Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1920-10-29
Father and Step-Brother
OF Neil Hart In Salem to
Plead for Condemned Man

With a petition urging clemency
for Neil Hart, alias Neil Bancroft
sentenced to hang here on Novem.
ber s for the murder of Til Taylor
Pendleton sheriff, w. z. Bancroft
father of the condemned man, ant
E. L. Mitchell. Hart's step brother
are in Salem to make a final ples
to Governor Ben Olcott for the life
OF the man who is at present pac.
ing the death cell in the Oregon
penitentiary.
OF approximately 5000 Pendletor
voters, Mr.. Bancroft says he has or
his petition the names of 67s who
has asked that Hart's sentence be
made that of life imprisonment in.
stead of death. None but estab
lished residents of Pendleton was
permitted to sign the petition, Mr.
Bancroft said.
Father Tells Story.
Sitting in room in the Bligh
MOTEL this morning, Mr.. Bancroft
a Denver contractor and builder
told the story of Hart's earlier life
Mr. Bancroft is comparatively
small man, with gray hair, and was
neatly dressed in a gray suit.
when Neal was a baby he was
at one time very sick with
measles" he said. ''For days he
hovered between life tand death
and in an effort to relieve his con-
vulsions, chloroform was admins
tered. Eventually he pulled
through his illness, but his mind
did not develop within is body. He
knows to an extent what is right
and what is wrong because the
difference has been constantly
pointed out to him. but he seems
to have no conception of his moral
obligations.
Mentally Defective, Claim.
we want to impress on the
governor that, if the present sen-
tence is carried out, man who is
mentally defective will be hung"
Mr.. Bancroft said that he had
experienced trouble in handling
ms son ever since the boys illness
1t was necessary to place him in an
industrial school at the age of IL
years, where he remained until he
was IS, he said.
In Pendleton, Mr.. Bancroft said,
ne at first ran up against a stone
wall of opposition sentiment. The
newspapers there, be said, at first
refused to print, even as advertise
ments, statements which he wished
10 make concerning his son. Later,
however. he was permitted to in
sert several advertisement.
If l had a little more time, |
am positive l could achieve my
goal. he said this morning. "As
IL is. | don't know. I'm afraid that
oVer-ealous friends, who have al
ready interceded in behalf os my
son, nave done more harm than
good.''
Mr.. Bancroft said that a news
paper story carried the first in
formation he got concerning his
sons predicament, and that this
news came after Hart had pleaded
guilty.
Asked whether they believed a
chance remained to save Hsrt's life
noth Bancroft and Mitchell an
swered that they did not know.
We will do what we can," Mr..
Mitchell said. If the authorities
are unable to see things the way
we see them, we will return to
Denver convinced that we have
done all that is possible. Out of
Justice to the boy we could not do
less
Governor Not Here.
Mr.. Mitchell is conductor on
the Union Pacific railway. out of
Denver.
The Denver men expressed the
belief that they would be permit
ted to see Governor O1cott when he
returns from the Siletz country.
D0lxr tue schools - 7 inn oorrr,fs-