The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-02-26
WOMEN OPPOSED. TODEATH PEN LTY
Mrs. Blickensderfer Recalls Wakefield Case at Capi-
 tOl Hearing.

Hartford, Feb. 26.-The judiciary committee yesterday gave hearings on three bills abolishing capital punish ment two of the measures abolishing Tit outright and the other providing that the death penalty shall only be
 inflicted upon specific direction of the twelve jurors. Three women, two
 senAtors and a. representative cham pioned the sentiment of the bills and no one appeared in opposition to them.
 Mrs. WI. Blickensderfer of Stann- ford led the feminine support, Mrs. B1ickensderfer having been somewhat
 prominent as a next friend of Mrs. Bessie Wakefield, while the latter was under the death sentence. She alluded
 to the fact in her opening remarks,
 saving that the woman was Ignorant and unable to defend herself. People Ido not want capital punishm ent,'' said Mrs. B1ickensderfer. T have here
 petition signed by 1000 Stamford resi- dents against 1t and I have had tSle- grams since came here from the mayor Of Stamford, the town treas urer and: from former Secretary AL
 bert Phillips, wishing me success. Why, States Attorney Cummings ob- jects to it; the trouble is that we can't get the Legislature to know how we feel about 1t.
 l eve don't know of these hearings Ebeforehand only heard of this one "A people wished to be heard on this matter but | could not reach them in the short lime at my disposal and I had to leave home at 8 o'clock this
 morning in a terrible storm in order to be here in time to be heard. i TT am sure the state does not want g repetitions of the Wakefield case. When this unfortunate woman was
 sentenced she had not 100 cents, not
 to say s1oo. with which to appeal. Had life impTisonhnent been the penalty, she would have been sent quietly to prison and the state would have avoidZ E ed the shocking horror in the sensa-
 ttonaI papers from coast to. coast and the aecuse ton that we bred female monsters in our state.''
 Some discussion arose as to Mrs. BlickensderferS petition signed by 1000 Stamofrd people Senator Tuttfe who was interested in the bill, as- stunned that 1t was drafted for presen-
 tation to the committee and the com nittee understood it to be one which had been made in connection with the
 Wakefield case. Mrs Blickensderfer opinion, said that 1t was made for the
 Wakefield case, but I asked all the Esigners if they opposed capital pun
 ishment and they said they did,' Mrs. Caroline B. Buell. of the state. ". C. T. U.. spoke for the bills, saying | are opposed to the death penalty, say ing that it is alike against the Dec alogt1e and the Sermon on the Mount She said she was saddened whenever she heard that a man is under the death sentence at WethersaeId.
 Mrs. E. B. Kendrick was also heard for the bill and told the committee that she felt that every lawyer must wish it's passage as sheecOald not sfr11- agIne that any member of the profess sion would care to be party to a murder.
 Senator Hewitt was the first speaker for the bills and he went into thermat- ter somewhat at length, holding that: The penalty is one which is beyond recall
 It is a, relic of barbarism.
 It deprtyes the condemned man of
 the chance ofsS spiritual reformation and that it does Tot deter.
 He spent much time on the last
 proposition, reading statistics from the various states to prove his contention.
 Representative Dillon, Huntington, ia Kored the bill urging the possibilitv of the conviction and execution Of an sft, nocent man. Senator Futile, who in troduced one of the biIIs closed inc argument Senator Futile was also heard for bill which gives counseJ for the accused the right to make the closing argument.