The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1915-07-01
Reprieve Of Arizona Murdsrers
will Expire July 23, Cover
nor Refuses to Sign
Death Papers
ALREADY ONCE SAVED
FROM THE CALLOWS
Respite Granted BY Pardon Board
nt Last Mon6 \; Campaign
Against Capkal Punish
ment i crried On
By United Press.

NAAA', SuiJ =. bchohc JUL
2s the five murderers who were saved
from the Florence penitentiary gaIlows
May 2S only BY an eleventh hour re
prieve. will again stand in the shadow
of the scaffold The reprieves were
for nine weeks duration. BY the law
the men must hang before July 2s.
But Gov. Hunt of Arizona, whose
fight against capital punishment has
saved the five from death so far, re-
fuses to sign the necessary papers or
fix the execution dates. He refuses
to be party to the executions. And
the five are confident that the "big
governor will never let them hang.
On May 2S the Arizona prison at
Florence was the scene of one of the
most dramatic events in criminal his
tory. N B. Chavez. Edurado Perez.
Miguel Peralta, Francisco Rodriguez
and Ramon villaloboz donned their
clothes that day. 1t seemed that their
long fight against the extreme penalty
had ended in defeat The gallows
was ready. the Witnesses assembled in
the tower where the five were 70 be
hanged. A desperate last minute bat
tie to save them was being waged all
over the state. The pardon board,
which had power Of life and death
over them, was appealed to, at first in
vain Secretary Bryan and Gen. Fran
cisco Villa asked mercy for them
the latter on the ground that they had
not received fair trials Federal Judge
SawtelIs refused a writ of habeas cor
pus for the five. and denied their law
yers the right of appeal from his de-
cision. When it seemed that every de.
vice had failed the pardon board
weakened and granted tine nine weeks
reprieve.
The fact that tl,. pardon reprieve
power was rested exclusively in this
board has due to the fact that Gov.
Hunt made strenuous campaign in
favor Of constitutional amendment
abolishing the gallows from Arizona.
The voters turned against him on that
issue. Although they elected him, they
rejected his pet amendment. and in
stead adopted one stripping him of
his pardon and reprieve power and
giving it to the board Of three
Shortly after his first ainguration.
February IA. 1912, Hunt announced his
opposition to capital punishment and
proposed to eliminate 1t from his state
He emphasized this stand by respit-
ing from time to time. the murderers
then under sentence of death This
created dissatisfaction throughout
Arizona. Pending the next election
when the anti-capital punishment
amendment was to be voted on. Hunt
continued his policy of reprievins
each slayer when his execution date
came near He stumped the state de-
claring he cared more for the aboli-
tion of hanging than for his own re-
election.
When the voters went against it,
Hunt fought the new amendment in
the lower courts. was defeated. went
to the supreme court, and was again
defeated. So he was deprived of his
pardon power and the condemned men
were apparently helpless.
The pardon board met and fixed the
death date. With two weeks in which
to work. Hunt and his friends started
a new fight against the execution. Min
listers discussed the case in the pull
pits, kinds of organization passed
resolutions either favoring or con-
demning what some termed "legalized
murder" Leagues were formed. peti-
tions circulated. Hunt appealed to the
New York newspapers, and the pub
licity they gave his cause brought such
huge volume of protests to the par
don board that staff of clerks was
employed to handle the mail. Great
pressure was brought to bear on G. o.
Case. superintendent Of public instruc'