The Washington times., 1915-07-01
GOVERNOR REFUSES
TOILET 5 MEN HANG
Arizona Executive, in Fight
Against Capital Punish
ment, Won't Sign Papers.

PHOENIX, Ariz.. July 1.-Before July
% the five murderers who were saved
from the Florence penitentiary gallows
May 2S by an eleventh-hour rcpricve
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 23.
But Governor Hunt. whose fight
against capital punishment has saved
the five from death so far. refuses 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 Heralta, Francisco Rodrguez
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
A desperate last minute battle to save
them was being waged all over the
State.
The pardon board. which had power
pealed to. at first in vain. Secretary
Bryan and Gen. Francisco Villa asked
mercy for them-the latter on the
ground that they had not received fair
writ of habeas corpus for the five, and
denied their lawyers the right OF ap-
peal from his decision. When it seemed
that every device had failed. the par
don board weakened and granted the
nine weeks reprieve.
Stripped of Pardon Power.
The fact that the pardon and reprieve
power was vested exclusively in this
board was due to the fact that Governor
Hunt made strenuous campaign in
favor Of constitutional amendment
abolishing the gallows in Arizona. The
voters turned against him on that issue.
They adopted a measure stripping him
Of his pardon and reprieve power and
giving it to the board Of three.
Shortly after his first inauguration
February IA, 1912. Hunt announced his
| opposition to capital punishment He
empha sized this stand by reSpiting from
| time to time. the murderers then under
sentence of death. This created dissatis-
faction throughout Arizona. Pending the
| next election. when the anti-capital pun
! ishment amendment was to be voted on,
Hunt continued his policy of reprieving
| each murderer when his execution date
came near. He stumped the State de-
| claring he cared more for the abolition
of hanging than for his own re-eiec-
| tion.
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 de-
feated. So he was deprived of his par
| don power, and the condemned men
| were apparently helpless.
Reprieved at Last Minute.
The pardon board met and fixed the
death date. With two weeks in which
ito work, Hunt and his friends started a
| new fight against the execution. Minis
ters discussed the case in the pulpits. all
kinds OF organizations passed resolu-
| tions either favoring or condemning
| what some termed "legalized murder. "
| Leagues were formed, petitions circu-
lated. Hunt appealed to the New York
newspapers. and the publicity they gave
! his cause brought such a huge volume
| of protests to the pardons board that
a staff of clerks was employed to handle
| the mail. Great pressure was brought
to bear on c. o. Case, superintendent
of public instruction, and Frank Trott
both members of the board They
| wavered. but finally stood firm. Wiley
| E. Jones, attorney general, and third
| member of the board, always stood pat
The legislature was appealed to-the
house adopted a memorial against the
executions. Then. the day before the
| hangings. came the Intervention OF
| Bryan and the rapid-fire series OF
events leading up to the last-minute re-