The Semi-weekly leader., 1920-12-18
w. H. WOOD is AGAIN
FREED BY GOVERNOR
Sentence Suspended Pending Pardon
Board Action-Russell Gives Reas-
ons for Action.

N@@S
Jackson, Miss. Dec. 15.-The governor
today suspended the sentence of one
year in the penitentiary imposed on W.
H. Wood, former superintendent of edu-
cation of Harrison County. The sus-
pension is until Jan. 21, to allow oppor-
tunity for the pardon board to pass on
the case!
Wood was convicted of misappropria-
ting public funds to the amount of a.
bout $4,000. He repaid the money to
the county and was sentenced on one
charge to fine of 10 days in jail. The
governor granted a suspension of the
jail sentence. but the pardon board re-
fused to recommend pardon. Judge
Graham of the court a few days since
imposed the penitentiary sentence on
another charge or part of the same
crime. The official suspension of SEN
tence with reasons assigned follows
To the Superintendent of the State
Penitentiary:-
Whereas, at the December term of the
Circuit Court of Harrison county, in
said state, w. H. Wood was convicted
of the crime of fraud in office and was
by the court sentenced to serve one
year in the state penitentiary, and
Whereas, a petition has been made
to me signed by practically all the
officers of Harrison County and many
of it's leading citizens, to suspend the
sentence of said w. H. Wood, am
fully convinced that this suspension
should be granted and assign among
other good and sufficient reasons the
following:-
First-The defendant paid back ev-
cry cent taken by him unlawfully, a.
mounting, as am advised, to some five
or six thousand dollars. This is highly
commendable. Usually when funds are
so taken they are never paid back, and
hence the courts inflict a penalty under
the statute for the crime only, leaving
the defrauded parties to suffer.
Second-This defendant not only paid
back all the money improperly taken
by him, but he paid the full penalty
prescribed by the judge by paying the
fine and suffering the Imprisonment and
while this was not for all the trans
gressions alleged 20 have been commit
ted by him against the law, yet the
payment by him of all the funds al
legged to have been taken satisfied this
feature Of the law completely.
Third--It is a general custom practic-
ed by all the courts throughout the
state that when a man has been pun
ished for one of a series of crimes (all
Of which might have been embodied in
one indictment) that he shall be ex-
cused from suffering the penalty in in
stallments.
Fourth-Without attempting to criti-
cize in the least the action of the off,
cfals in demanding that this defendant
be punished the second time for a part
Of the same offense it occurs that it
would be more equitable and just to
have inflicted a sufficient punishment in
the first instance. The court had am
pie power to do this. Anyway, being
fully advised of all of the facts and
circumstances in the case, knowing the
man, as I do, knowing his family and
the humiliating ordeal through which he
has gone, knowing that he is penniless
and that his family is in want, and be-
ing advised that his relatives and
friends had to make good his alleged
shortage and being supplemented in
this opinion by the judgment of practi-
cally all of the officials of that county
and many of it's thoughtful and fair
minded citizens I am sure that a sus-
pension should be granted in order that
this defendant may have an opportun-
ity to present the facts to the pardon
board, and feeling, too; as do that
this case has been unduly prejudiced be-
cause of political reasons, by meddle-
some would-be politicians. By this
do not mean that the court was unduly
prejudiced or influenced, but simply
that the case of this man was not fairly
dealt with by some members of the
public. These same unfriendly critics
have forgotten to direct their criticism
at others, almost, if not fully as guilty
as the defendant. After due delibera-
tion am fully convinced of my course
and therefore suspension is hereby
granted until Jan. 20, 1921.
In testimony whereof have hereunto
set my hand and caused the great seal
of the State of Mississippi to be affixed
this 14th day of December, A. D. 1920.
LEE NJ. RUSSELL,
Governor.