The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-03-11
BOARD OF PARDONS FAVORS CLEMENCY
 FOR TOM LAMBERT
Governor KiIby Will Announce Decision on Case Within Few Days-LoCaI Dele
 gation in Montgomery
By FRED Ei. GORMLEH Bureuu, The Age Herald, e2t-2 First National Bank Building


 Noutgomery, March l0.-CSpeciai) By unanimous vote of the state board of pardons Friday afternoon, Tom Lambert, sentenced to be hanged in Jefferson county next Friday for the murder Of Martha Gillilsnd, was rec commended to Governor Kilby for the commutstion of the sentence to life imprisonment Governor Kflby re ceived the file in the case this after noon and will announce a decision during the next few days.
 The vote of the board of pardons followed a public hearing of the case during which prominent citizens of Birmingham urged ciemency. and presented recommendation from the trial judge, prosecuting attorney and other citizens of Birmingham
 The committee which presented tho ease called on Governor Kilby fol- lowing the decision Of the board and urged him to commute the sentence 10 life imprisonment
 Jury Favors Communication
 Not only did persons who knew Of InG case request tue CD lt-AldNiOn ot the sentence to life imprisonment, but the trial and James c. Davis. assist ant solicitor and chief prosecuting officer in the case, urgently requested that the death sentence be changed to life imprisonment Ten of the i2 members of the jury which convicted Lambert signed a petition. One of the other members is dead and the twelfth could not be located.
 Citizens ef Jefferson county sub init GU statements howing that Lam bet had been a user of narcotics in great quantities before the killing and was almost a mental and physical wreck. The own father of the Gilli- land girl requested that the sentence be committed to life Imprisonment. saying that she probably contributed to the causes leading to the killing.
 Many resolutions of Sunday school classes in Jefferson county appealing for clemeney were filed, while letters requesting clemnecy were written by Dr. Georoe R. Stuart, pastor of the First Methodist church. and other ministers of Birmingham. All stated that the death penalty. under the circumst nces surrounding the crime, was too severe.
 The case was presented to the board by a committee of Birmingham eiti- 1ens, composed of J. Ellis Brown, former city commissioner; pr. Roy Hershey, psstor of thA Toodlawn Presbyterian church; William Wise, Birmingham business man, and F. L. Irwin one of the wardens at the county jail.
 Took Time to Recover
 Mir. Irwin told the board that Lam bert was crazed with narcotics when he was placed in jail the day of the killing and it was ma. / weeks be- fore he recovered from the effects of the drugs. He also said Lambert throughout his Imprisonment had in- sisted that he did not remember any thing about the crime and would not have committed it had be been men tally capable of understanding what he was doing
 petition brought to Birmingham by the mother of Lambert. which bears the signature of several hun dred citizens of rroup county, Ga in 'uding all county officials. certi- fife that Lambert was from a good family and had never gotten into trouble before. It said that tn father and mother of Lambert are honored citizens of the county.
 In his request for clemency, the prosecuting officer. Mir. Davis, said new facts had sveloped since the trial which probably would have re- duced the sentence had they been pre- sented to the jury at the trial