The Indianapolis times., 1930-07-11
If Macdonald Is Not Found

Although the News is offering S9OO lot hIOiiiid-
ton leading to the discovery of John Macdonald
he IS alive his return to California should not be
necessary to effect the release from prison OF Iom
Mooney and Warren K. Billings
It NAV be necessary so long C. c. Young is Gov
ernor because he has based his refusal for pardons
on the testimony of that one witness Macdonald
But Governor Young may change his mind. Or a
new Governor may see the fallacy in the argument
T. u the word Of liar is to be believed more at one
me than at another-that Macdonald may have told
ne truth in the Mooney and Billings trials and may
have lied later when he made affidavit saying that
he lied on the witness stand.
Macdonald may be dead He has not been heard
from for years. The News and all the twenty-four
other scripps Howard newspapers are combing the
country for him.
They hcpe he will be found so he may be brought
back to testify as he did when he returned in 1921,
that he committed perjury when he told the court
that he Mooney and Billings at the scene OF the
Preparedness day parade explosion
That would be the speediest of releasing
these men and erasing the blot on the name of
American justice.
If he is dead if he is not found, the blot must be
erased anyway California America must prove to
the world that in this country all men-the poor as
well as the rich the laborer as we'll the boss-stil
are equal before the law.
How very thin is Governor Young's excuse for de-
nying the pardons becomes more apparent his
statement and those of the supreme court and the
board of pardons are studied in the light of informa
ton obtained by the News on Wednesday.
The excuse is that the Governor suspects NIacDon-
ald lied when he made the affidavit saying he lied
at the trials-suspects it mainly because, he says
Billings threw himself open to suspicion through his
bers of the court where the circumstances surround
ing his affidavit might be investigated"
In his letter to the supreme court, which is the
basis of Governor Youngs statement Billings did not
express fear to have Macdonald return.
The News has a copy of that letter The letter
is plainly an effort to hasten the courts decision
Billings application for a pardon. The court had
had the case for many months and had not acted.
Billings was afraid that if the court held up its
decision until Macdonald was found. it would
act The letter states in many words that Billings
asked the court to confne itself to the records of
the case, solely with the intent to expedite your
work"
Furthermore. when it was anticipated that the
supreme court would ask for Macdonald to appear
search for him was started by the Mooney Billings
defense committee. The News has copy of a letter
sent by the committee to Frank P. Walsh. New York
attorney asking him to locate Macdonald possible
and send him to San Francisco.
That letter was written in May, more than six
weeks before the supreme court gave its decision
strongly inferring that Billings was afraid to have
Macdonald return more than six weeks before Gov
ernor Young made his statement, plainly saying that
Billings feared il.
Upon such excuse do a supreme court. board
Of pardons and Governor base denial of justice
to two men who already have served fourteen years
IN prison for a crime they did not commit.