The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1916-03-02
GEORGE BALL GETS
LIFE IMPRISONMENT

Geo. Ball, convicted of the murder
of William Long, OF Saco, will not
be executed by Canadian authorities
as reported some time ago. After
the scatfold was erected and every
thing in readiness for the final
scene, the Cabinet at Ottawa
changed the death penalty to life
i'm prisonment.
The following from Regina pa
per tells the story OF the narrow es-
cape of the condemned man:
Geaorge Ball, the convicted muir
derer OF William Long, of Wood
Mountain i'll April, 1915, will not
hang for the crime, having been CIV
ell Fife sentence on Saturday by the
ca binet at Ottawa, where his case
had been carried in an effort to
snatch him from the galloWs to
which Judge Newlands sentenced
him following the conviction by
jury at Swift Current.
Ball. on receiving the news, felt
greatly relieved and seemed to take
a new lease Of life, for the COMMUTE
ed sentence at least holds out one
hope to him-pardon. From the day
Ban was sentenced he has stoutly
maintained his innocense and claims
10 have killed William Long in self
defense.
Following a three-day trial at
Swift Current, JUDGE Newlands sent
enced Ball to hang on January 9Th.
On January 4th reprieve for one
month Was given, and in the mean
time his case WAS taken to Ottawa
by J. f. Bryant, who defended Ball
at his trial. Following the fire at
the Parliament building it was
thought that all the papers in the
case of Ball had been lost, but in
curry from the Department of JUS
tice put away all enxiety the papers
had been saved and those on COM
ing before the cabinet meeting COM
mutation OF the penalty to life i'm
prisonment.
Preparations had been completed
for over month for the hanging OF
Ball. The Jail authorities had the
scaffold erected and Hangman Ellis
had arrived here during the frs
week in January in order to be OF
hand January 9th. The reprieve sci
the date of hanging back a month
and now the scaffold will be tori
down and Mr. Ellis will not have t(
ofticiate He left the city yesterday
During his incarceration in Re
gina, Ball has been an eXemplar.
prisoner and according to the Jai
authorities had caused no trouble
whatever. He has maintained al
equilibrium under a very heav.
strain, particularly when his wife
and little children visited him the
last time early in January.
o7,i19-n which Rail bn
been sentenced to spend the remain
der o. his natural life in jail, wa
committed in April last in thu
Wood Mountain country. Ball an'
Long had ranched close to the boun
Diary line Ball on the Canadian sid
and Long on the American side
Some cattle went astray from Long
ranch and Long accused Ball o
st 5alin? them. Two weeks befor
tn } sh' citing occurred Lon accord
ing to the statement made at TIL
time of the trial had attempted t,
the drop on him first and he hat
ridden away threatening to get hin
some day. Later he returned an,
in an alteration which followed tn
accusation of cattle stealing, Bal
III ftll ktitGi ,dllOll NIlCH lOlIOWeu III
shot Long, he claims in self defense
although no gun was found on tn
person of Long. After a fair tria
Ball was found guilty at Swift Cur
rent and sentenced by Judge New
lands to the extreme penalty.
Ball will now be removed fror
Regina Jail to Prince Albert PEN
Tertiary where he enters on his lif
term