Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-03-10
CALIFORNIA
Continued From First Page

OALIfOkNIA
Continued From First Page
in California history, confessed
her guilt in the last few min
utes of her life in 1855.
He said the 32-year-old con-
victed slayer Of an elderly
widow made the admission to
the late Warden Harley o.
Teets of San Quentin Prison.
Mr.. Leavy, who was Chess
mans prosecutor, was the final
witness. He said he related the
Graham story because a movie
OF her life left the impression
she was not guilty.
Even as the Senate COM
mittee debated the death
penalty question the State
supreme Court yesterday
turned down Chess a n s
latest petition. This one chal-
lenged legality of his new May
2 execution date.
A. L. Wirin, one of his at
torneys, told newsmen here the
decision ended Cheeseman's
court appeals.
Cheeseman's fate is now
entirely in the hands of the
Governor unless the Legisla-
ture takes favorable action"
he said.
Gov. Brown, after giving
Chessman a 60-day reprieve
February 10, said he would let
him die If the States law
makers rejected his plea to
abolish capital punishment.
The 38-year-old prisoner
was convicted in 1913 on
charges of kidnap robbery
which involved forcing two
young women to perform an
unnatural sex act.
The Senate mittee
listened to proponents of re-
peal for seven hours. 1t wasn't
until $3.50 pm. that opponents
- chiefly law enforcement
officers-stepped up to the
witness stand in the hearing
room.
Close Final Vote
Just before going to a vote,
Senator Fred Farr, a Democrat
who introduced the bill for the
Governor, put in amendments
to provide only for a three
year moratorium on executions.
! But it proved no more than
a gesture. Still. the final vote
was closer than even the spon-
sors had predicted. The As
sembly. in the past has ap-
proved modified death penalty
repealers. The Senate, how
ever, has always rejected them.
Witnesses supporting the bill
hit two main themes: That
capital punishment does not
deter crime; that it is bar
barrie" and "brutalizes society"
All but one of the opposition
witnesses argued that the
death penalty is a greater
deterrent than any other
form of punishment.
The exception was District
Attorney Roy Gustafson of
Ventura County in Southern
California, who said that the
death penalty is no greater de-
terrent than life imprisonment.
Statement Is Surprise
Mr.. Gustafson's statement
caught his fellow opponents by
surprise. Several of them also
took exception to his testimony
that he believes retribution is
the main aim of criminal law,
not rehabilitation of criminals
nor protection Of society. If, re-
Mobilization becomes certain,
he said, he might change his
mind.
Police Chief William Parker
Of Los Angeles said he was
compelled to testify for reten-
ton of the gas chamber be-
cause of lever increasing vio-
lence" in his city. He said the
rate of major crime has risen
125 per cent since 1850.
Chief Parker called Gov
Browns bill a step in a trend
Of loosening criminal law which
he feared would lead to the
abolition Of the prison system
and the complete relaxation of
restraints on criminals"
1--WE believe in rehabilita-
ton" he said, "but not at the
expense of the protection of
society,""
District Attorney William o.
Weissich of Marin County
argued that statistics are
valueless in determining the
deterrent effect of the death
penalty. He argued that it is