The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-12-16
THE PARDON BOARD


of the state pardoning board:
There is every reason to believe
that plans are being laid, with some
assurance of success, to either grant
a full pardon or parole, to ]. j. Men
Idenhall, convicted slayer of two wom-
en-, one just budding into womanhood,
end the other advanced in years and
lffail in body. There were no extern
uating circumstances. Mendenhall
committed murder most foul. It was
Ipremeditated. Plans were carefully
laid to commit the crime and to cover
up the trail of the guilty.
| In order. to obtain pardon before
the board as constituted under our
constitution it is necessary for the
governor of the state and four MEM
hers of his cabinet to determine, by
majority decision, that the petitioner
has presented new evidence which
warrants the extension of mercy and
brings into question the guilt of the
petitioner This privilege is abused
nearly every time the pardon board
meets. But it usually is with the
moral acquiescence of the community
most affected by the original crime.
The board acts purely according to
statute, and is not supposed to go be-
yond the definitions of it's powers to
parole or pardon criminal.
1 ~
question of whether or not j. J. Men
ldenhall shall be returned to society as
a good citizen are Governor Sidney J.
Cats. Secretary of State H. Clay
lCrawford, Comptroller Ernest Amos,
IAttorney General Van C. Swear
lingen and Commissioner of Agricul-
ture w. A. McRae. Three of them
must vote an extension of mercy If
he is to be given this freedom. It is
Icertain that if three of them do so
vote they will be marked men in Flor
ida for the remainder of their days,
flor no matter how secret the ballot
may be the members who vote against
Iany such outrageous abuse of justice
Twill, in their defence, announce how
they voted.
The state board of pardons has nc
: moral or legal right to parole OF par
con Mendenhall. Before he came to
: Florida he was arrested on charge
!. Iof numbering his first wife. Within @
very short period after this he mar.
RED his housekeper and came tc
t Florida Long before he ruined the
t lgirl he murdered he was known fal
: and near as moral leper. A pro.
a lfessed churchman he sought with
greedy eyes the young and innocent
$ whom he might destroy. Susie Elliot
mot out of her teens, was 1ured tt
ruin. Her mother prayed with Men
0 denhall to protect her daughter from
o disclosures of her undue intimacy witt
y lhim. For answer he conceived hell
e lish plot and killed them both, burning
+. their still warm bodies on a lionel
road near the head of old Tampa Bay
p1 Had Mendenhall been drinkin,
man, or one mentally unbalanced, h
might seek to offer these as extenu
It lating circumstances, but he was note
o for his sobriety and poise. He wa
y land is constituted the most dangerou
# lof all known characters in society
ell Some months ago two noted sho
d Ilifters were apprehended while plyin
their nefarious trade in 0cala. The
d We're tried and the male convicted an
+ iscnt to Raiford to serve sentence. !
short time later a petition was pre-
scented to the state pardon board pun
l. porting to have been signed by tn
IS judge and jury of the court which trie
n and convicted him, by every membe
r Ct the jury and by large number G
oi the most influential citizens of Mario
IS county. The pardon was granted an
it the prisoner Immediately made hi
lie disappearance. A short time later
Y was proven that every name on tn
= lpetition was forged, that the boar
J. had been guilty of the most fagran
IS carelessness and incompetency.
10 With this fresh in the minds G
It Florida people there is little wonde
is that protest is going up from a
/ sections of the state and that tn
If good women resent an effort to tur
e back to society monster who coul
4. have committed such a series of das
r tardly crimes as did Mendenhall hi
Il conviction of destroying the physics
n bodies of the two women was as moth
l. ing to his crime against the girl Ion
e before he took her life
IS Let every honest man and woman i
r Florida cry out in protest.
e
MOSS BLUFF