The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-12-04
LIFE E SENTENCE
FOR MOONEY
California Anarchist Escapes
GalIows By Narrow
Margin.
GOV. STEPHENS COM
MUTES DEATH SENTENCE
The Request of President VIII
son That Execution Be Post
poned Was Influential With
Governor of California.

Sacramento, Cal, Nov. 2S.-The
sentence of Thomas J. Mooney, sen
fenced to be hanged on December 13,
for the deaths of ten persons killed by
a bomb explosion in San Francisco
during preparedness parade in July,
1916, was commuted by GOV. W. D.
stephens tonight to Imprisonment for
life.
Court action to save Mooney from
the gallows was exhausted by the
prisoner. the supreme court OF the
United States having recently decided
it could not review the case.
Threats Of a national strike in case
the governor did not interfere hac
been made in various parts OF the
country and some time ago it was re-
ported that President Wilson had
written the governor to see that
Mooney suffered no injustice. The
trial Judge had also requested new
trial for Mooney.
Governor Stephens statement an
nouncing tl:c communication said that
in considering the case he had hac
before him ''the urgent appeal Of the
president Of the United States that ]
grant communication.
Originally, in January of this year.
I received letter from the presidcn.
asking me if it would not be possible
to postpone ti3e execution OF Mooney
until he could be tried upon one G.
the other indictments against him.
"Inasmuch as on appeal already
had been taken to the supreme court
CT California. which appeal itself act
ed as a stay Of execution, there was
at that time no occasion for actor
on my part. I take it that the pres
ident was not correctly Informed as
to the status of the case"
In explaining why he had not felt
called on to act previously, the gov
ernor said:
The case as presented to the Cali
fornia courts was that murder, with
out further evidence of motive thar
the impossible tenets Of anarchists.
whose sympathies for the German
cause in the war are we'll known
Their wild pacifst theories fitted into
the widespread activities of the kai
ser's agents in this country.
"a number of persons Of prorounc-
ed anarchistic tendencies were arrest
ed shortly after the explosion and O:
these Warren K. Billings was ccp-
victed and sentenced to life imprison-
ment and Thomas ]. Mooney found
guilty and sentenced to be hanged
$50 long as avenues of appeal to
~ IN
and he was availing himself thereof
deemed it improper Cor executive
authority to Interfere
The statement reviews the cess
fully and quotes the two MESA ges
from President Wilson in which the
action now taken by the governor was
suggested. The commutation, says the
governor reduces the case to the
status Of that Of Warren K. Billings.
'I refuse to recognize this case as
in any fashion representing a clash
between capital and labor" the gov
ernor said, and he characterized as
absurd the propaganda that would
make Mooney appear as a martyr to
the cause Of labor. In support of this
statement, he quotes a letter from
Alexander Berknlan outlining the
plan afterwards adopted for the
Mooney campaign.
He denies that Mooney was a true
friend of labor and characterized his
previous record as such that it die
not enlist faith in him among law
abiding citizens. but said in conclu-
son that this particular case had beer
decided on it's merits