The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1920-09-09
ROY wolff,
| l7,PRAYINC
FOR PARDON
Birthday Draws Near as He
Sits In San Quentin
Waiting to Hang

San QUENTIN. Cal. Sept s.
Roy Wolff. former Seattle boy. wiz
have . birthday on Wednesday. Sept
lls.
He viii h. II.
| Th~re viii b. no candles. no cake.
no congratulations.
/ instead. there win be shadow
the shadow Of = hangman's moose.
|! For ftpy wolff. IL. sits slecpleSsly
IN San ouentia prison awaiting dsath
bhv strznguiafaoa-
KILL TAXI DRIVER
Al DAkERSFIElD CAL.
| lie killed Elmer Greer. taxi driver.
nsMr Bakersfleid. on May ~. 1919.
and the statutes OF California. the
| jury and the judge. have dccreed
that he must pay the penalty BY
dangling at the ropes end with a
broken neck.
wolff spends the time. as his birth
day draws nigh. reading his Bible
and praying. and answering letters
from his relatives and from others
Interested In his case. and working
for Communication OF his sentence to
life imprisonment.
Hundreds Of letters arrive now. in
the coursse Of a week. all offering en-
couragement and comfort.
| Some Of these letters Wolff shares
with fellow prisonerA
| He has given a man. ceIl mate.
the little Bible which a relative sent
10 wolff, and taught him to read
II and To pray.
/ He Ksid he had never had a Bible
before. but now he has one he Is
going to know II from start 10 fin
ish.' Roy explains
THE LETTER HE WANTS
HAS NOT YET COME
The letters bring Roy hope and
comfort but the one letter he has
not yet received would bring him
moro Il II . letter from the gov.
ernor Of California. w. ID. stephens.
offering him Communication Of sen.
tence. 10 that he need not die on
October %. but may spend the rest
Of his days at toll In prison. expi.
ating his sin.
Wolff's execution date originally
was set for September II. But on
Representations that Wolff had not
received fair hearing before the
juvenile court at Bakersfield. Gov.
Stephens reprieved the boy until oc.
tobcr %. TO give time for an impair.
tiAl investigation Of the facts sur
rounding the shooting.
| The revulsion OF feeling regarding
the CASE has been remarkable.
| When Wolff murdered Bert Greer
In the desert near Bakersfield the
peculiar cruelty of his methods
caused great indignation in that sec.
| ton against him.
This Is now balanced by a steady
propaganda fostered by those who
believe he was not given the benefit
Of the juvenile law Of the state, and
by others who revolt at the thought
Of hanging a 17-year r-old boy.
| Wolf was riding with Greer across
the desert. Under some pretext he
went to the rear seat. There he
found hammer. With the hammer
he struck Greer repeatedly over the
head. fracturing the skull. Then he
dumped the dying man out upon the
hot sand and left him.
He later said Greer begged for
water. He explained he wanted
Grecr's automobile and so committed
the crime.
| Those aiding Wolff urged that he
was not given proper hearing in the
juvenile court at Bakersfield.
II also Is maintained that he was
mentally irresponsible at the time OF
the crime. and perhaps has not re-
covered.
In Bakersfield the feeling still is
strong against Wolff. Mrs Greer.
the widow. and District Attorney
Dorsey. together with one Of the
Jurors of the trial. have joined in
urging the governor not to commute
the sentence.
Mrs. o. b. Lockwood. Los Angeles
clubwoman. is one Of the California
persons working for young VOLTS
Turn n Page 8. Column -