Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-09-13
LAST Of RAWLINGS
BOYS ASKS FREEDOM

his life in payment OF the penalty
of crime of which he is believed to
have been wholly innocent and to have
had no previous or guilty knowledge,
and himself the beneficiary of a.
merciful governor, Jesse Rawlings
appeared before, Governor Hardwick
Saturday morning and appealed for
the pardon, communication or parole
of his elder brother, Milton, who is
serving d life sentence in the penl-
tertiary for alleged completely in the
murder of the Carter children In
Lowndes county in 1905.
CAS- God is my judge, Governor,
Milton is as innocent of completely
in that crime, for which my father
paid the supreme penalty on the gal
lows, as either my brother, Leonard,
or myself" pleaded Jesse Rawlings,
with unmistakable evidence of the
depth and sincerity of his feeling.
AS he spoke of the crime and the
circumstances attendant upon the
trials and conviction of himself, his
father and his two brothers, Raw
lings, who is a magnificent specimen
of manhood, trembled with emotion
and his voice quivered as he stood
before the governor with tear-d1mmed
eyes.
1T was as our father confessed be-
fore going to his death, none of us
neither Milton, Leonard nor had
the remotest knowledge OF the death
of those children before the perpetra-
ton of the crime, and Milton today is
serving as a model prisoner in Mitch
Il - f1on 10 for a
crime of which he was innocent"
Jesse Rawlings appeared before
the governor in company with Judge
Oscar M. Smith, of Valdosta, and w.
o. Cooper, Jr., of Macon, an asso-
ciate of John r. Cooper, who, with
lingses when they were arraigned in
Lowndes county fifteen years ago.
The crime of which the RaWlingses
j. c., the father, his three sons,
Milton, Leonard and Jesse-and ALI
Moore, negro, were convicted, was
one of the most shocking in the an
nails of the state. The senior Raw
lings and w. L. Carter, a neighbor,
who died last week, became involved
in a dispute about a land line, and In
consequence of this difference Willie
and Carrie Carter, aged twelve and
fourteen, respectively, were shot to
death from ambush as they played
about their yard.
History of Case
The arrest of old man Rawlings,
his three sons, who were then in
their teens, and ALT Moore, a negro,
followed the perpetration of the
murder. The negro turned states
Ger and hanged. The senior Rawlings
and his three sons also were con-
victed, and sentenced to eXpatiate
their crime on the galloWs.
The case was fought through all
the courts of the land, finally going
to the United States supreme court
at Washington. The late Governor
Joseph M. Terrell committed the
sentences of the three boys to life
Imprisonment and just before his
execution their father made state
ment absolving them of all knoWl-
edge of the crime.
In 1911, on the strength of
recommendation of the prison COM
mission, Governor Hoke Smith COM
muted the sentences of Leonard and
Jesse but withheld clemency in the
case Of Milton. Governor Smith or
dered an investigation of the case
after receiving letter from the
boys.
The prison commission subsequent
ly has recommended clemency for
Milton Rawlings, on several occa-
sions, but these recommendations
have not been respected by the gov
errors to whom they were addressed.
Governor Interested
Governor Hardwick manifested
lively interest in the hearing yester-
day, but withheld a decision until he
can examine the record in the case
fully. Judge Smith and Mr.. Cooper,
as counsel for the petitioner. voiced
dissatisfaction at the determination
of the governor to study the record
and expressed confidence that the
written evidence in the case would
convince him of the innocence of
also the fact that several of the jur-
ors who heard the case when it was
tried had petitioned for executive
clemency, and they dwelt upon the
exemplary records of good Citizen
ship that have been established by
Jesse and Leonard Rawlings since
their pardon ten years ago.
Jesse is now a resident Of Coffee
county, and successful farmer
Leonard is living in Kansas and also
engaged in farming. Both, it was
In the executive offices Saturday
morning before being heard by the
governor, Jesse Rawlings remarked
upon the insistent efforts that were
made before and after the trial and
conviction of himself and brothers to
gain from them a confession of their
guilt of completely in the murders.
81 made no confession and neither
of my brothers made any confession,
because we were innocent of com.
plicity or knowledge of the crime,
he said. eve were under death
sentence. and I would have gone to
my death on the gallows rather than
confess to the commission of such
crime. All sorts of inducements
were held out to us, but in our dark
est hour we stood steadfastly for the
truth and L am convinced that sooner
or later my brother will be vindicat-,
ed just as my brother, Leonard, and
L have been vindicated."