The Bourbon news., 1918-12-03

Z.-Tn6 Qeatn sentence impOSeu oHt
Thomas J. Mooney, labor leader, has
been commuted to life imprisonment,
Governor w. D. Stephens announced
last week.
Mooney was to have been hanged
December 13 for the murder of Mrs.
Myrtle Irene Van Loo, of Meroed,
Cal, one of ten persons killed by a
clockwork bomb that exploded in San
Francisco during a Preparedness
Day" parade July %, 1916.
Court action to save Mooney from
the gallows was exhausted by the
prisoner, the Supreme Court of the
United States having decided recent
| " it could not review the case.
Threats of a nationwide strike in
case the Governor did not intervene
had been made in various parts of
the country, and some time ago it
was reported that President Wilson
had written to the Governor "to see
that Mooney suffered no injustice" !"
The trial Judge also had requested
a new trial.
Governor Stephens statement an
nouncing the cOmmutatlon said that
in considering the case he had had be-
fore him "the urgent appeal of the
president of the United States that
grant Communication"
"Originally, in January of this
year." he said, 81 received letter
from the President asking me if it
would not be possible to postpone
the execution of Mooney until he
jcould be tried upon one of the other
indictments against him.
"Inasmuch as an appeal already
lhad been taken to the Supreme Court
of California, which appeal itself
lacted as a stay of execution, there
was at that time no occasion for ac-
ton on my part. | take it that the
President was not correctly Informed
las to the status of the case"
In explaining why he had not felt
|called on to act previously, the Gov
iernor said;
"The case as presented to the Cali
lfornia Courts was that of murder
without further evidence of motive
than the impossible tenets of an.
archists, whose sympathies for the
German cause in the war are wei
known. Their wild pacifist theorie:
fitted into the widespread activitie:
of the Kaiser agents in this country
ga number Of persons of pro
lnounced anarchist tendencies were ar
rested shortly after the explosion
and of these Warren X. Billings wa
convicted and sentenced to life i'm
jprisonment and Thomas ]. Moone,
found guilty and sentenced to b.
hanged.
$50 long as the avenues of appea
to the courts remained open to Moon
ey and he was availing himself there
Of, / deemed it improper for execu
. tive authority to interfere"
The statement reviews the case full
!. ly> and quotes the two messages fror
' President Wilson, in which the actio
now taken by the Governor was sug
gested. The communication, says tn
!. Governor, reduces the case to tn
status of that of Warren X. Billings
Il refuse to recognize this case a
g in any fashion representing elias
: between capital and labor" the Gov
O ernor said, and he characterized a
r absurd the propaganda that woul
make Mooney appear as martyr t
y the cause of labor. In support of hi
: statement he quotes letter froI
: Alexander Berkman, outlining tn
= plan afterward adopted for tn
d Mooney campaign.
!. He denied that Mooney was tru
4 friend of labor and characterized hi
previous record as such that it di
not enlist faith, in him among Law
: abiding citizens, but said in conclr
l. sion that this particular case ha
s. been decided on it's merits.
# The two messages sent by Pres
# dent Wilson follow:
~ Tho, White House
;, washington, D. c., March 27, 191;
a Governor William D. Stephen
,t Sacramento, CAL:
ol With very great respect / tax
l. the liberty of saying to you that
s. you could see your way to commut
20 the sentence of Mooney it would Ihay
a most heartfelt effect upon certai
e international affairs which his ex
TO WOODROW WILSON,"
in "The White House, Washington, d. c
# 1851 P. NJ, June A, 191
g Hon. William d. Stephens, Sa
ramento, Cal:
~ 81 beg that you will believe tn,
~ am moved only by sense of publ
duty and of consciousness Of IL
TX many and complicated interests i
n volved when again most respectfu
mr. ly suggest a communication of Il
- death sentence imposed upon Moone
VI would not venture again to ca
your attention to this case did I n
Mt know the international signifcan,
~ which attaches to it.
n WOODROW WILSON,"
MT - N -