The copper era and Morenci leader., 1915-07-30
RECALL THREATENED AGAINST HUNT
 THIS WEEK

IHI1 WEEk Should Executions of Five Mexican
 Murdsrers Be Again Delayed Peo-
 pie of Arizona May Be Expected ts Act
 PHOENIX, July 27-Petitions with nearly el4ou8h signatures to initiate @ law abolishing capital punishment were fled in the offic6 of the secre- tary of state yesterday and today. The next petitions circulated in Ari- zona mey be tor the recall of gover- nor Huht.
 Odds a1e being offered in Phoenix | that there. will be no executions at the state prison Friday, the day set !, for the hanging of five murde1ers. This 1 in spite of the fact that the state su- preme court, the federal courts and the board of pardons have all refus- I ed to interfere.
 l It is believed that Hunt and his ap- pointee, waEden R. B. Sims, will in some way evade carrying out the law. And threats to start 9 movement l to recall the governor in case the naen are not hanged are heard on every hand.
 Believe Sims Will Balk. | Just what Hunt and Sims can do, in a legal way, to prevent the execu- tions, is not apparent. The best attor- neys of Arizona agree that the last recourse has been exhausted. Never i theless, the belief persists in Phoenix that Sims will not execute the con demned men, even if he has to refuse flatly to do so.
 It is pointed out that Sims was appointed by Hunt and can be re- moved only by the governor, unless 1t be for proved dishonesty. Hunt, be- ing so thoroughly in sympathy with Sims position, would doubtless refuse to remove him for refusing to "com- init legal murder"
 ; Sims may refuse to execute on the ground that the people have initiated an anti capital punishment law and are to vote upon it at the next cleo tion. This is not legal ground, but may serve as an excuse.
 i In case he refuses to execute, Sims certainly will be in contempt of the superior courts that sentenced the m urderers. He could easily fight the contempt charges for a year or two, however, and might in the end escape with the payment of a few ] light fines.
 Pardon Board Postpones Session. | The board of pardons was called to meet at the penitentiary today. Frank i P. Trott was present but c. O. Case and attorney general Wiley Jones were absent. Both Case and Trot have said that the initiation of an anti capital punishment law would not affect their attitude. The meeting of the board was postponed by Trott. [ Hunt, it is believed, may have hopes that the state department at i the last minute will reques a post ponement of the executions. Any re- quest of that nature would have to be very urgent to have any effect on Trott and Case. They voted for the postponement requested by William Jennings Bryan, former secretary of state, and afterward expressed the opinion that Bryan would not have asked postponement had he been familiar with the circumstances.
 FLORENCE, Arizona, July 3O.- Especial by Long Distance Phone ) The four condemned Mexican mur- derers, convicted of murder in the first degree and sentenced to be hung today, received a stay of exc cution last night at seven o'clock, when Judge A. G. McAllister, of Graham county, sent here by Cover
 
 writ of habeas corpus, reversed his decision made earlier in the fore noon, and granted the writ.
 Judge McAllister reopened the cases and reversed himself, after it was shown that his previous de 0ision, denying the writ of habeas corpus, prevented the appeal that would act as stay of execution. Attorneys for the anti-capital punish
 
 tion for the writ on technical defects in the death warrants of the prison CTS. After vacating the earlier or lder Judge NcAllister denied the mo- Ition to discharge the prisoners from custody. Warden Sims, of the state tpenitentiary, was immediately noti- fied of the action taken by the court.
 The appeal was taken to the Su- pren1e Court by the attorneys for the condemned men on the denial of Judge McAllister of the motion made tody.
 Indignation was expressed here lover the action of Judge McAllister, who when he discovered that no ap- peal was permissible from his first decision denying the writ of habeas corpus, reconvened court and revers- ed himself, granted the writ upon which an appeal m1ght De taken OH the motion to discharge the prisoners from custody.
 Notwithstanding the recommenda- tions from Secretary of State Lansing the Board of Pardons, with Frank rFrott and c. o. Case, present, re- fused to take any action.
 The fuKther interference of the state ldepartment was entirely unexpected Ito everyone not in close touc1 with the governors office, where the eff forts to again induce the federal gov ernment to take a hand are said to have emanated. Representations were