the men
could not, If they would, violate
again the provisions of the federal
statute making it a penal offense to
supply the red-men with red-eye. The
movement it is said, has been started
in ella county and will soon be
spread all over the state. Friends
and relatives of some Of the ella
prisoners are organizing the cam
paign.
The prisoners, in their argument,
that they should be released soon at
ter the state has gone dry, use an
other tack than the probability of
future violations of the federal laws.
They argue that they have been con-
victed on false testimony by the In
dians, and that they are serving long
terms in the. prisons of the state for
no other reason than that Indians
have lied to place them behind bars.
Some of the prisoners in the Gila
county jail in making their argument
have issued to the press statement
of their proposition.
Following is the letter which the
federal prisoners issued stating their
proposition and arguing their reasons
for asking that with a. dry state they
be allowed their freedom
Globe, Ariz.. Nov. Is, 1914.
To the Editor:
We, the federal prisoners confined
in the county jail, wish to call the
attention of the public, through the
medium of your paper. to the cause
of most of us being here.
Most of the men confined here are
held on the perjured testimony of
Indians who would swear a mans
life away # they had a chance. They
are paid for it and are employed fof
that that purpose. They are stool pig
cons" to help unscrupuIous officers.
The Indians state that they get good
pay for it and will say and do what
the officers tell them They will
screen the real culprit and point out
some unfortunate who cannot prove
MS innocence, as the testimony of
the Indians is taken in preference.
Men who are not guilty plead guilty
to get lighter sentences, as it is usu.
ally case of '4railroading There
are only few Indians who are the
cause of thus sending a great num-
Der Of men to jail and the federal
penitentiary solely on their per-
1ured testimony. 1t is time the
federal authorities were looking in
to this kind of graft Families
are deprived of their support and
men lose their homes. And all on
account of few of the kind of In
1ians who have always been a men,
ice to the country. Some men are
confined in jail six months awaiting
rial and on conviction get from three
months to one year. But nothing is
aiken off from the time served in
all. That is one of the injustices
# it ALL
The truth of everything stated here
an be proved.
FEDERAL PRISONERS.