Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1916-08-17
OF RHEA.
SERVING A LIFE
Term, IS SOUGHT
Governor Receives Petition
Bearing Sign I lures lead
ing Men.
WAS CONVICTED OF
ARCHARD'S MURDER
Plantation Manager Was Sentenced
in Jefferson Court to Hang on Com
yiction of Leading Negroes in
Attack Oh Oiliicer.

NOtiSH Oh lSGNIHE .NS-Dtts Ill
Attack op OFFICER.
A petition for the pardon of w. S.
("Bud"O Rhea. convicted in tho cir
cult court here in 1911 of murder in
the first degree, condemned to hang,
and whose sentence was later COM
muted to life imprisonment by Sena-
tor Joe T. Robinson, then governor,
has been filed with Governor Hays by
citizens of Desha county, where the
crime for which Rhea was sentenced
was committed.
Rhea was convicted of leading II
mob Of negroes in an attack upon
Nitol Archard, white, deputy con-
stable. Archard had gone to the
plantation Of which Rhea was mana
ger and arrested Grant Sanders, a
negro, on a charge of being fugi-
tive from justice. The officer was set
upon by a gang, his prisoner releas-
ed and the officer killed. Rhea and
five negroes were arrested. -Four of
the negroes were sentenced to TRIMS of
21 years each. The fifth one died
while awaiting trial. Two of those
sentenced are reported to have died
in prison. Rhea was tried here on
change of venue, and the case carried
to the United States supreme court.
Governor Robinson committed his
sentence on March s. 1919, and Rhea
was transferred to the penitentiary.
Say Negroes Alone Guilty.
1~1. f,,,
state they ''are Informed and believe,
on the 18th OF May, 1911 in the night
time, Vital Archard was shot and
killed in Desha county. Arkansas, by
mob composed wholly Of negroes,
or of negroes and w. S. Rhea; that
there was strong evidence that the
mob was composed only of negroes,
and that the principal evidence that
Rhea was with it was from the ne
groes themselves; that on the other
hand, there was strong evidence that
he was not with it, but was at his
home at the time of the shooting and
killing; that he and the negroes WEI
indicted for the offense, charged with
murder in the first degree: th.,t he
was tried first, the negroes, or some
VI tlClll, LSDtIIy iIS oSooilA't INN. ei''S
he was with them; that his trial end
ed on the 2Sth of October, 1911; that
public feeling was SO high, in such a
state of excitement, that a dispas-
sionate trial was almost, if not alto
gether impossible; that he was con-
victed of murder in the first degree,
and is now under life sentence; that
the negroes, whose guilt was unques-
ticnable, were subsequently convict
ed of murder in the second degree.
only; that we, your petitioners,
gravely doubt his connection with the
crime; that from what we know of
him, or The information we have of
him, we disbelieve that he would COM
nit such crime or consent to it's
contamination; that our information
| is that he has made model prison.
| err; that he has been in prison ever
since the Nth day Of May, 1911; that
we believe executive clemency would
in this case, tend to subserve the
ends of justice and to work no wrong.
1--WE therefore pray your excellency
to grant to said w. s. Rhea a pardon.
The signers are: Felix Cans, e.
Ellenbogen, B r. Crow, DR.. T. S.
Speer, Issie Scher, Frank w. Haley,
L. A. Pollock, J. ]. Hunter Jr., NJ.
S. Itzkowitz, .Tno. M. Harding, S. Ell
lenbogen, H. B. Hatch, W. nj. Kava-
naugh, Clifton Evans, Sol Wormser
George Rison, Lee High. G. c. Heck
Ter, James, Drake, c. C. Kavanaugh, F,
| w. Cherry, S. E. Cooper. G. w. Gray
William r. Bathurst, c. P. Horn
we'll, w. H. Pemberton, ]. W.. Baker
J. d. Lord. S. NJ. Pearson, Claude
Barron, J. E. Coates, Ike Stiel, i. d
Reagan, Tom M. Mehaffy, Rev. Forney
Hutchinson, Sam H. Campbell, DR.. j
w. Walton, j. M. Caldwell. J. T. Sim
mons, ]. NJ. Kelly, E. j. Bush, J. M
Dobbs, F. c. Bush, L. H. Hockensmlth
r. j. Ashby, E. S. Davis, NJ. F. Scott
J. w. Ashby, A. G. Hockensmith, P
C. Shopper, A. w. Alley, A. F. Perry
J. D. Bradford, Lee Hutchinson
George A. Hughes, Gordon Hutchin-
son. E. w. Scott, w. E. Pritchard
| George w. Cole, deputy sheriff, W. b
Wood, ]. H. Hunnicutt, W. c. Cald-
we'll, county treasurer; d. c. Dyer,
M. Cloud, Charley Searoy, q. Y. Stin
son, G. NJ. Blakeley, Charles Hutchin.
son, r. Fl. McClain, w. l.. Prtichard
| Dewitt Bennett, W. P. WeStDrook, }
w. Leech, r. L. Hopkins, w. w
Smith, P. R. WarnocK, A. C. Spear, w
H. Pollock, ]. n. Orr, o. w. Wood, DR.
E. ]. Rowland, Will Bates, P. S. Ed
ward, L. S. Thompson, l.. H. Sanders
DR.. w. Kelly, w. n. McCray, e. G
Mason, S. r. Crawford, c. c. Alley
]. J. Landers, d. c. Cox, sheriff; A
J. Mason, N. l.. Richardson, Viii
Deaton, w. C. crawford, ]. T. Barker
w. NJ. Steed, c. A. Daughtry, r. 4
Eick, r. B. Grimmett, C.. j. Griffith
w. M. Rankin, DR.. G. f. Jackson, D1
T. S. Speer, Ike Stern, M. Scher, }.
Holland, Joe Cook, Walter Levy, Et
Blakely, NJ. Holland, T. A. McNulty
l. F. Long, H. K. Toney, j. A. Gurle!
Dan Quinn, Fletcher Chenault, X. X
Allnut.