Norwich bulletin., 1918-04-16
MATTERS INTERESTING WESTERLY
Effort to Secure Pardon For R Irving Lamer, Former Local Youth Who Murdered His Mother Men Called For
 April 27 Cases In Superior Court Monday Funeral of William H. sandford Over $lo7,15 Bond subserip- tions. #

k. irving Latimer, who murdered his mother at Lenawee, Michigan, more than twenty five years ago, re- sided with his parents in Westerly. be- fore moving west, and was a graduate of the Westerly High school. His ia ther managed the old Seventh Day mill in Pawcatuck, near the border line. The building was destroyed by fire several years ago. Irving Latimer was sentenced for fife to the state penitentiary at Jackson, Michigan, and is now seeking parole and Sena- tor Townsend is, assisting to- that enN,. having joined in the appeal to Gov err1or Sleeper for the release of Lati- mer. His action was severely criti- cised in the Adrian Telegram, to which the senator made response in substance as follows. s a T have no objection to stating my reasons for writing the governor or to explaining what strange process was working in my mind. 1 knew Irving Latimer before he caused the death of his mother. and believe he was the instrument of her death. He was young man of good ability and as far as I know of good character. .,I was register of deeds for Jackson county at the time of his trial which was held in the Jackson court house where my office was located I at tended much of the trial. I was con- vinced of his legal guilt. But I, in common with every thoughtful person who followed the trial was impressed with the Belief that no sufficient mo- tive was shown for the crime and that Latimer's action was accountable only on the ground that he was a victim of dope. felt at the time that his conviction and sentence. were proper.
 "The deed he committed was horri- ble. The moral sense. of the commit : nity was outraged and anything less than. penalty of life Imprisonment would have been resented. The strange fact in the case is that Lati- mer has at all times insisted upon his innocence but the .circunlstantial evidence of his guilt was sufficient, it seems to me. to have convinced the jurv beyond a reasonable doubt
 "He was sent to the Jackson peni- tentiary for life. The officers of that institution trusted him almost from the beginning of his prison service Officer Haight was unusually friendly with the prsoneT, He allowed the lat ter to concoct beverages for him and Latimer being familiar with drugs and their effects conceived the idea oi cOncocting a drink that would act as an anaesthetic and put Haight to sleeE I and thus allow Latimer-to escape. He rniscaicufated the percentage of the opiate and Haight died as a. result Latimer escaped but in a.few. hours was captured and returned to prisor He did wrong and his conduct in the Haight matter showed he was not fiji to be trusted with freedom. That he did not intend to kill Haight, no, ont at all familiar with the circumstance.
 will deny. The killing was acciden.
 tal 2 though Latimer could not b.
 permitted to enter such a plea in hil
 own defense; and should not have beer
 permitted to do so. He was criminai1, careless" Ss
 Under date of March 2s, John J Crowley. secretary of the Michigan
 state prison certifes that. '.R. Irvins prison May II, 1SS9 For twenty fiv,
 years, since March 2s. 1888. he hal had perfect record, without demerit' Carta!n H. E. Hatch. wsrden of tn, Miehinan state prison, 1885, 1881, in
 ;c.n.s !At..r 70 latirer. connentin:
 Jr<te f'enstor Townsend's letter, says
 "i-FrleH. it js' reasonably evident as
 believe it to be in your case, that
 rr:eal.s is ready to live in liberty ari
 oh5Y tEe 1av, he should be released
 fer ;: v; eoafine men because the i'a."e crs-3!1 als the confinement shoull
 ;eraairac~ when they are not crini ,:c-.S" ..., 'eH %@ss
 re selection beard for State Di . '5is.eT. E-. 1 which includes Washina teE cau-ty snd East and West Green
 ~i,h. has ordered tue following to re
 9art t.prii 27. as 2 part Of the Rhod . Is'srd increment under the selectiy iSc-%-ice law: .'s
 Allen Y. Sylvia. We=terly: .Jame Miller. rctter Hin; Walter S.. Hay
 CTS, WeGterly; L. B. C.. Huttchins. re T