The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-12-23
SHALL MENDENHALL,
MURDERER, BE FREED?
(Kissimmee Valley Gazette)


To Sidney J. Cats, governor; II.
Clay Crawford. state secretary; Van
c. Swearingen, attorney-general;
Ernest Amos, comptroller; William
Allen McRae. commissioner of agrl- |
culture:
Gentlemen: Each of you in your in |
dividual capacity as a state official and
in your collective capacity Of forming |
a body given the right by the state
constitution to temper justice with
mercy" stands at the fork of the
road-the entire population of the
state watching to see which way you
will travel. The cosmopolitan citizen
nv of Florida is intensely interested in
the matter of the release of J. j. Men
ldenhaI, the murderer of his sweet
heart and her mother, the perpetrator
of a crime so foul that the state will
never forget it; and the constant ru-
nors that there is to be "a pardon
granted during the present admins
tration has aroused the Indignation of
every man and woman resident in the
state.
Gentlemen: There is no use in re-
counting the crime for which Menden-
hall received a sentence that was
shorn of justice and tempered with
mercy. Mendenhall was not of the,
Ignorant class when he committed the
act for which he has since been pay
ing the price; he was one of, the more
select peoples, who knew we'll that in
carrying out the plans he had cum
lningly contrived there was risk. lie
: was active in church work; his envir-
! cnments were of the best; his business
. acumen was far above par; and be-
7 cause of such conditions his crime was
s far more disingenous. You, members
? of the pardoning board, know all these
. facts; if you are ignorant of them you
a are holding your position under false
= Iprtenses.
= Gentlemen: Tt is strongly rumored
e that a majority of your pardoning
t board is in favor of releasing Men
= denhall on the grounds that he is g
= model prisoner and ga Christian with
S wonderful influence over his prison
S mates" Possibly there are Other
reasons for his exculpation. That hi
r was ga Christian with wonderful in
e fuence" prior to his committing th'
= double murder has never been denied
It POSSIBLY the 'taste still fingers" N
a cI-e refutes the assertion that, he is ;
It "model prisoner" There is no reasol
g why he should be otherwise. Nor i
there reason why he should be give
his freedom before he has atoned i
lie & fair proportion for the awful Grim
1t he committed.
IF Gentlemen: If your pardoning boar
Sc or any portion of that body concur
w IN an effort to extend to J. J. Mendar
5, hall pardon there can be but one c
rs two explanations made the subject {
IN discussion. One is that there has bee
tx complete loss of love for woman
V hood and a total annihilation of ever
tn form of punishment for crime of al
he ralling character in the minds an
ST. makeup of the members voting for
rardcn. The other is that not on
Is has a bribc of some sort or some cha
20. ter been offered by those most il
r terested but that the offer has bee
ia accepted. 1t will be impossible for tt
at Ipeople of Florida to believe othe
he wise It might be possible that bot
al conclusions were incorrect-but tho:
st who have followed the case from Il
d. Iearly' stages could not be induced
ne accept any other conclusion: and IL
er state would receive a quota of der
E. gatory publicity that would forev'
,v remain stain upon her.
of Gentlemen: j. ]. Mendenhall stanc
err convicted unon testimony of whiC
ne there can he no question. 1t is dOub
err ful if J. J. Mendenhall will deny h
k crime. 1t is up to the pardoning boar
te whether the members will consciel
1g tlously carry out the duties Of the
cffice-or Join hands with a murdert
ard become but linn Shiny rags in tt
"a hands of those who are seeking
is turn loose a murderer merely becaus
or h. happens to be "a Christian wit
IN Wonderful infuencer